Ideas are the one single driving force behind all we do, not only in business — but as human beings. Imagine that sitting on a chair was once an idea.
Now it is something we spend most of our time doing. Ideas are the conceptualisation and systematisation of life, as well as the separation of different entities to form a perceived or felt impression. Without them we are lost in the desert looking for water. At skalar we help our collaborators discover ideas, and most often we do this in an intertwined process working together, this is called co-creation.
In its purest form co-creation is collaboration. In business it’s a bit more intricate. We have collaborated since the dawn of time, but more often than not, we have delegated rather than co-created. That means that a client orders a product or a service from the supplier. We don’t think that’s the best way to create potential and new business opportunities. We know that when we use an interdisciplinary method based on business, design, technology and the client, the best ideas come to fruition. This is because all parts of the value chain, have something to say, with insight on how the process and results can continually be improved.
“Value chains help increase a business’s efficiency so the business can deliver the most value for the least possible cost, they do this by owning as many parts of the entire chain as possible. This creates oversight over the entire production process.”
- Our aim at Skalar
An example; when working with the construction industry, let’s say we want to make a software that makes their life easier, how do we go about doing that? Do we conceptualise what the client needs? Or do we ask them, and even better, do we work alongside them? A construction worker has a lot more to say about being a construction worker than any programmer or consultant with all the metrics in the world. She has felt the cold steel in the morning, and a sore back after a day of heavy lifting. She knows the pains she has with paperwork etc., so if our goal is to make her life easier, we have to help her figure out what she needs.
When working with innovation; we sometimes make products and services that there is no apparent need for, yet. This field is based on thinking ahead and solving the needs of the user before they know it. Or to create a demand, where there is none. They may not know how to solve the problem or what the problem is, but they know about their pains, and with enough canvassing and scrutiny, we can get the idea we need. We can later go to market with a novel product or service that meets their needs or creates a new one.
Being creative on behalf of others is the core of skalar. We create smart solutions in the life of people and businesses. And to do that we need to work together. We have cultivated these kinds of relationships with collaborators for years and learned that co-creation is far better than being an old school agency or consultancy. When knowing the need of the value chain, we can begin to work out different prototypes and solutions to their needs. This makes their lives easier, which again creates more value in the chain.
We know working together is the way forward. Through co-creation, one can see paradigms and challenges which previously were hidden. Think about that next time you solve a challenge — that’s smart.
