The difference design makes - Covid-19 or not

"As the market progresses towards having a more discerning and well-travelled generation of new consumers, the growing appreciation for products and services with both strong aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency that can be made possible through good design is becoming of increasing importance." - Mr Chan Thait Leong, Director of Corporate Planning & Development, FotoHub Singapore

With the world still grappling with Covid-19, many companies will find themselves operating in a new business environment, one that requires more agility, versatility and resilience than before.

But prior to the onset of a pandemic, DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) had already been actively reaching out to help companies expand into new markets and create differentiated products and services through the power of design thinking.

As the country's national agency for design, Dsg's mission is to help Singapore businesses uncover new opportunities by placing their customers first, and drive profitable and desirable human-centred innovation. Studies like McKinsey Design's business value of design and the Design Management Institute's value of design have shown that design increases organisations' revenue, streamlines processes, improves customer experience, and more.

To this end, Dsg runs several programmes under its Design for Business initiative, aimed at helping companies transform their business models, develop a culture of innovation, and generate avenues for growth and business success.

Programmes tailored for SMEs

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One of the programmes is Frame & Scope, which is tailored to guide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop sound business solutions by identifying new growth and innovation areas through a user-centred design process. The scheme is broken down into three stages - Discover, Prioritise and Implement - which will enable SMEs to understand their user needs and markets, develop new touchpoints and sound business grant proposals, and more.

For the first two stages, Dsg will match the SME with a design consultancy, which will help the company understand its customers and markets, as well as identify problem statements and possible innovation areas. They will then develop an implementation roadmap with short-term priority goals and measurable key performance indicators mapped out. These would then be drafted into an Enterprise Singapore (ESG) grant proposal.

After the grant proposal has been approved, the SME will cap off this programme with the implementation and execution of the strategies and recommendations outlined.

Companies that have completed Frame & Scope have been impressed by the experience. "The consultants undertook the study earnestly, made sharp observations, and shared pertinent recommendations that both business owners and the senior management found very practical and invaluable. And as consultations took place amid the pandemic, the completed plan took into consideration the likely challenges of a post-pandemic landscape, which is particularly relevant for us," says Mr Chan Thait Leong, Director of Corporate Planning & Development at FotoHub Singapore, a photo printing business.

"This programme certainly exceeded our expectations. It was very well structured and thoughtfully planned. [We really liked] the design thinking process that produced the roadmap to chart and guide our company's transformation journey ahead."

As a result of the Frame & Scope programme, FotoHub is planning to introduce its FotoHub Innovation Labs, which are essentially living experiential outlets that go beyond the usual retail space. The embedded technologies, product offerings and service delivery processes will together deliver a seamless and holistic purchase experience, especially for the Gen Y and Gen Z generation of consumers. These Labs will also form the basis upon which the company will expand into regional markets.

Another beneficiary of the programme is DRx Clinic. Commenting on why Frame & Scope is so effective, Mr Frank Thong, Chief Executive Officer at The DRx Group says: "[It is] the willingness to work with companies at their level, connecting [the SMEs] with the right expertise, [providing an] adequate budget to support the ideas generated and finally, [serving] as stakeholders who are competent, reasonable and aligned to the endgame goals."

"Notwithstanding how long Covid-19 is going to be around for, we believe consumer behaviour will change permanently," continues Mr Thong, describing how the programme has benefited them. "We will need optimisation of workflows, processes and design to stay ahead of the curve and with the assistance and support from the Enterprise Development Grant, we are able to tap on the necessary technology to enhance our touchpoints to create the next-generation clinic experience at our new flagship store targeted to open end Q2/21."

Another Design for Business programme is User-Journey Mapping, targeted at SMEs that desire to understand their customers and the customer journeys better. Working with a consultant, customer research will be conducted and areas for improvement will be identified. Companies can even take further steps to map an end-to-end service blueprint to improve on their customer and employee experience.

Companies undertaking User-Journey Mapping can enjoy up to an 80 per cent funding from ESG. For Frame & Scope, companies get an 80 per cent support from Dsg capped at $40,000 for the first two stages; they will be supported by ESG if their grant proposal is successful at the last stage.

Dsg's newest programme - Business Value of Design

The third and newest programme for businesses launched by Dsg is the Business Value of Design (BVoD), created in partnership with McKinsey Design.

Placing design thinking at the forefront, the BVoD programme is critical as a first step for companies to assess their design performance and maturity while highlighting and addressing areas of improvement with human-centric solutions. These insights will prepare them and provide them with the impetus to embark on more targeted programmes like the Frame & Scope and User-Journey Mapping.

Essentially, the BVoD programme comprises two phases with the first centred on a free online self-assessment, based on the McKinsey Design Index, so that companies can benchmark themselves against their peers. They will also learn more about the key design behaviours that drive business performance in a subsequent BVoD Forum.

Once that is completed, participants will be selected for the second phase, with McKinsey Design experts guiding them to formulate a tailored action plan, based on insights gleaned from the self-assessment.

Harness the power of design for your business

Mr Chan of FotoHub believes that the value of design extends past mere aesthetics. "Design is equally important in business modelling and work processes," he says, "as design thinking intuitively calls for a holistic analysis and assessment towards problem-solving."

If you have been struggling to get your company back on track amid the Covid-19 pandemic, design thinking might well be the way to go. "In a competitive marketplace where differentiation could be challenging to clearly define, design which leads to brand experience sets one organisation apart from another," says Mr Thong of DRx. "Design could well be the line that separates the boys from the men, and ultimately success or failure."

Make sure you do not lose out when it comes to harnessing the full potential of good design and sign up for the BVoD programme now by taking the free MDI assessment (available for a limited time only) to find out how your company stacks up against the competition. Selected participants will be invited to embark on the second phase.

Click here to find out more about Dsg's other Design for Business programmes, or e-mail innovation@designsingapore.org