19 February 2021
2021 Insights summary
Back
Introduction
As product designers and innovators, we create solutions to solve problems. Our aim is to deliver user focused solutions that will have a positive impact. 2020 is a year that created many problems which impacted people and our planet greatly and we believe it will be regarded as the “catalytic year” - it accelerated change. Design is the main tool to be wielded when there is change, it is the tool that is used to manage a problem’s impact and deliver solutions in a format that people can understand and implement. For more click here
1- How to hit net Zero and live with it
In our 2020 insights we said it was important to become as sustainable as possible. 2021 is the year of action: Preparations and promises must be implemented, since businesses are telling their customers how they intend to join a global effort to drive down carbon emissions. There are huge design and development opportunities to help customers and communities adapt to change and implement low-carbon solutions. For more click here
2- Faster, better, broader connectivity
In 2022 the main networks will have put 5G in all but a few areas in the UK. Currently very few products will support it. But developers been designing for that capability for some time. In 2021 we can glean some important design learning on how these speeds will change user behaviour, thinking and expectation. For more click here
3. Design will become more polarized
Due to the seismic shift in street-retail to online commerce, product and services will have extremely narrow window of opportunity to grab your attention. We have been saying this since the advent of Amazon; this has really come to a head now. To sell online you need to WOW your customer with the design, then PULL them in with the reviews. They will go hand in hand. The more established a brand the easier that is to do. Meaning there will be a noticeable chasm opening up between established brands and start-ups vying for your attention. For more click here
4.) Home and flexible working
If ever there is a topic highlighting how we must adapt, it is home working. 60% of western business leaders expect at least 25% of their workforce (and in some cases all of their staff) to work at least partly from home. (CCS Insights). This will be a dynamic landscape as people adapt to the ever-changing situation. Good design is hungrily adopted in this market. For more click here
5.) How are you feeling?
2020 shone a spotlight on both physical and mental wellbeing. It was a year that also highlighted that the poorest amongst us are most disadvantaged regarding this area. There is a need to ensure everyone in society can adapt to the changes asked of it. This is a big market and needs user-focused design solutions. For more click here
6.) Tick Tock- time is running out
Attention spans reduce year on year. The TikTok experience is being integrated into the music industry and digital experience. In those industries you have less than 15 seconds to make that impact. As a product developer or service provider do you compete – or think differently? For more click here
7.) The growth of the cottage industry
2020 made designers and makers of a lot of us. Having the forced downtime brought about a creative explosion which resulted in the growth of private online businesses selling direct to consumers, including platforms like Amazon, Etsy and Facebook. The margins from design to retail are now very different presenting disparate quality price perceptions. These new routes to market and reduced cost targets offer anew opportunity for entrepreneurial designer makers. For more click here
8.) Experience a “high” on the high street
The push to move the high-street online has lead to the clearing out of failing retail businesses (or contraction of them). This will transform the high street to become an entertainment centre, that must be constantly changing. This will give established brands and start-ups an equal playing field. Good design has always put experience first. But, now with more tools like pop up stands, 5G connection speeds, and new materials – what else can a designer use to make that experience the best it can be? For more click here
9.) Sustainable business will need sustainable product
Our insights of 2020 were 10 ways you can create products and services that people need, whilst making them as sustainable as possible. This is now a prerequisite – not a USP. We predicted it would be Gen Z that really push this agenda. Now the demand for sustainable product spans all ages, yet will fall away with financial pressures. In a year when many people will feel an economic hit- how can designers maintain that responsibility in their design offering? For more click here
10) People are your business and your customer
Gen Z now have influence not just as consumers but as decision makers. They can decide who they work for as they enter the workplace. Being socially as well as environmentally responsible is now measurable. It is now possible for your customers to see via the designs that you produce the ethics your company has. From consumer goods such as Brew Dog to retail brands like Patagonia. As customers, they care about what they are buying, but now they also care who they are buying from. For more click here
