Assessing the impact of design on the development of digital services

Abstract

This paper analyzes how design diffusion is changing the organizational logics of established companies. If previously design activities had as its main objective packaging new technologies to create differentials for products and services and to reduce production costs, with the diffusion of digital services currently design activities expand its scope and identify functional and emotional needs from users that are relevant for creating differentiated experiences, that in turn will result in new products and services that incorporate existing and emerging technologies of the firm. This transformation reveals a new organizational strategy, in which design assumes a more relevant position for the creation of innovative business models. However, a point not yet considered in the literature is how companies are restructuring their operations in order to benefit from this transition. This paper analyzes how Brazilian organizations of different sizes and sectors have redefined their management models in order to incorporate design as a catalyst of change. The obtained framework consolidates the main propositions of design while directing of the changes in the organizations in the operational, tactical and strategic levels.