Design in Action: Design as a value creation practice

Today, design is expected to generate value in an increasingly dynamic context, marked by the spread of AI and cognitive automation, the growing systemic complexity of the problems to be addressed, and the accelerating pace of change—both within organizations and in end-user contexts. Yet, in recent years, this discipline has often been viewed as a simple process of creative problem-solving, enriched by tools and frameworks, but rarely examined from a systemic perspective capable of questioning its assumptions, practices, and contribution. The conference presenting the research results of the Design Thinking for Business Observatory therefore proposes an interpretation of design as a value creation practice: a practice that takes shape within the organization, is expressed through the materialization of ideas, and is grounded in continuously evolving skills. Through the analysis of surveys and design workshops, the research investigates how design is structured within organizations to contribute to value creation, how emerging technologies are redefining its practices and roles, and which skills come into play in the construction of design outputs, in order to gain perspective on the evolution of the profession and its role in business in the coming years.