Design Thinking and Futures Thinking provide an optimal set of methods for recognizing new business opportunities and ways to realize new value in the rapidly changing world. This is the next wave capability and toolkit to forerunners.

1. MINNA KOSKELO & ANU K. NOUSIAINEN
TOPIC AVAILABLE ALSO AT SIDLAUREA.com blog
PRESENTED AT
SID SEMINAR MARCH 14TH, 2013 @ LAUREA LEPPÄVAARA, ESPOO, FINLAND
INNOBROKERIT (in Finnish) MAY 16TH, 2013 @ SIBELIUSTALO LAHTI, FINLAND
THE NEXT WAVE OF STRENGTHENING BUSINESS INNOVATION CAPABILITIES

2. FUTURES THINKING
Discovers, examines, evaluates
and proposes possible, probable,
and preferable futures (Bell 2009)
Present as many alternatives and
point of views as possible for
decision-making (Mannermaa 2004)
Opens people’s mental models to
think different possibilities
(Hiltunen 2010)
Increases readiness to act (Ibid.)
Offers the possibility to influence
future (Bishop & Hines 2012)
DESIGN THINKING
Translates observations into
insights and insights into
products and service solutions
(Brown 2009)
Innovative and adaptive: Creates
more value by better satisfying
human needs in the long run
than traditional ways of problem
solving (Griesbach 2010)
Matches people’s needs with what
is technologically feasible and
what a viable business strategy
can convert into customer value
and market opportunity (Ibid.)
What?

3. INNOVATION
(Service)
Design
Thinking
Futures
Research /
Foresight
Business opportunities
FOCUS
• Qualitative methods
• Adaptive and innovative methods
• Commercial business
• Radical innovation
• Operational impact horizon 3-10 years
• Designing new value systems
OUT-OF-SCOPE
• Quantitative
• Traditional market research and surveys
• Governments, non-profit
• Incremental innovation
• Decades
• Individual product / service development
Where is Futures in Service Design & Innovation?

4. PRINCIPLES PROCESSES PRACTICES
• Approx 150 SOURCES incl. books, articles, blogs, best practices and seminars
• Over 20 PROCESSES aiming at new business offering development and
innovation
• Almost 200 Service Design and Futures Thinking METHODS AND TOOLS
• 10 informal discussions with local (Helsinki) Futures and Service Innovation
practitionists
• Testing at LA FUTURA 2012 – an international unConference for Futures and
Innovation enthusiasts
Research 2012/2013

5. Plenty of similarities = synenergies
between Service Design and Futures Research principles
Service Characteristics SERVICE DESIGN PROCESS: APPROACH SERVICE DESIGN METHODS: PRINCIPLES
Complex Analysis – Synthesis dialog Adaptive
Experiences Context oriented Collaborative
Heterogenous Creative Dialog driven
Inseparable Disruptive Empathic / Sensible
Intangible Future oriented Engaging
Interactions Holistic Evidencing /
Interdependent Future oriented Evaluative
Meaningful Innovative Multidisciplinary
Perishable Iterative Intuitive
Processes Opportunity / Target oriented Narrative / Storytelling
Sequenced Optimistic Networking
Social Radical Observative / Ethnographic
Solutions Sustainable Open-minded
Systems Systemic Out-of-the-box thinking
Value generating.. Transformational.. Visual.. ETC.

6. powered by FUTURES SPECIALISTS HELSINKI
Unique approaches are powerful together:
Context (Futures Research) + People (Service Design)

7. FUTURES RESEARCH makes uncertainty
easier to approach and understand by
providing alternative and engaging
stories and thus, improving
organization's readiness to change, take
its optimal future direction, and act.
SERVICE DESIGN improves the
organization's agility to seize the change
with adaptive, innovative and empathic
methods to co-design with customers
and to co-create alternative solutions
through rapid modeling and prototyping.
Hence, both Service Design and Futures Research
provide an optimal set of methods for
RECOGNIZING NEW OPPORTUNITIES and ways to
REALIZE NEW VALUE in the rapidly changing world.
The BEST combination to manage Roadmaps
related uncertainty and timing

8. Create a diverse, co-creative & engaged Team
PEOPLE ARE AT THE CORE OF INNOVATION!

9. Identify critical placeholders for Futures insights
in (service) innovation processes
Example: Service Design process by Stefan Moritz (2005) with critical phases and tools

10. powered by FUTURES SPECIALISTS HELSINKI
TRANSLOCAL ECONOMIES I NEW FOOD ECOLOGIES I MODES OF OPEN COLLABORATION I MODELS OF CITIZEN ACTION
..in Europe 2027. “My Way or Highway Millie”
has aesthetics, independence and freedom as
her core values. She is practicing soul
searching regularly with the help of various
coaching applications and with her personal
mentor, Millie’s own guru. However, she avoids
chains: Millie has continuously various
projects going on. It is true that she doesn’t
have a stable income flow, but she does not
stress about it that much. As everything is
about co-existence, she doesn’t have a
physical workplace. Instead, Millie has a co-
working space. She is not active in politics;
Neither she is an idealistic. Whatever she
does is based strongly on her special skills
and hobbies that give her some continuity, as
well as her active social life..
IMMERSED
FUTURE PERSONA
PERSONA FOCUSED
SCENARIO
PERSONA SCENARIO
Be candid:
Combine tools of Futures Research and Service Design

11. FORESIGHT AND SERVICE DESIGN BOOST DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES
IN SERVICE INNOVATION
FORTHCOMING BOOK CHAPTER IN “HANDBOOK OF SERVICE INNOVATION”
(SPRINGER) IN EARLY 2014 by Ojasalo K., Koskelo M. & Nousiainen A.K.
BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITIES FUTURES &
FORESIGHT
SERVICE
DESIGN

12. “Service Design and Futures Research together ensure
sustainable and successful business,
because they provide creative and evaluative tools for
PEOPLE FOCUSED innovation
through effective visual and anticipatory stories,
by means of co-creative and adaptive research methods,
as well as iterative process that nurture the unthinkable
and thus, prepare businesses for the future and
make them to stand out as FORERUNNERS.”
Be a forerunner:
Create your own Vision and Future Path

13. Thank you! / At your service!
Minna Koskelo
Strategist and Futures Specialist,
Futures Thinking lecturer at Laurea University of Applied Sciences
E-mail: minna.koskelo@gmail.com / fi.linkedin.com/in/minnakoskelo/
Anu K. Nousiainen
Value & Business Designer,
Futures Thinking lecturer at Laurea University of Applied Sciences
E-mail: nuflow.anuk@gmail.com / fi.linkedin.com/in/anuknousiainen/
.