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Redefining Self-Service Banking for BBVA Group

Driven by the desire to make self-service banking more intuitive, BBVA and IDEO re-designed the ATM from the ground up. Three principles guided our team along the way: simple, human, and flexible.

This led to a number of ground-breaking innovations. Among them are turning the ATM by 90 degrees to give people more privacy, simplifying the interface by providing just one slot for all media, and seamlessly merging the real and the virtual world on a big touch screen.

The resulting product is an industry game-changer: It moves the ATM from commodity product to bespoke device tailored to the needs of a particular bank’s customers.

Branch Experience for GE Money Bank

Banking is an unpleasant chore for many people in Central and Eastern Europe, where the experience is generally characterized by a lack of trust, familiarity, and understanding. GE Money Bank recognized this as a growth opportunity and partnered with IDEO to reinvent its retail branch concept. Together they reshaped how customers meet with employees by emphasizing service: GEMB and IDEO reconceived back-of-house activities, added team rooms, and introduced elements that make welcoming clients, handling cash, managing portfolios, and organizing everything more efficient. The first branch based on the new design opened in January 2009 in the Czech Republic and rollouts in other countries are planned.

Human Centered Design Toolkit

For years, organizations have used Human-Centered Design (HCD) to arrive at innovative business solutions. Funded by IDE as part of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and in collaboration with non-profit groups ICRW and Heifer International, IDEO has specially adapted this process for NGOs and social enterprises that work with impoverished communities around the world. The resulting HCD Toolkit helps organizations understand people’s needs in new ways, find innovative solutions to meet these needs, and deliver solutions with financial sustainability in mind.

Brand Strategy for Havaianas

Havaianas first designed inexpensive cloth shoes for Brazilian coffee farmers in 1907. By 2001, the company had become an iconic brand with global reach. Today, Havaianas offers nearly 20 product lines and sells 162 million pairs of flip-flops a year.

An indisputable leader in the flip-flop market, Havaianas was looking for ways to grow its brand and approached IDEO for help in creating a new range of accessories that could expand the reach of Havaianas in meaningful ways.

The company’s success is largely due to the strength and personality of its brand, and any new product line would need to stay true to what Havaianas stands for — a brand that expresses the Brazilian way of life, through vibrant, laid back, colorful and bold characteristics.

Design Partnership for Samsung

Samsung Electronics has grown to be the most recognized consumer electronics brand in the world. A status earned through a growing commitment to design, Samsung has maintained a close partnership with IDEO since the late 1990s, when the two companies opened a joint office on the IDEO Palo Alto campus. The adoption of design strategy and human-centered design methodologies has helped Samsung differentiate its product line and successfully develop a highly recognized global brand.

Transcutaneous immunization delivery method for Intercell

Iomai, now part of Intercell, approached IDEO to develop a viable application method for a new needle-free vaccine delivery patch. By combining emerging medical research with user experience insights, IDEO integrated such features as a mechanism to control patch location and a means of instantly preparing the skin to accept the vaccine. The result is a vaccine patch concept and application prototype that promise to make self-application possible for the first time, and considers the complete user experience, from mail-out packaging to application.

Strategy for improved early childhood education for WK Kellogg Foundation

To improve early elementary education and child development, the WK Kellogg Foundation partnered with IDEO to engage stakeholders and create tangible paths toward progress. IDEO applied insights from the education ecosystem to provoke dialogue, identify opportunities for school improvement, and increase the degree of creativity in grant proposals. The resulting solution consists of 10 concepts focused on engaging parents, empowering teachers and connecting schools, compiled in a strategy book titled "Tangible Steps Towards Tomorrow" (TSTT).

Ethical consumerism concepts for Oxfam GB

In 2007 and 2008, Oxfam partnered with IDEO to increase awareness of ethical consumption as a means of alleviating social and environmental problems. To better understand consumer behaviors, IDEO and Oxfam sought opinions from shoppers, finding that most are loyal to trusted brands, that aesthetics trump virtue, and that consumers ideally want brands to act ethically. The resulting design principles reinforced sexiness over sacrifice and included such concepts as a guerrilla marketing campaign and an environmental impact evaluation program.