Back
19 February 2021
2021 Insights summary
Back
Introduction
As product designers and innovators, we create solutions to solve problems. Our aim is to deliver user focused solutions that will have a positive impact. 2020 is a year that created many problems which impacted people and our planet greatly and we believe it will be regarded as the “catalytic year” - it accelerated change. Design is the main tool to be wielded when there is change, it is the tool that is used to manage a problem’s impact and deliver solutions in a format that people can understand and implement. For more click here
1- How to hit net Zero and live with it
In our 2020 insights we said it was important to become as sustainable as possible. 2021 is the year of action: Preparations and promises must be implemented, since businesses are telling their customers how they intend to join a global effort to drive down carbon emissions. There are huge design and development opportunities to help customers and communities adapt to change and implement low-carbon solutions. For more click here
2- Faster, better, broader connectivity
In 2022 the main networks will have put 5G in all but a few areas in the UK. Currently very few products will support it. But developers been designing for that capability for some time. In 2021 we can glean some important design learning on how these speeds will change user behaviour, thinking and expectation. For more click here
3. Design will become more polarized
Due to the seismic shift in street-retail to online commerce, product and services will have extremely narrow window of opportunity to grab your attention. We have been saying this since the advent of Amazon; this has really come to a head now. To sell online you need to WOW your customer with the design, then PULL them in with the reviews. They will go hand in hand. The more established a brand the easier that is to do. Meaning there will be a noticeable chasm opening up between established brands and start-ups vying for your attention. For more click here
4.) Home and flexible working
If ever there is a topic highlighting how we must adapt, it is home working. 60% of western business leaders expect at least 25% of their workforce (and in some cases all of their staff) to work at least partly from home. (CCS Insights). This will be a dynamic landscape as people adapt to the ever-changing situation. Good design is hungrily adopted in this market. For more click here
5.) How are you feeling?
2020 shone a spotlight on both physical and mental wellbeing. It was a year that also highlighted that the poorest amongst us are most disadvantaged regarding this area. There is a need to ensure everyone in society can adapt to the changes asked of it. This is a big market and needs user-focused design solutions. For more click here
6.) Tick Tock- time is running out
Attention spans reduce year on year. The TikTok experience is being integrated into the music industry and digital experience. In those industries you have less than 15 seconds to make that impact. As a product developer or service provider do you compete – or think differently? For more click here
7.) The growth of the cottage industry
2020 made designers and makers of a lot of us. Having the forced downtime brought about a creative explosion which resulted in the growth of private online businesses selling direct to consumers, including platforms like Amazon, Etsy and Facebook. The margins from design to retail are now very different presenting disparate quality price perceptions. These new routes to market and reduced cost targets offer anew opportunity for entrepreneurial designer makers. For more click here
8.) Experience a “high” on the high street
The push to move the high-street online has lead to the clearing out of failing retail businesses (or contraction of them). This will transform the high street to become an entertainment centre, that must be constantly changing. This will give established brands and start-ups an equal playing field. Good design has always put experience first. But, now with more tools like pop up stands, 5G connection speeds, and new materials – what else can a designer use to make that experience the best it can be? For more click here
9.) Sustainable business will need sustainable product
Our insights of 2020 were 10 ways you can create products and services that people need, whilst making them as sustainable as possible. This is now a prerequisite – not a USP. We predicted it would be Gen Z that really push this agenda. Now the demand for sustainable product spans all ages, yet will fall away with financial pressures. In a year when many people will feel an economic hit- how can designers maintain that responsibility in their design offering? For more click here
10) People are your business and your customer
Gen Z now have influence not just as consumers but as decision makers. They can decide who they work for as they enter the workplace. Being socially as well as environmentally responsible is now measurable. It is now possible for your customers to see via the designs that you produce the ethics your company has. From consumer goods such as Brew Dog to retail brands like Patagonia. As customers, they care about what they are buying, but now they also care who they are buying from. For more click here
