The Defence by Design framework: Conceptual foundations and potential applications

With rapid advancements in technology radically impacting and changing current ways of working globally, many industries and sectors, including the Defence force, are implementing new approaches to respond to and address these challenges. Design thinking is one approach to assist in this response, as it provides a novel process for solving complex problems. This article presents a specific design approach for addressing contextual Defence problems in the form of a design thinking framework based on a review of the existing literature concerning design and Defence. The article contends with the role of design as a value-added methodology in Defence strategy and development, and it reports on a unique set of design thinking capabilities for a Defence-specific context that are not only essential for the implementation of a design-led approach to innovation but are of great assistance in overcoming its associated challenges. The Defence by Design framework works with an identified military objective that, when applied, overcomes the natural bias that Defence personnel may exhibit during routine gaps and opportunities analysis. By detailing the different stages of the framework, and demonstrating their iterative nature, through the documentation of a working example – ‘Man Overboard’ – this article presents a new approach yet to be realized in Defence globally.

Testing open-source visualization tools with small- and medium-sized enterprises ecosystem data: Towards the understanding of innovation ecosystem design

This article explores open-source visualization tools to enhance the understanding of small- and medium-enterprise (SME) ecosystem structures. Ecosystem approaches are becoming important in business strategy and innovation where organizations are heavily relying on inter-firm resources to innovate. Consequently, the traditional firm-focused business models face challenges, making it difficult for interconnected and diverse actors to co-create across firm boundaries. This challenge is even worse for manufacturing SMEs, who often lack the tools to make sense of their innovation ecosystem structures. We carried out a rich ethnographic investigation in three cases in the United Kingdom: the ceramic artist ecosystem, the 3D printing bureau ecosystem and the FabLab ecosystem. From the initial thematic analysis results, all actors highlighted the difficulty in understanding ecosystem networks. The following ecosystem attributes were identified as essential in understanding SME ecosystem structures: clusters and bridges, tie size, structural holes, role structure and interactivity. In this article, fourteen open-source visualization tools are tested to compare how well different tools reveal the six ecosystem attributes. Our findings demonstrate that open-source visualization tools have different affordances, most of which are useful in revealing ecosystem attributes. Results show that most visualization tools help aid the understanding of SME ecosystem structures. This study contributes new knowledge on the scarce subject of designing and managing ecosystems, presenting a unique approach to explore and understand ecosystem configurations. The study identifies limitations in open-source visualization tools and offers the design management community a set of recommendations for further development of visualization tools to support decision-making.

Service design method for both non-human and human actors: What kinds of jobs should be assigned to service robots?

A variety of healthcare robots for elderly care have been developed. However, as the elderly and caregivers experience psychological resistance towards not only new technologies but specifically to robots, the adoption of healthcare robots has scarcely progressed. This article aims to develop a service design method, which consists of a design process including design tools to identify jobs in an elderly care facility and to reveal what kinds of jobs to assign to service robots and to caregivers. This article develops a design method which is composed of six steps and adopts original design tools to identify jobs needed in elderly care facilities and assign them to human and non-human actors, including service robots. The tools include an actor map to visualize the Actor to Actor (A2A) network, a current jobs to be done (JTBD) worksheet to visualize existing jobs, a new JTBD worksheet to visualize new jobs, and an actor worksheet to summarize information about each actor including their philosophy. With this design method, we conducted a series of workshops with the aim to develop a service fulfilled by humans and non-humans at an elderly care facility in Shizuoka prefecture in Japan. The results of questionnaires administered to the workshop participants demonstrated the effectiveness of all the tools except the new JTBD worksheet. Also, the results of interviews with employees in the elderly care facility indicated the effectiveness of the approach, which reveals visible and invisible regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive elements through interviews with human actors, and embeds them in the service design process. The design method including the original design tools proposed in this article contribute to a service design method for the use of robots in elderly care facilities by allocating jobs to human actors and non-human actors appropriately, and it also contributes to the issue of psychological resistance to the adoption of service robots in these facilities, which brings efficiencies to society. The contribution of this article is to reframe the issue of resistance to the adoption of service robots in elderly care facilities to the issue of what kinds of jobs in an elderly care facility should be assigned to service robots or caregivers, and the development of a service design process including original design tools.

Evaluating design vouchers in Scotland and the implications for design support in the United Kingdom and Europe

In the decade 2010–19, design featured in 21 of the 28 European Union member states’ innovation policies according to the Bureau of European Design Associations. As we embark on a new decade, it appears that design’s influence within innovation policy and programmes may be waning. What does the design support landscape look like for the United Kingdom in a post-Brexit and post-COVID world? What lessons can be drawn from an evaluation of design vouchers in Scotland for the United Kingdom as a whole and possibly the rest of Europe? This article draws on the experience of User Factor – an EU-funded project on the future of design support in Europe through five knowledge exchange workshops with eight business support organizations as well as a design-led evaluation of the impact of ‘By Design’ vouchers in Scotland among participating companies. In the United Kingdom, the design support landscape is fragmented – design is part of the remit of all the devolved nations’ business support programmes; however, this landscape is complex for small companies to navigate. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, design support programmes are currently EU-funded, so it is unclear what programmes will look like after Brexit. ‘By Design’ is a light-touch grant for Scottish companies to access up to £5000 to work with design agencies. Over five years, 618 companies received the grant. The evaluation revealed that design is a relatively low-cost way for companies to innovate as 64 per cent of companies reported bringing a new product or service to market and 27 per cent entered new markets. Furthermore, after the grant, 83 per cent of companies continued to work with a design agency going on to invest £26,000 on average. This demonstrates that a small government grant of up to £5000 can stimulate a fivefold increase in investment. In 2020, design was back on the EU policy agenda as a driver of circular economy and the ‘New European Bauhaus’. Based on the evaluation of the Scottish design vouchers and knowledge exchange between the User Factor partners, we draw out a series of insights and implications for design support in the United Kingdom and across Europe.

