The collaboration between IIT Mumbai and IIT Chicago featured Chicago students directing research in Powai, and IIT Mumbai students directing research in Chicago. As a result, research approaches were tailored to each group of students’ needs. IIT Mumbai students focused on physical product design solutions and IIT Chicago focused on designing systems and strategies encompassing combinations of product, communication and service design opportunities. The goal of all of the projects was to contribute to increasing prosperity and small business growth within Chicago and the Powai neighborhood.

Key insights and design ideas derived from the collaboration

Exploring the possibility of for-profit and not-for-profit hybrids

Students explored the creation of for-profit/not-for-profit hybrid organizations by designing systems that:

• Strengthen communities by connecting local resources
  A self-sustaining business model for a Balwadi that integrates a non-for-profit community service provider, a for-profit entity and an educational incubator around the core values of creating social and economic value for the Powai slum community.
  (Gauri Verma, Valerie Campbell, Edwin Steinmetz , Vishwesh Kelkar)

• Empowering Self-employed Women in Powai through Social Networking
  A Kitty-Cooperative model for women’s groups in the Powai slum designed make NGOs more effective in addressing the needs of their constituents in the areas of health, education and financial independence.
  (Bhumi Gajjar, Soham Patel, Anshul Maheshwari)

Utilization of Ubiquitous or Predominant Technologies

Record-keeping and Credit Management Systems for Kirana Stores in Powai. New paper ledgers and record-keeping applications for mobile phones address preponderance of credit-based transactions, unclear payback details, and shop owner’s monopoly of the main register in stores. (Antonio Quinones, Nai-Hwa Chiang, Preethi Lakshminarayanan, Swapnil Jadhav)

Exploring New Types of Currency

Efficient Scrap Collection Systems for Powai Slums A scrap collection system that offers increased efficiency and profitability to Powai scrap collectors by facilitating networking, scrap processing, price transparency and the introduction of incentives. (Vasile Bora, Dan Folwaczny, Kyungsun Kim, Shilpa Rao, Amy Sprague)

The full paper was presented on April 7, 2009 at SDSE 2008, Bangkok Thailand.

20091123_092213_Sustainability_and_a_Global_Design_Process.pdf

How are we doing in the Danish industries? Do we release the full potential of co-creation today? No, I don’t think so, but I do believe that we are well on track. Our democratic heritage makes it easier for us to break down borders and co-create across public and private sectors and across silos and industries. When talking about Denmark’s competitive advantage, we have the potential to be frontrunners in exploring and benefitting from co-creation. But we have to keep focus and move fast.

(Lisbet Thyge Frandsen was asked to give her take on the question ‘what is the state of the art for the Danish industries working with co-creation and innovation?’ Read the case ‘Grundfos invests in talent’ here)

About Lisbet Thyge Frandsen

I see co-creation as a potential for future growth. Co-creation is an energising process where knowledge disseminates and ideas flow freely. Everybody acknowledges that knowledge sharing is imperative for effective and efficient innovation, but noboby has so far found the holy grail, even though lots and lots of money have been spent over decades on sophisticated databases and it-systems that didn’t work. Why is that? Because knowledge sharing is a human process requiring a purpose for sharing. Co-creation has always a purpose – you are in it together to solve an important task. The process produces engagement, enthusiasm, passion and by the end of the day – drive leading to innovative solutions.

(Lisbet Thyge Frandsen was asked to give her take on the question ‘how do you see co-creation as a potential for future growth?’ Read the case ‘Grundfos invests in talent’ here)

About Lisbet Thyge Frandsen

Acknowledge that different levels of creativity exist and offer relevant online experiences to facilitate people’s expressions of creativity at all levels. This means leading, guiding, and providing scaffolds as well as clean slates to encourage people at all levels of creativity. But this is a tall order. For starters, you may want to identify your “makers” and design scaffolds to support their creative expression. If you do this right, the makers may even want to help you guide the “adaptors” and lead the “doers”.

Recognize or reward people for their co-creative efforts, but keep in mind that intrinsic motivation beats extrinsic motivation.

Don’t try to design experiences for people. You can’t. Do provide scaffolds for them to use in creating their own experiences. (more…)

I would say that the attitude and mindset of the people in the company are the biggest challenges. To embrace co-creativity requires that one believes that all people are creative. If those in the company do not believe this, then co-creation will not happen.

The existing power structures in most companies today are built on hierarchy and control. Co-creative thinking threatens the existing power structures. It is very difficult for those who have been successful while being in control to give it up now. The new generation will have an easier time.

(Copenhagen Co’creation asked Liz Sanders to comment on three co-creation challenges. Read the interview with Liz Sanders ‘The right tools for the job’)

The Danish government wants to put Denmark high on the list of innovative, knowledge-rich nations. If we are to achieve this we shall have to get moving right away, but the big question is how do we prepare ourselves for growth? A number of Danish companies with a focus on design have obtained positive results by using a new approach to innovation – co-creation. Co-creation means that instead of designing FOR people, you design WITH people.

As we all know, the world is becoming more and more complex. If we are to meet such major challenges as the financial crisis, the environment and climate change, we shall have to collate knowledge from many different fields and apply it in a completely new way. Otherwise we stand to miss the innovation train. Many design-driven companies are already meeting these challenges by using a new form of open innovation, but in general Danish companies and organisations could do much better.

But why co-creation? Co-creation can help stimulate growth. It is all about getting across the idea that diversity creates innovation. You do not move forward by just doing ‘business as usual’, but by constantly challenging yourself. Those companies that manage actively to involve users in the creation of new products tend to hit the jackpot, in the sense that are handed a short cut to knowledge about user behaviour, which makes it easier for them to understand the complexities of the global market. At the same time, co-creation makes its own demands: companies must be able to manage differences and diversity and to let go of controls and habitual patterns of thought. This in turn calls for management backing and the will to change. (more…)

Read the latest news from Copenhagen Co’creation here

A new nature of innovation is emerging and reshaping public policy.

In the innovation economy the individual is being placed at the focus of innovation. This is a fact that not only companies but also policy makers must face. Today you need to involve citizens and businesses in the co-creation of new public policies and services to create relevant solutions and to reap the benefits of innovation.

Realizing this, the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority has taken policy making a step further by bringing it into the new age of social media. The Authority has launched a new online platform which gives the public a chance to co-create the future Danish design policy.

The online platform allows citizens, organizations and businesses to suggest ideas for the policy as part of the Authority’s review of the current design policy. The platform is open to anyone who wants to have their say on the future design policy.

To kick off the discussions on this site we have asked design institutions, design experts and companies to formulate which challenges they find most important. Everybody can participate by commenting on the challenges or by presenting ideas of how to solve the challenges.

The first part of the project runs until the end of October 2009. In this part we collect ideas and comments from the platform. Afterwards selected themes will be further discussed to formulate input to the future Danish design policy.

We would like to invite all of you to take part in the process, and if you feel inspired share your ideas or comments on www.policydesignthinking.com.

We hope that many will join and help us co-create the future Danish design policy.