Syfte: Studien avser att kvalitativt undersöka faktorer som underlättar initiala samarbeten och långsiktiga relationer, mellan konsulter och deras uppdragsgivare. Med konsultföretagens design thinkers som utgångspunkt, kommer samarbetsprocessen och relationsskapandet att analyseras, för att på så sätt uppnå djupare förståelse i ämnet. Metod: Studien har genomförts kvalitativt och en iterativ forskningsansats har antagits. Tre kreativa företagskonsulter har intervjuats och en pilotintervju har genomförts. Ett målinriktat urval antogs och intervjuerna var semistrukturerade. Empiri: Vår empiriska data består av tre kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter från olika konsultföretag, som arbetar med design thinking. Följande personer har intervjuats: Eva-Karin Anderman, Robert Bau och Helena Frisk . Teorier: Business-to-Business, Service Dominant Logic of Marketing, Project Marketing, Inter-Organizational Projects, Client-Consultant Interaction, Relationship Marketing, The Firm-Client Relationship och Successful Innovation. Slutsatser: Studien har funnit ett antal faktorer som konsulterna arbetar med för att bilda och vårda affärsrelationer med sina uppdragsgivaret. Dessa innefattar värdeskapande processer tillsammans med sina kunder och användare i en social interaktionen / Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore factors that facilitate initial collaborations and long-term relationships between consultants and their clients. From the consultants perspective (who works with design thinking), the formation and maintenance of business relationships will be analyzed in order to achieve a deeper understanding. Methodology: The study was conducted qualitatively and an iterative research approach has been adopted. Three creative business consultants have been interviewed and a pilot interview was conducted. A targeted selection was adopted and the interviews were semi- structured. Empirical foundation: Our empirical data consists of three interviews with representatives from various consulting firms, working with design thinking. Those who participated in the interviews are: Eva-Karin Anderman, Robert Bau and Helena Frisk. Theoretical perspectives: Business-to-Business, Service Dominant Logic of Marketing, Project Marketing, Inter-Organizational Projects, Client-Consultant Interaction, Relationship Marketing, The Firm-Client Relationship and Successful Innovation. Conclusions: The study has found a numberous of factors that consultants work to form and cherish business relationships with their clients. These include value-added processes with its customers and users in a social interaction.

