KMD learns from designers

KMD creates IT solutions and supplies them to local authorities, the Danish state, and private companies. For 40 years, KMD has had a leading role in the digitalisation of the Danish welfare society. But the IT company’s innovation unit wants to initiate new projects. To kickstart this process they partcipated in a workshop organised by D2i – Design to innovate and hosted by Design School Kolding.

New tools
The IT company’s Venture Department wanted tools for systematising, visualising and structuring KMD’s innovation process to make the entire staff feel comfortable with the procedures. KMD also wanted to trigger every-day disruptions – small interferences which can kickstart new discoveries. And finally, KMD requested methods for including users and customers far more.

D2I had developed a strategy game built around five islands each representing a certain phase in the KMD innovation model. In the course of the workshop, each island was explored and mapped. At the end of the day, D2i introduced KMD to two new tools for generating user involvement. All in all the experience was very educational for the department employees who, with the designer’s toolbox, now stand better prepared for solving future challenges:

- Overall I think this day has been insanely exciting. It has been a learning experience out of the ordinary and on multiple levels. We’ve received some specific plug-and-play tools that we can take home and use right away, says Pernille Lytzen, KMD.

Mikkel Høgenhaug adds:

- It’s really great to see this abundance of tools and methods that you are able to apply. It’s so cool. And to be able to add them to our list of experiences and perhaps – if we are clever enough – apply them ourselves.