The Business Value of Design: 4 Reasons to Invest in Design Thinking

In a world defined by rapid change and daunting challenges, the future depends on people who can think creatively, reach across boundaries, and reframe complex business problems as opportunities to build what’s next.

Source: Original Postress-this.php?">The Business Value of Design: 4 Reasons to Invest in Design Thinking

The fact is, design is revolutionizing business. The companies garnering worldwide recognition for innovation are taking a design thinking approach to overcome challenges, improve products and services, keep customers satisfied, and gain a competitive advantage. And it all begins with people who can see the big picture.

In any industry today, knowing how to use design as a tool for business is essential to successfully navigating an uncertain future. So whether you’re leading from the C-suite, or working on the ground level, here are four reasons why you should invest in design thinking.

Spark Innovation 

Ever-changing consumer habits and digital transformation can have companies struggling to meet customer needs and anticipate market demands. The companies that are poised to adapt are using design thinking to build a culture of collaboration, understand user needs, and develop lasting solutions.  

Knowing the right questions to ask is a great place to start. When companies apply design methods like user research, problem framing, and systems thinking to organizational learning, financial process, and customer systems, teams are better positioned to identify new opportunities for market innovation.

For business leaders, it’s about having tangible ways to measure the impact of strategic decision making on the bottom line. The more design drives strategy, the more agile decision makers become. A design thinking approach creates clearer paths to revenue growth, cost reductions, enhanced productivity, increased consistency, improved customer retention, and many other benefits.

Drive Authenticity & Purpose  

In a competitive marketplace, your brand is a critical to your success. With design thinking, companies can stand out by showcasing innovation with their brand marketing strategy and embodying purpose and values at every touchpoint.

Brand authenticity is more important than ever to attracting and retaining customers. Applying design thinking methods to your brand by aligning strategy and messaging with core values provides a strong foundation for creating more connected customer experiences. 

Boost Brand Reputation & Value 

When it comes to facilitating valuable customer relationships, design thinking is a powerful differentiator that can build long-term loyalty and trust.

Employing a design process of user research, analysis, synthesis, and implementation provides companies and teams with a better understanding of how customers assign value, make decisions, and highlights any obstacles they might experience on the customer journey. Prioritizing user needs and dissecting the customer experience also reveals new markets, customer segments, and audience platforms that can lead to growth. 

Advance Your Career 

Next-generation leaders are investing in design thinking to develop the collaborative mindset, versatile creative-problem solving skills, and cross-functional talent that companies need to foster innovation and remain adaptable in a changing world. 

That’s why Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) created the Advanced Studies in Design and Innovation Management Certificate with Ferris State University’s College of Business. It exposes business people to the process of design thinking and teaches designers how to talk business. Each of the four graduate-level courses addresses design and business integration from a different angle, including Design and Innovation Process, Design Communication, Sustainable Design and Systems, and Leadership by Design.

The certificate blends online and in-person learning formats to offer an immersive and highly flexible learning experience tailored to meet the needs of busy working professionals. It’s ideal for business and creative people who want to expand their way of thinking, differentiate themselves in the marketplace and advance their career through innovation.

“The Design and Innovation Management Certificate offered a rare balance of accessibility and value in an engaging experience,” says Nicole Hughes, Senior Product Manager at Steelcase. “It reawakened my curiosity, enlarged my network, and transformed the way I use design to drive problem-solving and communication across disciplines.”

Harness the power of design thinking to help you break the mold, embrace change, and move boldly forward into the future. Learn more at kcad.edu/di.