5 tips for a good design process

Yesterday i was at Malmo University to hold a lecture about our design-thinking and product decelopement.

I showed the students our journey with KORI, how we took the kori-concept from idea to reality.

I tried to explain how we reach innovation through loops between chaos and structure.

Instead of promoting the ever promoted and sure worth promoting "focus" I choose to promote chaos and "leaving the track" inviting to think broad and wide, gain knowekegde and finding inspiration.

In short these were my 5 tips for a good design process,  which ended the lecture with 

1. Collect information. As much as you can. The more the better. No need to be directly related, it can as well be inspirational to the project.
2. Do not value the information too early, something uninteresting in the beginning of a project can be of great importance in later in the project.
3. Be curious. Listen and observe. The best way to learn is to get infi from the users. But note that not all questions will give you the actial answer. Ask the right questions. Observ and learn.
4. Get to know your user. And not only in the situation where your project touches him or her, get to know all levels of the user, find out as much as you can, people are complex creatures.
5. Communicate. Get to know yourself and how you communicate your own ideas, how you get them from your thoughts into something explainable for yourself and for others. How you communicate within your group and with different professions, we all have different languages.

The students at Malmö University, waiting for the lectura to begin.

KORI in SNOWMOBILE nr 6

The text in english (from the swedish magazine) Snowmobile:

”Ingenious back protector with built-in backpack
This autumn I heard of the Swedish KORI, which at first looks like a common back protector. But when you look closer you discover a pair of zippers, and when you open those, the protector transforms into a backpack. Ingenious!

For best fitting and safety, KORI exists in three sizes: small, medium and large. As I already stated above, KORI is thus something as ingenious as a back protector with an integrated backpack.

CE-certified protector
Starting with the protector itself, it is CE-certified, 1621-2, Level 2. To meet these standards, the back protector must protect the spine and the soft tissue against shocks and knocks. To get certified according to the higher standard, Level 2, the energy from the test hits should correspond to 50 Joules. On the inside of the protector, the average value of the impact from all the hits (at least five different points), should not exceed 9 kilo newton.
KORI has chosen to bet on the protection material D3O Viper Pro for the back protector. Although it feels alarmingly soft when you touch it, it has a surprisingly good ability to damp the energy from shocks and knocks.

Adjustable storage space 
When you've unfolded the backpack it offers 30, 35 or 38 liters of storage space, depending on which size of the KORI you've chosen. With some elastic drawstrings, you can adjust the pack so that it's conforms exactly to its contents and does not flap.

The material is made of a durable and somewhat "slippery" nylon fabric, easy to keep clean. Right through, the back protector/backpack feels of very high quality with nice details. Proper straps eith a body-belt, ensure that KORI fits like a glove. 

Small compartments and cargo loops missing
The backpack consists of only one big pack. Personally, I would like to have at least one small compartment for little things and some loops for a spade and other.

Moreover, I think that the cover has its faults. It is closed with a drawstring and Velcro and if you're not careful with folding the upper part of the pack (as on a canoe pack), snow and water easily can find its way into the pack.

Apart from these details, KORI is an ingenious innovation which, with some refinement, is a supreme product. KORI costs 4000 kr. More information at www.kori.se”

Thank you VentureLab

I would like to write some words about an organisation that has meant a lot to me, personally and to KORI especially –that organisation is named VentureLab.

It is an organisation made out of belief and inspiration.
It is an organisation living in belief, with inspiration.
An organisation that lives beyond a normal everyday life.

I always speak well about this organisation… but the problem is that, that environment can not be put into words – it can only be experienced.

In a way – Venture Lab is a dirty portacabin with about 18 small rooms full of nerdy people… What can be so interesting about that? Well the answer is everything can be interesting about that!

Nerdy people with different interests, different ages and different backgrounds but in the same stage in life – an experimental, curious and brave stage of life – speaking with each other, helping each other, and believing in each other.

At Venture Lab the KORI back protector / backpack idea was developed into a concept.
At Venture Lab KORI was born, the feeling of KORI, the curiosity in KORI and the culture and brand KORI.

Yesterday we met with VentureLab for their 10years anniversary!

The sun is shining today again!

These periods of delays, reminiscent mail and surprised "to-do" lists often feels quite heavy. But yesterday I had a fantastic day! I was first in school and wrote my thesis (in June, I take my Master in Industrial Design) and creativity came off (finally!) I got a lot of steps forward in the project - woohoo!

After a brief "photo session" with our new employee Emil and Mary of Fia Jobs (fiajobs.se) the day ended calmly and inspiring with good sandwiches and a cold beer at the Innovation Bar (innovationsbaren.com).
It was like I said a great day and today feels just as good.


Two exciting meetings: In the morning, we will go through our future marketing plan and this afternoon I have a meeting with our web agency (irradience.se) to ensure that we as soon as possible can get up our new super fancy website! Then I will end the days normal business hours with an "After Work" on the roof terrace in the afternoon sun with another cold beer. Then the evening's quiet shift will  take hold of the last items on the "to-do" list.

The sun is shining and I enjoy!