Innovation Through Knowledge Exchange and the Design of Knowledge Exchange Design

Abstract

In this paper we describe our research and its application to the design of knowledge exchange (KE) involving over 200 companies, ranging from micro businesses up to large multinationals, such as the BBC, Arup, and IBM. We discuss KE process design as a form of interaction design and go on to propose a new ‘second order’ approach to KE design, enabling others to design their own KE approaches based on a framework of tools and methods. This is explored through the idea of a KE design toolkit that provides resources and support for designing KE processes. The design of toolkits is as a KE problem itself requiring that users of the toolkit engage with the KE problems they are trying to solve.
This has implications for company innovation and the role of design and design thinking in innovation processes, particularly in the areas of open design and innovation. We also draw out some important implications for the design profession as a whole.

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