Design & Innovation

Process, process, process. I have to keep reminding myself that the process of design is what is important, not the final product. Kind of like considering the drive to your vacation house as part of the vacation itself. My first hand experience and initial interest with this idea originated from discussing art with my artist fiance. What I found most intriguing was similar to Gehry’s approach to architecture, the lack of a presumed outcome. What I am finding and learning is that the ability to work within constraints without presumed outcomes is a learned behavior and can be improved upon and it starts with recognizing the idea exists and practice. The implications in business of gaining a deeper understanding through the design process are numerous, many of which are mentioned within this blog.

To further understand the design process I recommend befriending an artist and discussing their process of creating art and attempting to make some art yourself.

Here are some free art classes in Philly. http://www.fleisher.org/

I recently read an article that I found particularly interesting in light of what we have discussed and read thus far in Design & Innovation. Safety By Design is an article in a newsletter on Health Policy

(http://jdc.jefferson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1568&context=hpn).

As a brief overview, the article discusses a marriage between technology and design that is being employed in the construction of a new hospital in Florida. The primary reason for this focus is to improve safety for patients in the hospital setting. For example, the article highlights factors that are very important for improving safety in hospitals – from preventing human error to something simple like repeated hand washing. The design of the hospital - all the way down to the technological components in each room - is what seeks to address these problems.

The thing that I find most interesting in this example is that the goal is not only to create a distinct type of environment and aesthetic appeal, but also to design a better functioning hospital that provides staff with the “tools” needed to perform their job most efficiently. The rooms throughout the hospital will be standardized, so no matter where a staff person is in the hospital, they will know exactly where and how to access supplies, technology, etc. The end result … improved processes and outcomes.

In this example we see how the impact of strong design is felt on an emotional level (creating a more pleasant, relaxing environment for a patient) and also serves a large purpose that helps hospitals achieve a major strategic objective – improving safety and outcomes for patients. I find this really interesting because it truly is the design component that plays a pivotal role in the hospital’s development and progress … does anyone know of any other instances where they have seen this dynamic?