Organizational Transformation for Productos Cementeros Mexicanos

Productos Cementeros Mexicanos (PCM), a new concrete company, approached IDEO to develop a strategic foothold and better understand the opportunities for continuous innovation in a competitive industry. IDEO held a process workshop, identified initial opportunity areas, and observed local Mexican concrete use situations and stakeholders. Realizing that PCM’s success would lie in their unique and credible definition of service offerings, IDEO and PCM identified six customer innovation platforms and implemented new frameworks for PCM’s sustained culture of innovation.

CleanWell business platform

When IDEO was presented with a yet-to-be marketed technology for a non-toxic, alcohol-free hand sanitizer and cleaning product, the business case was undeniable. IDEO brought Ingenium, the key ingredient and first all-natural antimicrobial that meets FDA and EPA standards for germ killing efficacy, to market in the form of the CleanWell product line. The herb-based hand sanitizer and hand wash represent the development of a business and brand from the ground up. After going from concept to market in less than two years, CleanWell distribution continues to expand.

Brand Experience for Allen Edmonds

Allen Edmonds, an 85-year-old luxury men’s brand known for handcrafted footwear, approached IDEO to connect to a younger audience and reinvent the men’s shoe-buying experience. IDEO examined the Allen Edmonds brand through four lenses— the customer, the organization, the journey, and the experience. The results combined a redefined brand vision, a prototype for a new retail spatial experience that created deeper customer connections, and a more engaging expression of brand elements.

American Red Cross Donor Experience

To attract new donors, the American Red Cross enlisted IDEO’s help in elevating the donation experience. After talking to both donors and non-donors, IDEO found that behaviors were strongly influenced by emotional associations. The resulting “experience blueprint” combined brand, service, space, and product design strategies to increase the organization's visibility and foster new donor relationships. Mobile drive environments, new service tools, and donor-centered interactions were designed to enhance emotional relevance for potential new donors.

alli for GSK Consumer Healthcare

In preparation for the launch of alli, the first FDA-approved over-the-counter diet pill, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare sought IDEO’s help in designing the product’s packaging. IDEO looked closely at key behaviors of dieters as well as stages of the dieter’s personal journey, conceiving a system of tools and materials to support individuals physically and emotionally, before, during, and after their diet. This multi-part packaging design and careful staging of information positions alli as a dependable, long-term solution for ongoing health—not just a pill.

Cockpit and cabin for Eclipse Aviation

Eclipse Aviation, a US-based company at the forefront of very light jet technology, asked IDEO to design a cockpit and cabin configuration for the Eclipse 500 jet. IDEO convened a multidisciplinary team, along with pilots, aircraft owners, and potential Eclipse 500 buyers, to better understand the spatial restrictions and interaction needs of pilots and passengers. The resulting design eliminated visual clutter in an elegant and user-friendly interior, and employed technologies such as a military-style sidestick control and harmonized instrument panel.

Concept project for Project Inkwell

IDEO partnered with Project Inkwell, an innovator in the synthesis and integration of educational technologies, to conceptualize a learning tool for K–12 students. By convening a group of experts to understand the needs of students, IDEO and Project Inkwell created Spark, a highly mobile concept device that enables learning anytime, anywhere. Spark features wireless networking and encourages collaboration through multimedia to engage students individually and collectively.

N-Gage gaming platform for Nokia

Nokia engaged IDEO to reinvent the gaming experience for their new line of Nseries smartphones. Building on the dedicated gaming device N-Gage, IDEO defined the Nseries next-gen interface to maximize user experience by creating an integrated framework that allowed people to seamlessly shift between gaming, socializing, and working. By combining recreational games with social networking and work functions, the Nseries elevates the user experience and turns gaming into a more fluid and integrated activity.

Brand strategy for Numico

Hoping to engage with and provide solutions for teenagers with phenylkentonuria (PKU), a disorder that prevents the body from normally digesting proteins, IDEO partnered with Numico, one of the world’s leading nutrition companies. After quickly discovering that PKU teens craved normality and freedom from restrictions, IDEO began to develop a multi-channel system of Numico-branded products, services, and experiences that would help promote dietary adherence. The result included packaging concepts, a free home delivery service, and virtual communities to connect teens and families.

