OK, Nigel Harrison wasn’t exactly sitting in the bath when he had his Eureka experience, but he was sitting nearby. Nigel is the MD of Kingkraft, a Sheffield company making specialist baths and showering equipment for people with disabilities. His moment of revelation came when he discovered the principle of design as an accelerator of business growth.
It all started when he opened a matchbox. He was at a workshop we ran in partnership with the regional development agency and he took part in the Matchbox exercise. This is a kit we developed for businesses to gain and share insights into the business opportunities generated by design. It must have worked, because Nigel took the box back to the office for further examination. He describes the follow-up session with his colleagues as ‘the best strategic meeting we’ve ever had’.
We already have hundreds of stories like this and we’re planning to tell plenty more. We’ve launched a new programme called Designing Demand, so businesses across the country can exploit design to sharpen their own competitive edge and the nation’s. We’re ramping up delivery through the Regional Development Agencies and the first are already on board. In line with the Cox Review, they’re working with us to make design an integral part of UK business support
So we’re confident that many more business people will soon be having ‘Eureka’ moments of their own as their enterprises overflow with ideas and possibilities.
What we’ve done
Developed the Designing Demand programme to help firms compete by using design to drive innovation and better performance
What we’ll do next
Oversee national delivery of Designing Demand through Regional Development Agencies