This thesis set out to investigate how small to midsize industrial design practices address strategic challenges. For this a literature review was conducted, as well as complementary desk research and an interview study with design practitioners. Later on three small case studies helped set the direction of the project. The findings and insights were translated with the ViP method into a playbook containing interventions industrial design practices can use to connect their work closer to strategic design.

The playbook contains a framework that aims at proposing a new way of working together with clients that enables reciprocal strategy formulation and strategy execution by reenvisioning the consultancy model and utilizing collaboration within a creative ecosystem.
Furthermore, the playbook contains concepts, approaches, and tools that support Industrial Design practices to activate the strategic potential of the projects they work on.

Reciprocal Strategy Formulation and Strategy Execution

A central part of this concept is the reciprocal nature of strategy formulation and strategy execution. Combining the two and letting them interact with each other creates better outcomes for the process. Since the knowledge from the execution part informs the formulation in the first place, it makes a successful implementation more likely. Similarly, understanding (or better yet, being part of) the formulation stage guides the implementation better because the reasoning, goals, and objectives are already part of the process.

Reenvisioned Consultancy Model

The interaction and collaboration with the client get strengthened through closer exchange and teamwork. By being part of both strategy formulation as well as strategy execution, the design practice is no longer only involved in short parts of a project but can provide consistency throughout the project. At the same time the design practice has now more “skin in the game” than before, therefore they also feel more ownership over the whole process.

Creative Ecosystem Collaboration

Essential for this concept is harnessing the creative power that can be found in collaboration.
Especially combining a diverse range of participants enables the creation of innovative design outcomes. This concept also enables the design practice to remain relatively small and agile. It is through the network and the collaboration of different actors within the network that a potential absence of specialized skills and capabilities is balanced out.