Motivated by the immature theoretical framework of design, this thesis employs transdisciplinary discourse to provide a contemporary and forward-looking model of design and design theory, as well as the linkages between the two, along with the necessary methodology. The discourse involves research into the current understanding of design, its principles, its practice and conceptual framework. The methodology developed and employed in this thesis can be outlined in five steps: 0. Design briefing 1. Developing a conceptual model based on the writings of Michel Foucault and Helmut Krippendorff. 2. Presenting the model in a written form. 3. Using accounts of conferences as tools for Designing Design and building monuments. 4. Interrogating the theory through an expert system. 5. Summarising and evaluating the findings. Design Briefing The present study delves into design, and into the design of theory. In Chapter A.1.6, a summary of Chapter A.0−A.1.5 is given, highlighting the underlying discourse. As shown, the theory behind this work is based on a hypothesis, which cannot be proved experimentally, or deduced from experimental data, at least at the time of its construction. Therefore, it needs to be understood that the case studies (A.3.2−A.3.5) in this thesis are not intended to serve as experiments that were conducted in order to prove the theory; rather, these case studies are design cases—products and artefacts—and should be viewed as discourse frameworks that can be adopted to design design. As described in Chapter 3.1, these are elements of monuments—in reference to Raichman (1988)—that have resulted from the discursive strategies and were designed within a community of designers, allowing the design understanding to be shaped. Methodologically, the theory is created through an indication of differences. These differences were elaborated on in the literature review, and can be explained using either logic-based or hermeneutical metaphors. As the latter approach is more flexible, it might be more applicable to the design environment. The generated knowledge can be located in three areas—design knowledge, epistemology, methodology (the process to get there), and phenomenology (the composition of the artefacts). While the main focus of this thesis has been on theory design, it was also important to delineate how to get there, as well as analyse the questionable differences between theory and practice, since they are ideal types that mark the extreme ends of a continuum (Jonsen and Toulmin 1988, p.36). The work presented in this thesis was conducted in a circular manner, like a design process, in order to encapsulate the instance. Therefore, essential topics reappear, allowing them to be reframed and newly contextualised. Chapter 0.0 to 0.7 reperesent the introductory part of this work. Thus, the content presented could be referred to as ‘the briefing’—as a parallel to a design case—to provide the background. It shows the motivation, a first hypothesis, some methodological considerations, and the research design and decisions. The aim is to provide insight into the phenomenon of interest and discuss some preconceptions. Thus, these introductory chapters provide orientation through locating some statements of the provided (design) discourse. Developing a conceptual model based on the writings of Michel Foucault and Helmut Krippendorff. As a follow up, Section A consists of several key components, and encompasses the research methodology specificity, its theoretical underpinning, and its connection to design, a reframing and contextualisation. This section also provides the means to overcome the discrepancy between researching and designing. Therefore, in Chapter A1−A1.6, a more substantial discourse of design is provided, along with the theory and the essential knowledge. Here, we can see the method in operation, as a patching of discursive statements—akin to an additive process of designing. Clearly, the attempt made here belongs to the constructivist epistemology, as the idea of design is a mental construct. Nonetheless, the aim is to provide a broad perspective of what can be presently observed in the design field. The employed methodology strategically aims to overcome the divide between designing and researching—between acting and reflecting—in order to provide a conceptual model. Still, it also makes the designing practice a conscious process, whereby theory is designed through discourse. Such discourse is revealed within the discovery of textual statements based on an extensive literature review, as well as through the discovery of textual statements from organised interactive conferences. The theory developed here is, in fact, a theory derived from theory, and is shaped through finding patterns and the simplification of the overall structure they form. In A.2, the concept of discourse and its designing quality is revealed. It shows how discourse, as the guiding method, is ‘excavated’ from the writings of Michel Foucault and Helmut Krippendorff. Methodologically, Michel Foucault’s ‘Archeology of Knowledge’ was analysed against and parallel to Helmut Krippendorff’s ‘Semantic Turn’, as these sources are complementary to each other. The goal of this process is a comparison of statements, yielding reasoning towards discourse and design discourse. In sum, this analysis helped reveal that it is a matter of design how the discourse is provided. The outcome of the aforementioned comparison is very interesting and satisfying. The findings revealed a difference in discourse, because engineering and design discourses are informed by rhetoric of design, rhetoric of deliberation, in opposite to humanistic discourse, which consumes textual objects (Perelman 1999). The discursive designing process within these chapters reveals some important elements, such as the conceptual frame of politics, referred to in Foucault’s discourse explorations. According to the author, power is a generating force in shaping discourse (Faucault 1980, p.119). In contrast, Krippendorff (1995b) sees power as emanating from language, which can be overcome through avoiding the construction of certain language. In the research presented, the designing practice that took place during the conferences, as well as the aforementioned notions, play a role, as was shown in Chapter 3. Power, as it was experienced, is unavoidable. Yet, rather than seeing it as a problem, it should be viewed as a generating force. A second more substantial question arises around the notion of discontinuity (A.2.3), which is essential in Foucault’s concept. According to Krippendorff, knowledge is not partitioned; it rather provides continuity through the various disciplines. As this research shows, this view should not be seen as an opposite to Foucault’s concept of discontinuity, because statements can refer to the same object, but coming from a discontinuous field, from various disciplines. In other words, as design discourse can be viewed as a discourse hosted by various disciplines, it is discontinuous! With respect to Foucault’s concern of grasping of statements, the main goal of this thesis is to provide support for this perspective. As the author noted, the grasping of the statements needs to follow the exact specificity of their occurrence (Foucault 1972). The prudence and success of dissociating statements from their original context to place them in a new context is questionable, since no discontinuity can be ignored (Foucault 1972). Often, rather than paraphrasing the text so that it reflects one’s own understanding of it, the result is a mere citation of the original texts and con-texts. The awareness of discontinuity does not allow for this thesis to be presented according to the positivistic paradigm.

