A powerful tool called design thinking can give you a competitive edge, writes Katy Briggs

Innovate or die. We’ve all heard it before, but never have those three words seemed more relevant. It has become vital to keep the creative juices flowing in every part of your business and start questioning the status quo.
A powerful tool called design thinking — a more image-driven, non-linear approach to visualizing solutions — can produce innovations faster than those using more analytical approaches. The idea is to consider things that may be out of your comfort zone.

So how do you apply design thinking in your daily business?

Blur the Lines

You might be the smartest person in the room. But your ideas are never going to be as good as they can be if you aren’t collaborating with people with other points of view. Put a marketing director, a buyer, store manager and an accountant in a room for a few hours along with some markers, a big pad of paper and magazines for inspiration. Consider a PR idea that seems outlandish, introduce a new product line that is outside of your standard assortment. Come up with a sales incentive that has never been tried before. Good ideas can come from anywhere; collaboration can be the fuel.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

The rules are changing and you have to become known for something specific in order to create an impression in the marketplace. Perhaps you have a buyer with a knack for identifying the latest designer lines. Whatever your strong suit, start talking about it.

[h3[Create a Value Proposition [/h3]

You don’t have to be the cheapest to be the most valued. Get creative with your offers, promotions and rewards programs. Partner with other brands that have similar target audiences such as luxury car dealerships, spas, hotels or restaurants. The possibilities are endless if you open your mind. And again, I can’t stress this enough: Once you have something new to say, shout it from the rooftops.

[h3[Give Them an Experience [/h3]

Make sure that every interaction a customer has with your brand, from the website to the custom-wrapped pieces of Swiss chocolate on your counters, is an extension of your story. The idea is to be sure that every person who enters your store has a memorable experience. Now is the time to take risks. Don’t just emulate what the category leader is doing. Do it better. By using design thinking to work more quickly, smarter and more creatively, you can make your brand experience more memorable and position yourself for long-term success.

Katy Briggs is a vice president at brand design firm Willoughby Design. E-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This story is from the May 2010 edition of INSTORE

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

Add Comment