- Design partnership for Samsung
- Transcutaneous immunization delivery method for Intercell
- Strategy for improved early childhood education for WK Kellogg Foundation
- Aquaduct concept vehicle for IDEO
- Ethical consumerism concepts for Oxfam GB
- Organizational Transformation for Productos Cementeros Mexicanos
- CleanWell business platform
- Brand Experience for Allen Edmonds
- Mobility Platform Videos for Intel
- American Red Cross Donor Experience
- alli for GSK Consumer Healthcare
- Cockpit and cabin for Eclipse Aviation
- Concept project for Project Inkwell
- N-Gage gaming platform for Nokia
- Brand strategy for Numico
- Marriott TownePlace Suites
- “Keep the Change” account service for Bank of America
- Coasting Bicycle Design Strategy for Shimano
- Heat concepts for BASF
- Swiffer CarpetFlick for Procter & Gamble
- Patient-Provider Service for Mayo Clinic
- Kraft Safeway Supply Chain Innovation
- LifePort Kidney Transporter for Organ Recovery Systems
- MoneyMaker Deep Lift Pump for KickStart
- CD Player for Muji
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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 of10 concepts focused on engaging parents, empowering teachers and connecting schools, compiled in a strategy book titled "Tangible Steps Towards Tomorrow" (TSTT).
Aquaduct concept vehicle for IDEO
Aquaduct is a pedal-powered concept vehicle that transports, filters, and stores water. It is designed to address water sanitation and transportation in the developing world. The functional model was designed and constructed in three-weeks by five IDEO engineers and designers for the Innovate or Die contest, hosted by Specialized Bicycles, Google, and Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. Using IDEO’s expertise in human-centered design, the Aquaduct team intends to evolve the concept into an economically and technologically viable solution to an issue that affects billions of people around the world.
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 FDA- and EPA-approved all-natural antimicrobial, 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.
Mobility Platform Videos for Intel
Intel enlisted IDEO’s design and storytelling expertise to demonstrate the potential of its broadband chipsets and mobile platforms to original equipment manufacturers . By visualizing the opportunity for ultra-mobile technology to influence user behaviors and motivations, IDEO produced three videos, each depicting an inspiring future-facing scenario. Together the videos create an interrelated narrative that portray both the value of the individual technologies and the offerings as a powerful, integrated system.
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.
Swiffer CarpetFlick for Procter & Gamble
With 75% of US homes containing carpeted areas, Procter & Gamble sought IDEO’s help in developing a carpet-friendly sweeper to join its family of Swiffer products. Building on a 10-year history of collaboration, the two companies formed a single team to devise and prototype a tool that would match the popularity and usability of the Swiffer floor sweeper. The team refined its design—one of many to come out of a high-energy brainstorm session—into the Swiffer CarpetFlick, a carpet-cleaning device that removes dirt without electricity or batteries.
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.