International Development Projects (IDP) are designed to deliver sustained solutions to human life quality threatens. They aim to improve living conditions in emerging countries through initiatives that should provide long-term sustained results. However, the extreme characteristics of IDP contexts challenge traditional project management methodologies. The dynamic nature of stakeholders’ relationships and influence adds additional pressures to the management teams. Higher levels of uncertainty in IDP are faced with non-flexible strategies that compromise the long-term desired results. Not enough participation of relevant stakeholders and beneficiaries limits the impact of development initiatives.   The authors could identify that IDP management is overall an under-investigated field. Specifically, contemporary challenges arisen from unbalanced robust/flexible strategies and low stakeholders participation have undermined the impact success of those projects. Moreover, there is no academic study that constructs on how flexibility could be enhanced in IDP, while maintaining control. Methodologies such as design thinking and agile have elucidated new paths of action for better impact and customer satisfaction in other industries, by enabling flexibility and change management. Despite their huge proven success, these methodologies are still a phenomenon limited to IT and design industries. Therefore, in IDP field there is no framework linking contingency and participatory development theories with flexible methods similar to design thinking and agile methodologies.   In order to bridge this gap the authors will embark in a qualitative study to explore literature and gain insights from actors within the IDP field about the problem at hand. A multiple embedded case study will be conducted with ID academics and practitioners at supervisory and implementation levels from across the world. A possible solution will be designed for IDP management from a different angle to that of traditional management, in order to build up flexibility without compromising project structure. The proposed framework will tackle flexibility and participation issues by integrating design thinking and agile methodologies into IDP.   The theoretical findings suggest that enabling participatory development strategies in the design phase, and expanding the available project knowledge would enhance IDP flexibility.  Likewise, IDP flexibility during the implementation phase is impacted by the quality and relevance of information and methodological tools available, stakeholders’ involvement, as well as the handover process. Therefore, since no previous studies interconnecting those theories to enhanced flexibility could be found in IDP, an expansion of available theoretical knowledge on contingency and participatory development theory in IDP is produced. The authors concluded that design thinking and agile principles may conceptually prove useful to effectively deal with the problems identified, thus project design is more adequate, and collaboration among stakeholders proves effective to deal with uncertainty and complexity. These constructs are explained in the propositions made for the SUITE framework to IDP, which aims to practically contribute to the management field of IDP.

Increasing economic, social and environmental problems around the world have shown that current models of economic development cannot be sustained. Thus, new patterns of consumption are needed. According to the literature, global companies are well placed to attempt leveraging sustainable consumption, as their production lines; supply chains; products and services extend across many continents, and as such the cumulative effect of their actions are wide reaching. This research sets out to better understand the intertwined factors that companies in two different contexts (Mexico and the UK), need to consider in order to leverage sustainable consumption. Through the literature review it was seen that sustainable consumption requires a multitude of changes, which have to occur at a systems level. In response to this, user-centred design (UCD) principles were seen as a valuable approach to give a broader account of the complexities around consumption and consumer's behaviour that could be communicated to higher management. A series of interviews, a focus group and a document analysis was undertaken to collect qualitative data. The findings led to the construction of a theoretical framework supported by UCD principles. The theoretical framework was then translated into the Sustainable Consumption Leveraging (SCL) Model and its toolkit. The SCL Model is a mechanism that takes into account the interaction of elements in a specific business context to identify areas of opportunity to leverage sustainable consumption through a consumer-focused approach. During a series of workshops, the SCL Model and its toolkit were tested to distinguish further opportunities of improvement and to understand where global companies stand with regards leveraging sustainable consumption. The research concludes by saying that companies need to work in collaboration with other actors to build a strong sustainability and innovation strategy that could help them to find new ways of doing business that can enhance more sustainable lifestyles.

Detta arbete handlar om att utforma en mötesplats för aktivitet i ett utvalt område i stadsdelen Sätra, Gävle. Som metod används participativa designmetoder som handlar om att involvera människor så mycket som möjligt. Participativa designmetoder är  socialt hållbara metoder för att utveckla stadsmiljön bl a därför att den tillkännager vikten av att engagera de personer som är närmast berörda. Metoderna tar också fasta på mjuka värden såsom platsidentitet, människors personliga drivkrafter och vilja att tillsammans etablera ett gemensamt område för alla. Sätra är en stadsdel i Gävle med över 10 000 invånare. I denna stadsdel finns ett område mellan Gråstensvägen och Jökelvägen som håller på att rustas upp av Gavlegårdarna. Lekplatserna och utomhusplatserna är i nuläget föråldrade samtidigt som det i området bor mycket barn och ungdomar som skulle kunna tänka sig att nyttja dessa om de var mer anpassade efter deras behov. I arbetet har jag därför undersökt denna problematik med hjälp av frågeställningen: Hur kan man med en designprocess som involverar medborgare utforma en plats? Hur kan man utforma denna plats på ett sådant sätt så att det lockar de boende att vistas och mötas och skapa inkluderande och trivsam miljö där platsidentitet uppehålls? I arbetet genomförs participativa designmetoder utefter frågeställningen på så sätt att djupintervjuer genomförs med de människor som bor i området för att få en djupare inblick i behov och problematik. Dessa leder i senare fas till workshops där mjuka värden etableras för att kunna jobba vidare med koncept. Platsobservationer och studie av relevant litteratur från både design och arkitekturområdet har använts för att utveckla syfte och metoder för workshops under arbetets gång.  Arbetets resultat är i form av en planlösning och en klätterställning som har utformats efter behov samt workshopmodeller som utformats och testats.

