FIND INSPIRATION IN DIGITAL AGE BUSINESS
Guided by strategy, human-centric business, systems thinking, business creativity, data, growth, and change.
Behind the Scenes: Service Design for a B2B Digital Service
In this blog post, I walk you through how a new digital service designed for a B2B customer segment was developed using service design methods. I also share my personal working approaches.
I favor an end-to-end thinking and operating model, which involves taking a holistic view—first understanding the entire puzzle of what we’re trying to achieve before focusing on individual pieces. Additionally, end-to-end thinking includes taking responsibility not only for the initial steps but also for post-launch activities, such as continuous improvement of the service.
Service Design: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners and the Experienced
This blog post and guide on service design is written for anyone looking to understand the big picture of service design: the mindset, process, methods, and tools. I also discuss how service design fits into the broader context of business and explore the future directions of service design.
The Service Design Process Illustrated with the Comprehensive Triple Diamond Model
The traditional way to depict the service design process is by using the Double Diamond Model developed by the British Design Council. However, this model overlooks the end-to-end (E2E) perspective, which is particularly critical in digital-age business. Moreover, the Double Diamond Model often places too much emphasis on conceptualizing a single service instead of viewing the process through the lens of the customer journey, which may encompass multiple solutions or services. Additionally, the Double Diamond Model does not address detailed design or continuous improvement—areas that the Triple Diamond Model is specifically designed to address.
The Service Design Process – The Traditional Double Diamond Model
Traditionally, the so-called Double Diamond model has been used to describe the service design process, originally created by the British Design Council. The core idea of this model is to first focus on understanding the problem by asking whether the right questions are truly being addressed. The second diamond focuses on idea development and conceptualization.
Business Development Is Not Going Anywhere with the Advent of AI
We are living in the hype of artificial intelligence with the advent of generative AI. Whatever social media platform you visit, you can't avoid running into posts about AI. On LinkedIn, it's practically the only topic of conversation. The leadership drama at OpenAI was pure soap opera at its best. Everyone who can is adding AI-related elements to their products or services, or even incorporating "AI" into their company name. Why? Because AI sells.
Companies are rushing to hire AI experts, often at the expense of other priorities. The most important thing now is to bring this hot topic, AI, into their own operations. Executives are seeing euro signs in their eyes, expecting AI to boost productivity and cut costs by reducing the need for humans to perform certain tasks.
Making Strategic Thinking Accessible to All
High position in hierarchy and title alone do not make anyone a strategic thinker. Traditionally, strategic thinking has been considered the prerogative of leaders – where leaders plan and envision, and the rest of the organization executes. We live in a digital age where old leadership models no longer apply. Hyperchange is here, bringing with it many simultaneous changes. The foundation of competitiveness is shifting in a dynamic environment. We need strategic thinking to understand the dynamics of these changes and to create a vision of how our company will succeed amidst the disruptions of the future. Strategic thinking is not the privilege of a few; it is a necessity throughout the organization.
Digital Transformation: The Greatest Opportunity and Challenge for Businesses
The digital era has revolutionized the opportunities for businesses. When technology is leveraged correctly, it can streamline processes, enhance customer experience, and open doors to new business opportunities. However, profound digital transformation requires the entire organization's culture and structure to adapt to this new era. For many established and traditional organizations, the extent of digital transformation can come as a surprise. It's not just about updating technology and shifting product sales to digital channels. Digital transformation is about much more than just adopting new tools; it's about overhauling the entire business and organizational culture.
10 Steps to Customer-Centric Business
In today's business environment, competition is fiercer than ever. Organizations are constantly seeking new ways to stand out and create sustainable growth. In this context, customer-centricity emerges not just as a strategy, but as a cultural revolution that can determine a company's success or failure. Let's delve deeper into what customer-centric business truly means and what it requires to be realized.
How Did I Become a Strategic Visionary
During my career, I have designed pixel-level details, conceptualized strategies, business models, processes, and services. Nowadays, I can move vertically from the abstract level of systemic value creation down to the pixel and code level of an individual service. Having worked at all levels of abstraction, I have also become familiar with the domains of other parties horizontally, encompassing the work of coders and enterprise architects, as well as the activities of product managers and top management on the business side. How did the ability to think both vertically and horizontally at the same time come about? Let me tell you my own story.
A DECADE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP: WHY I'LL NEVER GO BACK TO BEING A WAGE WORKER?
Today, July 5th, I am celebrating my 10-year journey as an entrepreneur. I didn't die, didn't have to move under a bridge to live, and not once did I have to eat pine cones during my entrepreneurial journey. Instead, my knowledge has grown enormously over these ten years, my hunger for learning continues to grow, I have been able to do diverse and interesting jobs in various sectors with both large corporations and startups, and I've even managed to accumulate a nest egg of my own. But how did I become an entrepreneur in Finland at a time when entrepreneurship was mainly considered a fool's game?
DESIGN IS JUST PRETTY PICTURES = TOTAL BULLSH*T
A common misconception is that design is just surface-level aesthetics. It is that, of course, and having a visually appealing surface has its place. After all, who wants to buy or use an ugly-looking product or service? However, what most people forget and what is completely new to the majority is that the entire business can be conceptualized and designed. In the digital age, business is completely abstract and often very complex, requiring collaboration between many different experts. One must understand business models, value creation, business cases, customer behavior and needs, technology, data, and more. Business is still seen solely as administration and risk management, while the creative side of business is often completely forgotten.
Systemic value creation in business
A reminder to all of us: every company's basic mission is to create value. Traditionally, value has been created for owners. However, creating value solely for owners is short-sighted and no longer sufficient in the digital age. Nowadays, value is created for customers, business, owners, employees, and even society. Value is many times delivered with partners and the whole value creation can happen in many levels in the company.
6 Metaskills to Supercharge Your Career in Any Industry or Role
Attention all professionals: the digital age is here, and it's time to step up your game! With technological advancements disrupting every industry, it's crucial to have the right skills to stay relevant and competitive. In fact, the World Economic Forum predicts that 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025. According to the same report, nine out of ten are meta skills or soft skills not tied to a specific profession or education. So, what are the skills you need to thrive in the 21st century?
Think Twice Before Adding Customers to Your Strategy Slides: A Must-Read Guide
It's easy to say that you're customer-centric, but is it truly reflected in your strategy? Recent studies have shown that companies that prioritize the customer experience see better performance. So why do so many organizations fail to effectively implement a customer-centric approach in their strategy? Before you add "customer-centric" to your strategy slides, make sure you're taking the necessary steps to truly put the customer at the forefront of your decisions.
Executives, Listen Up: 7 Critical Messages You Need to Hear (Hint: #6 is the Most Candid!)
I'm Jenni Saarenpää, a digital age change maker. As a seasoned change maker who has had the pleasure of working with you across various industries, countries and organizations, I feel compelled to share my candid thoughts and feelings with you through this open letter.
From Failure to Success: Understanding Why Most Strategies Don't Work and How to Fix it
If your sports team or your personal investments consistently underperformed, you would likely try a new approach. Yet, research indicates that a significant majority of business strategies 60 to even 90% fail. So why do organizations persist in using ineffective tactics, wasting valuable resources in the process that is more of an annual theater? It's time for a change in the way we approach strategy in the corporate world.
The Holy Trinity of Digital Business
We have come far away from the industrial revolution to the digital age. It is an era that has perhaps changed the world faster than anything else before, but we are still taking…
Welcome to the digital age!
Welcome to the digital age, to the age we have witnessed already for couple of decades, but in which we are still taking baby steps. We used to live in a world where most of the work was all about creating physical products…