DesignIndex: What Value Does Design Offer?

Can You Measure Design?

“I measure, therefore I am.” French philosopher and scientist René Descartes sort of described it back in the 17th century. In the present case, however, the measurement does not concern existence but rather design as a functional cross-section in modern companies. Since 2023, the question posed in the title can also be answered with a clear yes. This year, Creative Industries Styria and Viennese design expert Rudolf Greger have teamed up to measure and evaluate the importance of design in companies and its impact on economic success in an innovative project which resulted in the DesignIndex

In the first round of the project, 20 Styrian companies took part and were indexed by Creative Industries Styria in the course of a scientific survey. When selecting companies, the focus was on the greatest possible diversity in terms of industries and company size to show a representative cross-section of the economy. Each company then received its index including analysis, potential assessment and conclusion; the average values ​​from all 20 indices result in Styria’s first DesignIndex.

The Process and the Measurement Criteria

All data for the DesignIndex was collected using a questionnaire, which is divided into the following sections: query of the company data, the view on the company from the outside (CDXa) and the view on the company from the inside (CDXi). The following metrics and key questions are derived from this:

• CDXa: What impact do the design measures taken within the company have on the outside view?
• CDXi(DS) Design Strategy: Is design anchored in the company at a strategic level?
• CDXi(DN) Design Use: How intensively and in which organizational areas is design used in the company?
• CDXi(DI) Design Integration: How strongly is the company imbued with the design thought?
• CDXi(DM) Design Management: How is the execution of design activities coordinated?
• CDXi(DL) Design Ladder: How does the use of design functions differ across organizational areas?

The individual bars of the DesignIndex indicate the average design performance of the companies surveyed in the respective measurement. The numbers on the bars show the percentage points achieved (100 = maximum number of points).

The Results of the First DesignIndex

The course of the bars paints an interesting picture of the design commitment of the companies. On the whole, a considerable investment in design measures is visible, and these also go very in-depth. The analysis of all measured variables results in:

• CDXa: External appearance as the most important measure for conveying company values ​​is deeply integrated into the corporate culture.
• CDXi(DS) Design Strategy: The interest in strategically advancing the company in terms of design is above average. Investments are planned for the longer term and the added value of design services is seen.
• CDXi(DN) Design Usage: Very heterogeneous image depending on the size and structure of the company.
• CDXi(DI) Design Integration: In small and medium-sized companies, design functions are usually only accessed centrally by one or two business units.
• CDXi(DM) Design Management: No above-average focus – designated design managers do not exist in most cases. However: There is usually a person responsible for design embedded in one department of the company.)
• CDXi(DL) Design Ladder: The use of design functions is very strong in the areas of marketing, sales and management.

The Design Ladder in Detail: Differences Between the Units

The design ladder indicates how the use of design functions differs across organizational areas. As briefly mentioned above, the DesignIndex reveals an unsurprising picture: Design is used heavily in the market and sales-oriented units, and it is still the manager’s job – for example, to make strategy and vision visible.

DesignIndex: Potential and Conclusion

Potentials

• There is a clear trend towards sharpening the company’s external appearance. All companies see themselves as having the greatest responsibility to deliver top results.
• The potential is seen in deepening the use and integration of design. However, these are very individual and were explained in more detail in the individual analyzes of the companies.
• The greatest potential can be seen when it comes to design management, but this involves considerable additional effort, as significant interventions would have to be made in company structures. But here too, interest in future changes was expressed in some cases.
• Development opportunities for individual units are also visible on the design ladder.

Conclusion

• The companies surveyed have a high level of commitment to design and see design as an essential factor in their processes and strategies.
• Every single company consciously takes measures to stand out from the competition through various design functions.
• Analogous to finance and marketing, design is considered an important factor in day-to-day business.
• In the longer term, most companies have goals to further expand these strengths.