Benefiting from Innovation and Design Thinking as a Sustainable Strategy to Support the Competitive Advantages of Printed Textile Designs | ||||
International Design Journal | ||||
Article 2, Volume 13, Issue 5, September and October 2023, Page 21-38 PDF (2.92 MB) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/idj.2023.312383 | ||||
View on SCiNiTO | ||||
Authors | ||||
Dina Talaat Youssef1; Odette Ameen Awad2 | ||||
1faculty of applied arts | ||||
2Professor of Design, Department of Textile Printing, Dyeing and Finishing, Faculty of Applied Arts, Helwan University | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Designers and companies geared towards designing sustainable printed textiles need to think beyond the point of sale, and use their strategic imagination and acumen to deliver unique experiences that no competitor can replicate. So it is necessary to think of a barrier that should be crossed. Compelling experiences attract new consumers and broaden their satisfaction. Every interaction with consumers should be seen as an opportunity. An unforgettable experience elicits a positive and enjoyable response from sharing it. Printed textile design that emphasizes sophisticated simplicity, economy of means, low environmental impact and clarity, sets it apart from all those competing beside it. These innovative printed textile designs that have grown in meaning and value, live long and last. So design-inspired innovation requires creativity of a higher order, whether it is for textiles or services or both. At its core, it's a synthesis of technology and consumer experiences—frontiers that we perceive as intangible. But it is increasingly succeeding, because there are associated services that enhance its value (such as aesthetics, shape, colors, etc.). In the end what the consumer will remember is the experience, providing that experience with whatever aspect of design and how much innovation. It is imperative that the designer and innovation-driven company place a diverse set of capabilities at the core of its growth engine that contextualizes art and science. This requires an organizational movement and a culture of learning. Design thinking can be an effective tool for enabling these two traits to flourish within a company's culture, especially for a designer. Without design there will be no business model, and without business model there will be no design. The need for this integrative thinking has never been greater. Design dramatically connects people, places, and things in increasingly new ways. Understanding the nature of these interactions on a physical and emotional level will be required to unlock value in these complex relationships. Innovation is a management discipline, and it does not come from a random or accidental approach, but requires determination. Design creates change in printed textiles as a product, as well as a change in sustainable lifestyles. Innovation comes through implementing designs with thought and creativity. Innovation involves focusing and looking for unique opportunities, determining whether they fit the strategic direction of the company or organization, identifying success measures, and constantly re-evaluating opportunities. Innovation does not require genius, but it does require total dedication in pursuit of a unique opportunity. The importance of innovation-driven sustainable design was associated with his idea Uniqueness, interest in the element of surprise, and preservation of identity. Design innovation is not necessarily only consumer driven but it is always a matter of doing what you think is right. So, the aesthetic view of innovation rather mirrors the view of aesthetic innovation where sustainable production is seen as a cycle where producers also become consumers. Sustainable artistic design has transformative power, and aesthetic innovation is fundamentally based on the ability to see things differently. There is nothing wrong with using existing objects and turning them into something new and contemporary. In a different vein, design strives to make the ordinary great. Innovation does not necessarily mean introducing new things all the time just because they are new. It may be an old thing, but it carries with it the fragrant history. Also, in some cases, it involved reintroducing old designs, i.e., discovering modes of expression that were so advanced for their times in the past and for which the market was not quite ready. In such cases, the design strategy is the timing strategy. So, innovation can be of old and new expressions, but the emergence of the timing of innovation is also a factor. Innovation is the change, creation and improvement of value for the design of printed textiles, and how to achieve this, it occurs through sequential stages: • First innovation occurs in the design of printed textiles if they are purchased. • Secondly, innovation occurs if distinctive and improved services are added to it, such as improving quality, aesthetics, adding meaning...etc. • Third, innovation occurs in the changes that are made within the company in its business system, which form part of the greater value of printed designs; Changes in internal operations within the company and attention to design thinking will improve the company's economic performance, whether by creating greater value for consumers or by increasing the effectiveness and internal efficiency of operations. The first three stages depend on consumer behavior; If they do not respond, no value will be created, and no innovation will