Using design thinking these business people built their companies. The results show just how different organizations could look in the future as new approaches are adopted.
THINKING ABOUT THE CAR IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY: Riversimple
Hugo Spowers, partner, Riversimple http://www.riversimple.com/
Riversimple is a small UK company focusing on a dramatic shift in how we think about moving people sustainably.
“To provide a sustainable transport service whilst working systematically towards the elimination of the environmental damage caused by personal transport”
Hugo talked passionately about whole systems thinking the approach to automobile design in the future. He spent 15 years as a motorsport engineer and racing driver — and has moved into this new realm. Here is the their urban car and a 4 min You Tube video that explains its characteristics.
Riversimple isn’t a car manufacturer — they are thinking differently about the whole system. It will be about a sale of service not of cars — selling miles travelled as a service.
While we have had a vision of a hydrogen highway between California and BC — Hugo sees it differently. He suggests starting small and nodal — with a city-by-city incremental network. Riversimple sees a shared ownership model and all their technology is Open Source.
From the web-iste — here are the 5 key elements:
- Lightweight network electric vehicle, constructed from carbon composites and powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
- Open source design and development. Riversimple will invite the worlds budding engineers and tinkerers to help develop its vehicles, by licensing its designs to the independent open source foundation 40 Fires.
- A service concept – we will lease cars not sell them. This aligns the interests of the manufacturer with the interests of the consumer and of the environment – everyone wants cars that have a long life span with maximum efficiency and minimum materials usage.
- Distributed manufacturing – The economies of scale of carbon composite frames are very different from those of steel-bodied vehicles. Riversimple vehicles are likely to be produced in small factories producing 5,000-10,000 vehicles per year. This allows for considerable local variation in the car.
- Broader ownership – The corporate structure of Riversimple is designed to ensure that all stakeholders in the enterprise have a fair say and share in the benefits of a successful business.
How PACT used design to understand prospective customers and rethink how a product could be developed and sold.
http://www.wearpact.com/ [great video on their web site]
Change starts with your underwear. Now there’s a statement that gets your attention. PACT is a company started by Jeff Denby (a Canadian) and Jason Kibbey. Their web site is fun — it elaborates on the following statements:
Cloth from which comes the fun underwear.
PACT is the child of many parents:
- 2 entrepreneurs that just wouldn’t give up
- 1 world-renowned designer
- 1 passionate and hard-working design team
- 1 underwear expert
- 1 Molly ( you have to go to site to read more)
- 1 dedicated and pioneering factory (in Turkey)
- 1 super-pumped, hardworking PR agency
- 1 unique fulfillment center with a social mission
- 1 talented filmmaker brother and his team
- 1 flexible web developer
Jeff gave a great presentation at the conference. He talked about the importance of a value-based business and the research they do into millennials.
Design brings stories to life. They are thinking globally– being totally transparent about what they do and why.
And their bags are underwear scraps!