What motivates our design students during COVID-19?

This article presents empirical findings and recommendations from a survey of 100 industrial design engineering students from the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. The article adopts a self-deterministic motivation lens to present findings from a qualitative survey (N=100 respondents) and two member check workshops with design students and educators regarding motivations to study during COVID-19 restrictions. We identify that COVID-19 lockdown measures compromise three psychological prerequisites for motivation: ‘relatedness’, ‘autonomy’ and ‘competency’. We find that resilient students who have a sense of ‘purpose’ remain highly motivated. The article reveals creative approaches students are applying to build and sustain motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article contributes recommendations for educators and administrators to promote student motivation in pandemic and post-pandemic higher education. This article contributes novel insights regarding how students in particular are remaining motivated to study during COVID-19.

Brand and influencer strategies in social media marketing of luxury brands in African cities

This article explores the role of social media promotions in the marketing of luxury, from the perspectives of both representatives of global brands and the local influencers contracted to promote them online. It provides insights into role of social media in marketing luxury in ‘new’ markets (African cities) and the complexities attendant to the relationship between brand representatives and influencers. It reports on in-depth interviews with brand representatives and social media influencers working in the luxury sector in large anglophone African cities. Empirical findings show the role of social media in how luxury is promoted by those working in the industry. Three key complexities to do with value, trust and authenticity were evident in how global brand representatives and local influencers discussed social media. In terms of value, influencers emphasize strategies for monetizing visibility, while brand managers emphasize the need to get their money’s worth. Regarding trust, influencers express caution about brands trying to exploit them, while brands express scepticism about the extent of influencer’s abilities. On the topic of authenticity, influencers emphasize how the integrity of their personal brands is paramount, while brand representatives are mostly concerned with how genuine the social media posts seem. The article provides original empirical details about the relationships between brand managers and social media influencers, as well as to the nuances of social media luxury marketing in African cities. It contributes to critical theories of branding practice in media economies of the global south.

Sustainable what…? The role of corporate websites in communicating material innovations in the luxury fashion industry

COVID-19 has heightened consumers environmental and social consciousness in the luxury industry, which fosters luxury consumers’ appetite for sustainable luxury, thus, puts renewed interest and pressure on the industry to act upon. Past research highlights that sustainability and luxury may be paradoxical, due to a lack of information on material adoption. Yet, sustainable luxury products are positively perceived by consumers, who see luxury and sustainability as compatible. Material innovations can enhance this perception further, which requires careful communication strategies. Sustainability communication enables companies to broadcast material innovations through a manifold channel. Luxury brands predominantly communicate these innovations through official websites, as it is often the first touchpoint between consumers and the brand. This article addresses a knowledge gap on how to communicate sustainable luxury in an effective and efficient manner, by focusing on material innovations that are increasing in popularity in the sector. This article explores the role of corporate websites in communicating material innovations based on two luxury brands. Data are extracted from company websites to perform a qualitative content analysis. Data highlight that terminologies used affect information accessibility. Sustainable information can be a key selling point for consumers that are more environmentally, thus it is vital to provide this information in a straightforward manner. Data may not be generalized from only two case studies, yet it provides insights that can guide future research.

The different determinants of purchasing luxury goods online: An international comparison

We propose elements of explanations on the determinants of the act of online purchase by luxury customers from three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Our research questions are: (1) What weight do cultural factors occupy in the act of buying online, compared to sociodemographic factors? In other words, to what extent would a French luxury customer with the same gender, age and income level as an American customer be less inclined to buy online than in physical stores? (2) How can we characterize these cultural differences? Is this the expression of a different relationship to luxury, different expectations or shopping habits more anchored in a historical context? We explore the reasons why French luxury clients are less likely to shop online than in store, compared to British and American customers. This research can give insights to researchers and practitioners on the behaviour and expectations of different sets of luxury clients in their customer journey. Relying on an exclusive set of customer data, we carry statistical analyses on a global sample of 2036 luxury customers from three countries. Using descriptive statistics and logistic regressions models, we highlight some determinants of online shopping. The influence of the nationality of respondents is statistically established as the second most important factor after consumer’s age. Different purchasing attitudes among countries, with an emphasis put by French clients on emotional dimensions, can explain why an online journey might be less engaging for them. We highlight the necessity to interact in a differentiated way according to the different sociodemographic groups. While social networks are the most common tools used to address the age gap among luxury clients, other functionalities can help to adapt to the expectations of shoppers from different countries. Our research is at the crossroad between cross-cultural studies on luxury shoppers, which did not provide yet an analysis on online customers, and studies dedicated to the specificities of luxury e-commerce which never employed an important international dataset.