19 February 2021
2021 Insights summary
Back
Introduction
As product designers and innovators, we create solutions to solve problems. Our aim is to deliver user focused solutions that will have a positive impact. 2020 is a year that created many problems which impacted people and our planet greatly and we believe it will be regarded as the “catalytic year” - it accelerated change. Design is the main tool to be wielded when there is change, it is the tool that is used to manage a problem’s impact and deliver solutions in a format that people can understand and implement. For more click here
1- How to hit net Zero and live with it
In our 2020 insights we said it was important to become as sustainable as possible. 2021 is the year of action: Preparations and promises must be implemented, since businesses are telling their customers how they intend to join a global effort to drive down carbon emissions. There are huge design and development opportunities to help customers and communities adapt to change and implement low-carbon solutions. For more click here
2- Faster, better, broader connectivity
In 2022 the main networks will have put 5G in all but a few areas in the UK. Currently very few products will support it. But developers been designing for that capability for some time. In 2021 we can glean some important design learning on how these speeds will change user behaviour, thinking and expectation. For more click here
3. Design will become more polarized
Due to the seismic shift in street-retail to online commerce, product and services will have extremely narrow window of opportunity to grab your attention. We have been saying this since the advent of Amazon; this has really come to a head now. To sell online you need to WOW your customer with the design, then PULL them in with the reviews. They will go hand in hand. The more established a brand the easier that is to do. Meaning there will be a noticeable chasm opening up between established brands and start-ups vying for your attention. For more click here
4.) Home and flexible working
If ever there is a topic highlighting how we must adapt, it is home working. 60% of western business leaders expect at least 25% of their workforce (and in some cases all of their staff) to work at least partly from home. (CCS Insights). This will be a dynamic landscape as people adapt to the ever-changing situation. Good design is hungrily adopted in this market. For more click here
5.) How are you feeling?
2020 shone a spotlight on both physical and mental wellbeing. It was a year that also highlighted that the poorest amongst us are most disadvantaged regarding this area. There is a need to ensure everyone in society can adapt to the changes asked of it. This is a big market and needs user-focused design solutions. For more click here
6.) Tick Tock- time is running out
Attention spans reduce year on year. The TikTok experience is being integrated into the music industry and digital experience. In those industries you have less than 15 seconds to make that impact. As a product developer or service provider do you compete – or think differently? For more click here
7.) The growth of the cottage industry
2020 made designers and makers of a lot of us. Having the forced downtime brought about a creative explosion which resulted in the growth of private online businesses selling direct to consumers, including platforms like Amazon, Etsy and Facebook. The margins from design to retail are now very different presenting disparate quality price perceptions. These new routes to market and reduced cost targets offer anew opportunity for entrepreneurial designer makers. For more click here
8.) Experience a “high” on the high street
The push to move the high-street online has lead to the clearing out of failing retail businesses (or contraction of them). This will transform the high street to become an entertainment centre, that must be constantly changing. This will give established brands and start-ups an equal playing field. Good design has always put experience first. But, now with more tools like pop up stands, 5G connection speeds, and new materials – what else can a designer use to make that experience the best it can be? For more click here
9.) Sustainable business will need sustainable product
Our insights of 2020 were 10 ways you can create products and services that people need, whilst making them as sustainable as possible. This is now a prerequisite – not a USP. We predicted it would be Gen Z that really push this agenda. Now the demand for sustainable product spans all ages, yet will fall away with financial pressures. In a year when many people will feel an economic hit- how can designers maintain that responsibility in their design offering? For more click here
10) People are your business and your customer
Gen Z now have influence not just as consumers but as decision makers. They can decide who they work for as they enter the workplace. Being socially as well as environmentally responsible is now measurable. It is now possible for your customers to see via the designs that you produce the ethics your company has. From consumer goods such as Brew Dog to retail brands like Patagonia. As customers, they care about what they are buying, but now they also care who they are buying from. For more click here