"Playing with Aesthetics in Art Museums" presents a strategy for using design thinking to mediate engrossing art experiences for adult museum visitors. Built upon a substantiated family resemblance between art and play experiences, the study synthesizes a typology of aesthetic theories, ten germane tenets of game design, and a psychographic portrait of the "archetypal" museum visitor to create a practical framework for delivering engrossing art experiences to adult visitors who typically enter museums with limited art historical knowledge. The interdisciplinary approach used is intended to replace the singular methodologies (whether art historical, pedagogical or aesthetic) that have informed museum practice in the United States since the late nineteenth century.

People frequently have problems making multiple devices work together. In this thesis, I use the Research‐through‐Design approach to understand the issues and propose solutions. Through an iterative series of investigations, the problems people have with the connection of multiple devices has been examined, including usability issues, difficulties with the sequential connection procedure, and difficulties performing an action. I found non‐expert users to have difficulties with interpreting and evaluating the devices’ interaction status regarding the sequence of the connection procedure. When an evaluation problem occurs, they have problems dealing with the required sequence or diagnosing the error in their interactions. The problem understanding was examined from additional cases. The comprehension of the problems allowed me to generate design implications and propose a design solution. I proposed two implications with which to solve the stated problem. I suggested helping users evaluate device interaction and reduce unnecessary user interactions. A design framework was suggested as a solution by providing diagrammatic representations of system interaction and signals revealing device status. I then assessed the suggested solutions using paper prototypes, and demonstrated their effectiveness. The improved interfaces helped users evaluate device connection status so they may determine how to proceed with sequential interaction. With the Research‐through‐Design approach constructing knowledge by integrating theories and hypothesis, I found the feature of user‐multiple device interaction in which a user is required to manage the interaction between the devices. A single device cannot aid the user interaction. In the dissertation, I proposed a desirable state of user interaction, which is achieved by two devices revealing connection states together so that a user can earn a useful system image.

Flexible Learning is a personal investigation of the relationship between the design-thinking process and standardized primary education. The problem-solving methods used in graphic design, are studied as a means of enhancing skills among students—skills that are not generally being developed, some of which are creativity, engagement, collaboration, evaluation, refinement, and presentation techniques. While I access and synthesize information from my clients, a child also access and synthesize information from his or her teacher. When a client comes to me with a design request, I research, create, and then present the most appropriate solution. In the classroom, this kind of thinking process is also possible when the teacher offers students the opportunity to solve a problem, usually in the form of a project. I will explain how more intensive and creative application of design thinking process could expand the horizons for whole brain learning and creative thinking among students.

