The brief

Notes from the Design Innovations presentation at “Popup” event “UKRAINIAN UTOPIA 2022”

Why?

Why am I here?

I want to encourage the creation and implementation of innovations – designers can play an important role in this process.

I long to see not just another new shopping center where mass-produced products from abroad dominate the shelves. I would like that, when I visit any corner of the world, I could find Lithuanian items and examples of Lithuanian design. The world is vast, and even very niche products can find a huge circle of consumers, clients, and like-minded people. Just find the courage within yourself to take the innovative path – design thinking is the golden vein of innovation.

I will mostly talk about product design innovations, but these principles also apply to other design fields such as graphics, clothing design, interior design, etc. Here, I will only give guidelines and a brief touch on a topic that is very complex and fascinating.

Why design innovations?

Because it is interesting and valuable.

What?

What are innovations?

Looking for the origins of the word “innovation,” we trace it back to the 15th century, when the word “inovacyon” was used in Central France, meaning “renewal” or “giving a new form to an existing thing.” Later, the term expanded its meaning, going beyond the product category to include services, management, and other areas, where, in the context of design innovations, it is not very relevant. Currently, innovations are defined as:

Innovation is the successful commercial application of new technologies, ideas, and methods in the creation or improvement of products and processes (European Commission).

Each variation of innovation reveals new features, gives new meanings, and adds to what was previously not expressed. Innovation is always a dynamic phenomenon, often confronting what is old and breaking down established norms and traditions within organizations.

Innovation is not just novelty, but also a change in quality that creates value. However, living in a consumer (or market) society, innovation is often what the market accepts, not just what the innovator has created.

We should not assume that innovation is an invention. Many innovations are successfully applied inventions that create new products or services. Sometimes it is mistakenly thought that innovation is something completely original, previously unknown.

Who?

Who is the innovator?

The most important subject in any activity, including innovation, is the person. Innovation is always created for the person, behind every innovation, there are specific people. The innovator is a creative person because innovation is impossible without creativity.

A designer is inherently a creator – this doesn’t need explanation or proof. Another important aspect is that innovation is proactive, meaning it is an action.

An innovator is an active person who can and wants to dedicate their talent, energy, and resources to innovation. In my opinion, the designer-innovator’s activity should be social: not to isolate oneself from the world, but to observe it, share ideas, monitor reactions to them, and continue to generate and develop ideas.

How?

How do design innovations arise?

Design innovations emerge from the convergence of technological, business, and human factors.

• Technological aspects – feasibility and implementability.
• Business aspects – viability and suitability.
• Human aspects – meeting needs, usability, desirability.

Some innovations are revolutionary, fundamentally changing processes, products, and technologies. However, most design innovations today are evolutionary, and this opens a wide field for innovation. Almost every product can be improved. Design innovations can start from the design process and continue through production and distribution.

Why try?

Innovations are always risky; they are not a safe or calm activity. The bad news – the world is big, and your idea might have already been realized somewhere else. But there is good news: innovations are closely related to design thinking, and this mindset is a natural trait of designers.

Design thinking starts with empathy – listening to the client, understanding their needs, and generating ideas. It is a creative problem-solving process where the person is the central focus.

What does this have to do with utopia and Ukraine?

The changing world order, crumbling illusions, and the chance for something entirely new to be born – something that did not exist before. The war in Ukraine is not just a tragedy, but also a unique opportunity for Ukrainian innovations to emerge. Many new solutions will be needed – from infrastructure to everyday items. This upheaval of life allows one to see the world differently, opening new perspectives.

What is a utopia?

A utopia is an idealized society, depicted in Thomas More’s work Utopia (1516). In a utopia, there is no private property, production and daily life are communal, and everyone must work. The utopia is based on the idea that in order to achieve a better society, one must think and create boldly.

Types of Utopias

• Social utopias – Plato’s Republic, Thomas More’s Utopia, Karl Marx’s Capital.
• Technological utopias – Moon landing, humans flying like birds, artificial intelligence, perpetual motion machine.

What to do?

Don’t be afraid to dream! See the problem and want to solve it. Don’t limit yourself. Look for inspiration – from technology, philosophy, history, nature, and people. All these sources can reveal new ideas.

In Conclusion

When imagining the future, we can see opportunities to create new products. Perhaps all it takes is a slightly different aesthetic, materials, or technologies. Let’s observe the world, think creatively, and create innovations.