The majority of the companies we interviewed had a formalised design process which they used in new product and service development.
In some cases, such as for Microsoft, LEGO, Sony, Whirlpool, Starbucks and Xerox, this process was clearly structured, documented and communicated both within the immediate creative team and to other departments or groups involved in the new product or service development process (such as engineers, software developers, research & development staff, and user researchers).
Other companies who outsource most of their design implementation work focus more on a design and brand management process which takes the design project through to implementation, and to varying degrees pulls the project back into the in-house design team for creative iteration and development.
It is important to note, however, that the design process used by these leading corporate users of design, no matter how formalised or documented at the time of this study, is under continuous review.
As and when difficulties or challenges are identified as part of the process – perhaps as the result of changes in product and service, competitive context, user context and needs and other influences in the business – the design process is adjusted and revised accordingly. Many of the companies noted that if the design process were to be reviewed by this study in a year’s time, it would already look different.
It is likely that the main four stages of the 'double diamond’ design process model used in our analysis, would survive such changes and iterations. However, the methods used, the differing emphases on different stages and the individuals and roles involved are all influenced over time.
The core stages of any design process can be expanded or retracted to accommodate a particular project and context to reflect individual needs and requirements as they pass through the design process.
One particular trigger for this might be changes to the role of design in the company, which might see design’s role stretched both upstream and downstream in the product development process.