Design Management for Start-ups

The research project Design management for start-ups focused on the integration of design in innovation processes. Its objective was to promote the use of design within mainly technological start-ups and to create tools and methodologies to foster collaboration between designers and entrepreneurs. The approach took into account all design practices (industrial design, visual communication, media & interaction design, strategic design) and relied on the ecosystem of technological start-ups in the region. The study allowed for reflection at four levels:

• understanding the contribution of the different design disciplines in the innovation process;
  
• the analysis of the opportunities and constraints faced by entrepreneurs;
  
• the development of a set of tools for awareness raising and management of design-oriented innovation projects;
  
• supporting the strategic development of a start-up.
  

The project enabled the development of a set of specific design management tools adapted to collaborations between technology start-ups and designers and to gather them on the website www.designstarterkit.ch

Main applicants
ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne
Luc Bergeron (project leader) 

Research team
Daphna Glaubert (researcher)
Noemie Délèze (Ra&D collaborator), HEIG-VD

Design team
Joelle Aeschlimann (interaction designer)
Lionel Tardy (web developer)
Calypso Mahieu (photographer)

Partners

Néode

The Ark
Innovaud

Fri Up



Period

September 2018 - september 2020



Associated project
www.innovationbydesignchallenge.ch

Dissemination
Publication
Daphna Glaubert, Luc Bergeron, Le design comme accélérateur de projets technologiques en phase d’incubation précoce, Sciences du Design, 2020

Supported by 
ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne
Strategic fund of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO RCDAV)