Understanding design-intensive innovation

How does design contribute to innovation? Does the use of design improve the likelihood of innovation happening? If so, how, and can it be measured?

For design to realise its full potential, there is a need to consolidate the existing evidence base to build consensus as to what design’s role is and isn’t with regards to innovation. Understanding design-intensive innovation is a literature review undertaken by RF Associates on behalf of Design Council. It forms part of a long-term project being led by Design Council to better understand and evidence the value of design. This review is designed to explore the literature around the key issues of design’s role in innovation, and provide a sound basis for a codified definition of design’s role in innovation which can be used as the foundation for further analysis.

The literature review is in two parts: part 1 considers what design theory has to say on the issue; while part 2 looks at it from the other side, reviewing literature which takes the economics of innovation as its starting point.