Embedding design at the highest possible cultural level of the business helps redirect the company’s view away from the technology itself towards the customer; fundamentals of a transition many find difficult to achieve.

Establishing affordable development processes, clear design direction accepting and embracing challenge, implementing new processes and stimulating relevant design thinking are all necessary tools in navigating a route that an emerging technology must travel from commercial wilderness to success.
 

Background information about FeONIC:
During the late 1980’s a team of scientists knew their fledgling technology had potential, but needed a dedicated innovations partner to develop commercially viable products and create a sustainable brand.  The first step was to protect their discovery with intellectual property rights for smart material control, enabling them to develop the practical applications for the fledgling technology. ‘We knew we had a good invention, but we had no idea how to find the right route to market,’ says Brenda Hopkins, of FeONIC (originally Newlands Scientific). ‘I think most university spin outs face the reality that the academic inventor is not necessarily the right person to take the business forward commercially.’

The team attended trade fairs and conferences to gather inspiration and advice, and it was at a design trade show that Brenda Hopkins met Brian Smith, Design Director at London-based design consultancy PDD. ‘I could see that Brian had the right experience and design skills to transform our technology into high-volume consumer products,’ says Hopkins. ‘I came out of one of our first meetings and I knew he was the key to moving our ideas forward.’ It was at this point that the original team had to make a fundamental step change and embrace the commercialisation of their technology and Brian Smith was appointed Managing Director. Cultural changes were introduced as Smith led the evolution from research-based organisation to innovation and product development company.

‘Scientists like to work on their own,’ says Smith. ‘They’re not always comfortable with a designer’s way of working, which is to share ideas and cross fertilize thinking.’ The group was encouraged to communicate more effectively as a team, introduce more user-focused research and tap into a more creative way of thinking.

FeONIC’s mission is to build a sustainable and profitable business based on developing, owning, licensing and selling smart material products directly and through third party sales. In November 2007 FeONIC had the honour of being the only British company to win the Design Management Europe-award from the Red Dot Museum in Germany.