Design games as a tool, a mindset and a structure Kirsikka Vaajakallio

ensure relevance for company partners and researchers alike. The third
fundamental contribution for the co-design comes from potential end users,
either through direct or indirect involvement. Consequently, co-design
gatherings build on different perspectives to serve multiple purposes;
gathering and introducing user insights, allowing participants to make
their own interpretations of them and guiding idea generation accordingly
(Figure 32). These three are intertwined rather than well-defined, separate
activities. It is also important to realise that new ideas appear throughout
the project, not only during the appointed times of co-design gatherings.
When considering overall purposes for the companies to be part of Extreme
Design project, we can consider it as a concept design project without
a direct connection to the production demands (Keinonen & Takala
2006, pp 19–28). During the project, the following aims were identified
although they were not all explicit from the beginning but became such
during the case studies:
4.2.1
Objectives
of
co–design
Learning from a specific user group, situation, or problem.
1
Enhancing participants’ creativity by rehearsing out-of-box thinking.
2
Finding new collaboration opportunities and strategic B2B networks.
3
Communicating organisation’s innovativeness and interest to be
forerunner by participating design research projects.
4
ongoing project at company
Fig. 33
research led by university
exploring opportunities for new project
The Extreme Design project’s case studies, although being individual projects from the management
perspective, are examples of how design research can be conducted in close connection
with a partner company’s on-going development projects or taken as a strategic tool to
inform decisions about the future projects.
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