c4di show SMEs how to use design to drive innovations: read more to find out our areas of expertise and how we've applied our skills to real-life problems

our four main areas of expertise are communications, innovations, services & cultures

1. communications

challenge: communicating what our company does is difficult
we say: getting the message right helps you to stand out from your competitors and create valuable differentiation. We can help you refine what makes you unique, and show you how to communicate that through words and pictures: helping make your brand, website, marketing materials and other communications a clear, concise and authentic expression of your company's core values.

2. innovations

challenge: not enough ideas are coming forward, and those that do take too long to develop
we say: new ideas, successfully exploited, put you at the forefront of your sector. We are experts in idea generation: we can show you how to have ideas and make them work. Whether redesigning an existing product or coming up with a game-changing new service, we can help you come up with a hundred ideas in an hour, pick the winning one and prototype it on the fly, quickly and cheaply.

3. services

challenge: "competitors offer similar products at lower cost"
we say: add value through service. Customers are much less price sensitive if you also provide a valuable service. Understand what your customers actually value and design new services which cut costs and increase revenue. C4di can show you how to identify new opportunities, gain meaningful insights from your customers, map their journey and involve them in designing services of real value.

4. cultures

challenge: "we need to innovate, but don't know how"
we say: create a culture of innovation to motivate, inspire and retain your staff. Having an environment where ideas flourish, risk is rewarded and constructive failure embraced is essential to create sustained innovations. C4di can show you how to design a working environment and management structure to foster creativity.

case study

determining core values for a Scottish food & drink manufacturer

As part of a c4di insights exercise, we helped a borders based manufacturer of conserves and preserves to determine their core values in a visual way.

The first stage of our work was to spend an afternoon observing the manufacture, labelling and packaging of products. Insights gathered during this process helped drive the process of determining core values.

Using our specially designed core values cards, we then started the process of defining & distilling those particular values that were most important to the company, and which made it unique. Several iterations of the exercise were undertaken, ending up with determining three specific core values.

Finally, existing products, branding, services and visual and written communications were evaluated against these values. By auditing and identifying areas that require refreshing in a strategic and systematic way like this has resulted in an improved and more consistent brand that remains authentic and true to its previously unarticulated core values.

more case studies coming soon

we have developed a unique, design-led methodology for working with SMEs: read on to see how it works

innovation in four easy steps...

We use a human centred approach to innovation to help companies enhance profits, performance and customer satisfaction. We call this design thinking, and we're here to show SMEs how to adopt it. This is how it works:

step 1. ask the right question

Asking the right question is the first step in getting the right answer. Skilled in looking beyond the immediate issue, we have devised a range of techniques designed to help uncover the real problem.

step 2. 100 ideas

The more ideas you have, the more chance that one of them will be the killer one. We can show you how to have 100 ideas in an hour, by applying some of our unique brainstorming and visual thinking techniques.

step 3. quick & dirty prototyping

We can show you how to explore ideas through prototyping. Using whatever materials come to hand, helps give ideas form and starts the iterative process of design. If it's not right first time (and when was it ever?) we gain insights from each prototype and apply them to the next. With only cardboard and pipecleaners at stake, we can afford to prototype as many ideas as possible.

step 4. critical thinking

This is the time to evaluate ideas, not earlier. We're experts at focusing down on the ideas that are feasible, desirable & profitable.

our method in a slideshow

how we do, c4di

our method is engaging and effective, but don't just take our word for it...

from group workshops to in-depth analysis of specific business problems, c4di have a variety of formats to work with you: these are the most popular

c4di insights

c4di insights are a period of up to three days spent working with a company on a particular problem, such as branding, service design or new idea generation. The output for the company could be the generation of a design brief for a rebranding project, an insights report from c4di outlining design-led recommendations for innovations, or a service visualisation.

bespoke

We also offer bespoke company workshops, individual advice and team development activities.

innovation by design

The innovation by design workshop series is a four-part, practical and interactive introduction to design thinking, service design and problem solving techniques. The content and materials have been designed specifically by c4di to reflect the unique mix of sectors and expertise in Scottish SMEs.

"100% of companies who attended said they'd recommend the workshops to others"

Due to popular demand we'll be running the workshops again in autumn. Interested? Give us a call or send us an email.

the nitty gritty

To find out more about how c4di can work with your company, please give Chris Rigby a call on 01224 216087 or email her at c.rigby@rgu.ac.uk

we're a special bunch of people: we have expertise from the worlds of design, business and academia

the centre

C4di - The centre for design and innovation in Scotland aims to help Scottish SMEs to achieve strategic continuous innovation by using design as a tool for business growth. Established in 2008 by Robert Gordon University, with funding from ERDF and Scottish Government, our partners include Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and Aberdeen City Council.

the team

Led by Professor Julian Malins, Professor of Design at the Robert Gordon University, our multi-disciplinary team includes experts drawn from the fields of design, business management, communications and information technology. Additional expertise is drawn from the extensive academic resources of the University.

julian malins

project director
idea generator & innovation specialist

graham grant

principal designer
design thinker & visualiser

lynne paterson

administrator
european funding specialist

chris rigby

business manager
service design expert

venkat lakkireddy

IT designer
tech guru

dawn shand

project manager
communications expert

welcome to the tubelog: this is our communications channel, where you can find our latest news, events and blog posts.

funding and expertise for technology businesses

August 20th, 2010

Connect Scotland are currently seeking applications from Technology businesses to take part in two investment focused events in November.

CONNECT SPRINGBOARD – Investment of Time 
Springboard is about offering early stage businesses the unique opportunity to find talented individuals that could drive your business forward. This is your chance to pitch to an audience of prospective senior executives, non-executive directors and business angels.

CONNECT CONFERENCE – Investment of Finance

If you have the revenue but need growth funding or if you are a business struggling to find out what investors are looking for? The Connect Investment Conference is offering you the platform to access mentoring, to become investment ready and to pitch to an audience of investors and business angels.

Applications for both events are NOW OPEN, so if you would like to be considered for one of these opportunities then visit our website for an application form.
www.connectscotland.co.uk/events.html

Closing date for applications is the 6th September 2010.
Should you wish to discuss this in more detail before applying, call Jeff Horner on 0141 572 8350. Please also keep c4di posted as we are keen to track when we have been of assistance. Email Dawn – d.m.shand@rgu.ac.uk

upcoming events

date	event	further info
August/2010	innovation by design	info coming soon

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