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Sedus, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of office solutions, actively approached the HPI d-school. Together, we tackled the design challenge “Develop furniture for the specific needs of users!” The collaboration has taken Sedus' human-centered approach to the next level. Today, the company is more collaborative, creative, and agile.
The Design Thinking Challenge “Develop furniture for the specific needs of users!” laid the foundation for an even more innovative and user-centered way of thinking in the company.
In 2018, Sedus approached us with the desire to support the company in thinking and working more innovatively and user-centered.
First, we trained some of Sedus' managers in the innovation method of Design Thinking. This laid the foundation for more user-centered and agile work. The employees learned a new “mindset for innovation” and integrated it into the company's processes.
Sedus' managers were enthusiastic about the possibilities the Design Thinking process offers. That's why the company's management decided to invest in the further training of two employees. We trained them in the HPI certification program for Design Thinking coaches. Since then, the newly certified design thinking coaches have been promoting the agile method within the company.
A year later, Sedus asked the experts at the HPI d-school to test various prototypes of their se:lab product line. They developed the furniture in the series to support agile work in teams and adapt to a wide range of scenarios. The development process was already well advanced. A test in a real-world work environment was intended to provide the final proof of concept before the market launch.
Employees at our HPI d-school tested a large proportion of the furniture, including whiteboards, tables, and seating. This feedback was precious due to their everyday agile working experience, especially in our workshops. This gave Sedus further helpful ideas and successfully launched the se:lab product series.
Testing prototypes can help to avoid bad investments.
Michael Fehsenfeld, head of the Sedus Markets Competence Center, summarizes the product journey: “A large part of the furniture from the former ‘se: lab’ product development project had its origins in the context of agile working methods. Since we had already laid the foundations for this at the HPI d-school, it made sense to have prototypes tested there and to get feedback. Thanks to the working methods and tools at the HPI d-school, valuable feedback on features and functions could be incorporated directly into the product development process. Concrete, user-oriented, practical.”
The fact that many of the products proved their worth in agile working during the test encouraged the project team in their previous performance. In addition, there was very specific feedback, for example, on handling the whiteboards. These were still too cumbersome in the test, were rarely moved, and had to be revised accordingly.
The further development of another product was even put on ice completely. It was a table that was supposed to adapt to all working methods: sitting, standing, alone or in a team. However, practical testing showed that there was no use case. The large piece of furniture was more of an obstacle than a help. This was a difficult realization for the project team, which was convinced of the concept. But when feedback suggests such a step, it is important to make consistent decisions. This is an important lesson for all design thinkers.
A new mindset can lead to more successful product development.
The targeted training of employees has established the design thinking method at Sedus for the long term. The resulting change in mindset has had a visibly positive effect on product development.
Projects are not only rethought but also implemented in new ways, even if that means making unpleasant decisions in favor of user needs sometimes.
The basic ideas of Design Thinking were also incorporated into the in-house “Sedus Smart Thinking” model. A guidebook was designed, and the first workshops were implemented.
Our collaboration with Sedus shows how the Design Thinking mindset for innovation can be established in an organization and how internal processes can be positively changed.
Two employees were trained as Design Thinking coaches, integrating the human-centered method into the company. As ambassadors of Design Thinking, they sustainably raise awareness in all departments. In particular, the product development team receives helpful feedback from users about how their products are used daily and which ideas are adopted. This creates a more cooperative, creative, and agile way of working throughout the company.
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