Impact Design

Impact design is a design methodology that focuses on achieving meaningful and positive social, environmental and economic change. Rather than merely adding aesthetic or functional value, impact design aims to address complex social, organisational or environmental issues by focusing on the perspective of all stakeholders. This is done through co-creation, participatory processes and the use of design skills such as empathy and systems thinking. Our methodology adds Art Thinking to this.

Within innovation, impact design has a crucial role for several reasons:

• Application to complex issues: Impact design is used for a variety of social issues, such as sustainability, health, social inequality and circular economy. By working with stakeholders, it leads to solutions that are widely supported and effective.
• Encourages creativity and collaboration: The process is creative and participatory, opening up new perspectives and allowing people from different disciplines and experiences to collaborate on innovation. As a result, solutions emerge that transcend conventional frameworks.
• Customer- and people-oriented thinking: Impact design ties in with methodologies such as design thinking and art thinking, which focuses on understanding what users really need and the social context. This leads to innovative products, services or processes with real added (social) value.
• Accelerates the implementation of innovation: Because the target group is involved from the beginning and prototyping or testing plays an important role, assumptions are validated faster. This reduces risks and increases the likelihood of successful innovation spectacles.

To summarise:

impact design is a powerful approach that enables organisations to innovate in a targeted way by addressing complex challenges in a creative, people-centred and systemic way. It ensures that innovation is not only innovative but above all relevant and valuable for people and society.