How to use design in restructuring and innovation processes was the topic for two meetings this week. Close to 100 people attended the meetings at Norsafe in Arendal Tuesday and at Cameron in Kristiansand Wednesday. The meetings were organized in cooperation with The Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and GCE NODE.
AWARD-WINNING OPERATOR CHAIR
In Kristiansand, Cameron shared insight into how the X-COM Operator Chair was created in cooperation with chair specialist Norsap and Eker Design.
In an early process identity workshop, it was established that X-COM should be rugged, aggressive and masculine. It should also be smooth, efficient and uncomplicated to use. And it should provide high performance and precision.
“Cameron entered the process with visions and guidelines for the new chair. We provided expertise on chair technology and product. And Eker Design contributed with innovative design”, explained Andreas Ravn, Industrial Designer at Norsap.
A speedy innovation process focused on intuitive control, safe operation and ergonomic design. The result was a chair praised by customers and design experts; X-COM won an award for design excellence.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR DESIGN
Knut Bang at the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture (DOGA) explained how the center works to take care of the new ideas and drive the design field further. DOGA’s design consultants are available to help with strategic design management to give businesses increased competitive advantage.
“Companies should be aware of the opportunity to seek financial support for the design process. This assumes that design is not just ‘nice to have’, but rather defined as a necessity to create a new product. We encourage companies to have designers join innovation projects at an early stage to secure that the end-user perspective is taken into account”, says Siren M. Neset, Regional Representative in Agder for The Research Council of Norway.
