Expanding Insights
How does design influence innovation, sustainability and economic success? Our studies offer well-founded insights and prove the transformative impact of design.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Zur Praxis der Designforschung in Deutschland 2024](/fileadmin/gdc/upload/images/IfDRA/Studie-Designforschung-in-DE-2024-vorschau3.jpg)
The practice of design research in Germany
New study by IfDRA
How well-positioned is design research in Germany?
Our new study ‘On the practice of design research in Germany in 2024’ clearly shows that German design research still has considerable potential for improvement in an international comparison. At the same time, it proves it: Design research can help not only to strengthen design practice, but also to significantly increase the innovative strength of companies.
(Download is currently only available in German)
‘The study shows that Germany urgently needs to set the course for future-oriented design research.’ Stephan Ott, author of the study
The results speak for themselves: only 22 per cent of the 150 experts surveyed rated the quality of German design education as above average. Almost two thirds of those surveyed see universities as the strongest driver, while design research is often only weakly anchored in companies and is rarely integrated into development processes at an early stage.
Together with co-author Jessica Krejci, Stephan Ott, Director of the Institute for Design Research and Appliance (IfDRA) and author of the study, formulates specific recommendations for action, including:
- Create a data basis for KPIs: A sound data basis is necessary for the evaluation of design research, which should be created through targeted surveys and analyses.
- Strengthen international orientation: Global exchange should be more firmly anchored in the academic curriculum in order to promote the quality of design research.
Practice-orientated doctorates: A practical orientation of doctoral programmes should strengthen the bridge between theory and practice.
On the value contribution of design:
Further studies and findings
The question of the measurability of the value contribution of design is probably as old as the discipline itself. Nevertheless, there are a whole series of relevant studies that have addressed this question from different perspectives.
We have compiled what we consider to be the most relevant studies from recent years:
2023: The Value of Design
2023 - The Design Value Framework – Index // Design Economy. The Design Value Framework
Publisher: Design Council, London (UK)
Author: Cat Drew, Bernard Hay, Tim Dudas, Sabina Dewfield, Simran Chadha
2023: Design In Tech Report
Design In Tech Report 2023 // Design trends revolutionizing the entrepreneurial and corporate ecosystems in tech – AI
Author and publisher: John Maeda
2022: Study on the economic relevance of design
Studie zur wirtschaftlichen Relevanz von Design (Study on the economic relevance of design) - 2022 // available in German language only
Client: bayern design
Realisation: Joachim Kobuss
2021: Scoping Project - Design Economy
Design Economy 2021 // Scoping Project – The Economic Value of Design
Client: Design Council UK
Author: Jonathan Todd, Chief Economist at BOP
2019: The New Design Frontier
The New Design frontier // The widest-ranging report to date examining design’s impact on business
Publisher: Design better – by InVision
Author, implementation and evaluation: Leah Buley
In 2018, InVision surveyed designers from more than 2,200 organizations around the world to create their groundbreaking report, The New Design Frontier. This report explores the behaviors, practices, and outcomes of high-performing teams, which have varying levels of influence on a company’s bottom line.
2018: The business value of design
The business value of design
Publisher: McKinsey Quarterly
Authors: Benedict Sheppard, Garen Kouyoumjian, Hugo Sarrazin and Fabricio Dore
"How do the best design performers increase their revenues and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry counterparts?"
2017: Measuring design value as a key factor of innovation
BEDA Cluster – Measuring design value as a key factor of innovation // Report 2017
Publisher: BEDA – The Bureau of European Design Associations
Building on the legacy of €Design EDII project (2012-2014), this Cluster is aimed at continuing working on inititatives towards measurement and monitoring of design’s contribution to the economy and jobs creation, and about the relevance of these data for policy makers and the design, innovation and business comm unities.
2015: The Value of Design – Index
The Value of Design – Design Value Index 2015
A Special Report Sponsored by the Design Management Institute in Conjunction with Motiv Strategies