Atualmente as organizações enfrentam grandes desafios como por exemplo a necessidade de reduzir o ciclo de vida de produtos e serviços, enfrentar exigências de qualidade superiores, menores tempo de desenvolvimento e menores custos de produção, devendo buscar a excelência produtiva mas, contraditoriamente também sendo cobradas pelo desenvolvimento de inovações e pela busca de maior agilidade. Neste cenário verifica-se o aumento na importância das startups, organizações que exploram novas oportunidades no mercado e que apresentam grande potencial para geração de inovações radicais. Apesar do aumento da sua relevância, ainda existem poucos modelos elaborados e validados, capazes de auxiliar estas organizações em seu processo inicial de estruturação de operação. Como consequência, atualmente as startups podem adotar técnicas inadequadas à sua realidade, reconhecidamente burocráticas, inflexíveis e pouco inovadoras. Buscando reduzir esta lacuna de conhecimento este estudo propõe um Framework Cíclico que visa contribuir com as startups em seu processo de geração e refinamento de conceitos e na estruturação inicial da sua operação, tendo como objetivo facilitar o atingimento do sucesso. Para o seu desenvolvimento inicialmente foi realizada ampla revisão bibliográfica, resultando numa primeira versão do Framework. Esta versão foi utilizada para a realização de dois estudos de caso que, em conjunto com a qualificação, resultou em alterações no seu layout porém manteve suas características essenciais. Uma segunda versão do Framework Cíclico foi avaliada em um painel que contou com a participação de 8 especialistas em startups, profissionais conceituados cujas observações foram analisadas utilizando de Análise Qualitativa, resultando numa mudança de etapa no Framework, incorporando o Canvas do Value Proposition Design e algumas contribuições no detalhamento das etapas. Com a terceira versão do Framework estruturada foi realizada uma survey que contou com a participação de 88 empreendedores de startups consideradas de sucesso. Para isto, de forma a estabelecer a amostra da pesquisa foram selecionadas startups com existência de mais de um ano, já aceleradas ou em processo de aceleração em aceleradoras brasileiras. Os resultados obtidos foram trabalhados com aplicação de Análise Qualitativa e Análise Fatorial e, como resultados, ocorreu a mudança de posicionamento de uma etapa, além da contribuições que destacam alguns pontos de atenção no desenvolvimento das diferentes etapas. Assim, foi obtida a versão final do Framework Cíclico, correspondendo ao objetivo proposto para este estudo, auxiliar na geração e refinamento de conceitos e estruturação da operação inicial de negócios inovadores. / Currently organizations face major challenges such as the need to reduce product and service life cycles, to obtain higher quality standards and lower production costs, aiming to obtain excellence in production but, contradictorily, aiming to develop significant innovations and to foster more agility. In this scenario it is possible to observe the growing importance of startups, emerging companies that explore new market opportunities and have big potential for the generation of radical innovations. Despite the increase of their relevance, until now there are few structured and validated models, capable of contributing with these organizations in their initial phases. As a consequence, currently startups can only adopt techniques that are inadequate to their reality since they are bureaucratic, inflexible and little innovative. Aiming to reduce this gap of knowledge, this research proposes a Cyclic Framework that aims to contribute with the startups in their process of generation and refinement of concepts and in the initial structuration of its operation, in order to facilitate the achievement of success. For the development of the first version an extensive literature review was performed. This version of the Framework was applied in two case studies that, in conjunction with the qualification, resulted in changes in the layout of the Framework but maintained its essencial characteristics. This second version of the Cyclic Framework was evaluated in a panel that counted with the participation of 8 specialists in startups, recognized professionals whose observations have been analyzed with the application of qualitative analysis. As a result a stage changed in Framework, including Canvas of Value Proposition Design and some other contributions were incorporated into the detailed steps of the Framework. Considering this third version of the Framework structured and validated, a final survey was performed and 88 entrepreneurs of startups participated. The sample for this research was selected at startups with existence of more than one year, that are already accelerated or in acceleration process at Brazilian accelerators. The obtained results were analyzed with the application of Qualitative Analysis and quantitative Factor Analysis and, as results, there was a change in the position of a step and the improvement of points of attention in the development of different steps. As a result the final version of the Cyclic Framework was developed and the main objective of this study was obtained, the development of a tool to contribute in the generation and improvement of concepts and structuring in the initial operation of innovative businesses.

O objetivo central desta pesquisa foi investigar os impactos do curso de especialização em Ética, Valores e Cidadania (EVC3), oferecido na modalidade semipresencial pela Universidade Virtual do Estado de São Paulo (Univesp), nas concepções e na prática profissional dos professores. O referencial teórico apoiou-se nos trabalhos dos pesquisadores da Universidade de Stanford sobre a utilização da metodologia voltada para a Aprendizagem Baseada em Problemas e Projetos com a aplicação dos procedimentos do Design Thinking e os princípios pedagógicos para o uso de tecnologias informatizadas e interativas em todos os níveis de ensino. Também foram decisivos os estudos dos pesquisadores da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade de São Paulo sobre a transversalidade do tema Ética na educação escolar e sobre a possibilidade de aproximar metodologias de Pedagogia de Projetos e o Design Thinking para propor inovações aos temas da Educação em Valores. Este estudo descritivo exigiu a realização de pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os principais temas teóricos e fundamentos metodológicos do curso de especialização, foram coletados dados em um questionário (SurveyMonkey) enviado a todos os egressos para identificar concepções, percepções e práticas profissionais dos professores. Os resultados permitiram demonstrar que o EVC3 teve maior impacto nas concepções e percepções dos professores sobre Ética, Valores e Cidadania, do que na utilização das metodologias da Aprendizagem baseada em Problemas e Projetos e do Design Thinking em sua prática cotidiana de sala de aula / The main objective of this research was to investigate the impacts of the principles and methodology of a specialization course in Ethics, Values and Citizenship (EVC3) in the concepts and professional practice of teachers to develop and implement educational projects. The theoretical framework builds on the work of researchers at Stanford University on the use of a methodology for Based Learning Problems and Projects with the application of the Design Thinking procedures and technologies of information and comunication in all education levels. Also were decisive the studies of researchers from the Faculty of Education, University of São Paulo about the Ethics theme on school education, and the possibility of approaching methodologies of Pedagogy with Projects and the Design thinking to propose innovations to education on values. This case study required to carry out bibliographic research on the main theoretical and methodological fundamentals themes of the specialization course, data was collected in a questionnaire (SurveyMonkey) sent to all graduates to identify conceptions, perceptions and practices of professional teachers. The results show that the greatest impact on EVC3 conceptions and perceptions of teachers about ethics, values and citizenship, than in the use of problem-based learning methodologies and projects and Design Thinking into their daily classroom practice.