occur. • The fourth depends on the internal changes in the design work and the realization of something new; If work does not change and evolve in a way that makes it more valuable, innovation will never happen again. Strategic innovation asks who the customer or consumer is, what products or services to offer and how to deliver them. It's not just about rethinking fundamentals on the supply side, it's also about redesigning on the demand side. Many companies acknowledge that market competition is driven by product meanings: “why” people need a product rather than “what” they need in a product. Consumers use products for deep emotional, psychological, and sociocultural as well as utilitarian reasons, and it is this understanding that is most important in creating successful sustainable textile design innovations. This deep understanding of consumers also paves the way for transforming business models and creating sustainable textile service systems to meet actual needs. Innovations for sustainable design businesses in the textile sector can be driven by improvements or radical innovations (such as digital technology), economic changes or cultural and social changes. Driving sustainable innovation, whether down a more radical path or incremental growth, requires experimental and creative thinking. • The goal of strategic innovation is not to find a niche within the existing industry space but to create a new space uniquely suited to the company's strengths - one off the map. • Strategic innovation is the ability to reimagine existing industry models to design printed textiles in ways that create new value for consumers, competitors, and produce new wealth for all stakeholders by creating new textiles/services, redefining market spaces, or redrawing industry boundaries. • Strategic innovation is the reconceptualization of the design business model and the reshaping of existing markets (by breaking rules and changing the nature of competition) to deliver value improvements for consumers and higher growth for businesses. • Strategic innovation is «innovation in the design business model that leads to an innovative new way, and attacks established competitors in the market. • Thus, strategic innovation is not only technical, managerial or social innovation. It is always an overarching combination or recombination of all of these that leads to either three outcomes: Þ Increased value to the customer (and thus to the company), which means the need to gain knowledge about who he is and what he values (in what context). Þ New design business models i.e. knowledge of what value needs to be created for printed textile design and how to achieve it profitably. Þ Finally, the definition of new markets (by disrupting or reshaping existing markets or creating new ones for printed textiles), being a function of answering what is being offered and to whom. At best, strategic innovation is a comprehensive redefinition of all of these fundamental and interrelated questions. Design thinking fosters strategic innovation and can be used to jumpstart an idea or be used to unlock hidden value in existing products, services, technologies and assets - thus reinvigorating the design business without having to reinvent it. A disciplined process that can lead to the creation of significant economic value, meaningful differentiation, and improved consumer experience. Design thinking is inherently unconventional. But it also carries the core capabilities behind innovation. Design thinking has evolved far beyond making things. Companies are pushing hard to inculcate design thinking in many parts of their businesses. It provides a unique advantage of understanding problems, challenges and issues, and a strong competitive advantage. Increasingly, design thinking can be applied to company decisions and consumer experiences. It moves from creating desirable solutions for products, services and experiences - it drives towards contributing to the solution of more complex problems. The growing appeal of design thinking comes from its ability to combine imagination and intuition, by applying logic and systems thinking to explore possibilities. Possibilities of what could be and what approaches the point of providing desired results that enhance, solve or benefit organizations and end consumers. • What was previously studied in the research was used to create (4) designs with technical analysis for them. • Applied ideas for designs on girls' clothes (8 applications) have been worked out. • Design thinking affects the sustainability and innovation of design, its competitiveness and the creation of added value. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Innovation; strategic innovation; sustainable innovation; design thinking | ||||
Supplementary Files
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References | ||||
1. WIPO: Unlocking Design Capabilities for Countries - Pilot Project on Intellectual Property and Design Management for Business Development, Report, 2011
2. Alina Wheeler: Brand Identity Design, translated by Muzaffar Al-Sarami, Nada Al-Samman, Jabal Amman Publishers, Amman, 2020
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5. Mohamed Soleimani: Marketing Innovation and its Impact on Improving Institutional Performance, Master Thesis, Department of Management Sciences, University of M'sila, 2006-2007
6. Nada Al-Rikabi: The role of innovation in shifting towards sustainability, published research, research gate, November, 2017
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