Marriott TownePlace Suites

To better understand opportunities for innovation within its TownePlace Suites extended-stay hotels, Marriott approached IDEO to begin an exploration of brand-based initiatives. By shadowing guests and talking with hotel employees, IDEO produced an “experience blueprint” in an effort to understand guest behavior, identify key touch points in the guest journey, and develop relevant spaces and services. The result was a new hospitality experience that focuses on meaningful customer relationships, including a model for more home-inspired lobby spaces and functional live/work guestroom layouts.

“Keep the Change” account service for Bank of America

To attract customers and serve new markets, Bank of America engaged IDEO to identify customer-based innovation opportunities. In response to field research that revealed certain behaviors among the target market, boomer-age women, IDEO designed the “Keep The Change” program, a service that rounds up purchases made with a Bank of America debit card to the nearest dollar, and transfers the difference to a savings account. In less than one year, Bank of America opened 700,000 new checking accounts and 1 million new savings accounts.

Coasting Bicycle Design Strategy for Shimano

Shimano, the leading supplier of bicycle components, partnered with IDEO in an effort to attract millions of lapsed cyclists and reinvigorate the bike industry. Through fieldwork, the team settled on three program objectives: provide a better riding experience, design an innovative product platform, and enable a more engaging purchasing experience. The resulting strategy, dubbed “Coasting,” addressed all three, culminating in a reference design for a bike that has inspired designers, manufacturers, independent dealers, and casual riders alike.

Heat concepts for BASF

Inspired by the unique heat-resistant properties of BASF's Ultrason polymer, IDEO created a suite of concepts exploring the form and function of five everyday domestic products: a kettle, a toaster, a clothes hanger, a lamp, and a hairdryer. From the award-winning cool-to-the touch Kettle design to the soft-edged transparent Toaster, the HEAT portfolio uses an innovative material to improve upon traditional functionality.

Patient-Provider Service for Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic approached IDEO to enhance its service provisions and turn an internal medicine wing into a laboratory for improved patient-provider experiences. Following observations of how patients interacted in waiting areas and exam rooms, IDEO worked with doctors and hospital staff to provide Mayo with a systemic process for brainstorming new ideas, turning feedback into actionable items, and rapidly prototyping service delivery solutions. The strategy was implemented within a flexible internal medicine corridor design that fostered more informative and comfortable interactions for staff and patients.

Kraft Safeway Supply Chain Innovation

In an industry known for its narrow profit margins, Kraft Foods approached IDEO to identify opportunities for supply chain innovation to increase revenues, create partnerships, and reveal new value opportunities. Through a series of workshops, brainstorms, and field observations with Kraft employees, supermarket workers, and shoppers, the team created strategies to be implemented by the Kraft leadership team as well as such breakthrough solutions as “chimney-stacking” products in the shipping and stocking process.

LifePort Kidney Transporter for Organ Recovery Systems

More than 50,000 Americans are in wait to receive kidneys. Despite the value of this limited supply, kidneys have conventionally been stored and transported in simple ice-filled coolers. IDEO worked with Organ Recovery Systems to develop the LifePort, a high-tech transport device that gently perfuses the kidney with a cold liquid solution, nearly doubling storage time. IDEO conducted user research and drew from its industrial, thermal, and mechanical design expertise to deliver two prototypes that cater to both technical requirements and stakeholders.

MoneyMaker Deep Lift Pump for KickStart

To alleviate rural water shortages in Africa and provide irrigation in the dry season, IDEO partnered with KickStart, a nonprofit that develops and implements new technologies for local entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The team addressed design, manufacturing, and local contexts to develop the MoneyMaker Deep Lift Pump, a cost-effective micro-irrigation pump that uses human step power and local materials to bring a reliable water supply to rural Kenyan farmers. Thousands of pumps are currently in use, creating new jobs, markets, and lifestyles.

CD Player for Muji

In a 1999 design exploration, then-IDEO designer Naoto Fukasawa conceived this refreshingly simple CD player whose form mimics a ventilation fan as it spins its exposed compact disc. The goal of this project was to identify an essential design approach, and to create simple yet personal, sentient objects. Distilled into its most minimal form, the award-winning CD player consists of a single speaker, no cover, and a vertical power cord.