Jonathan Margolis, tech columnist for the Financial Times, chairs a conversation with Des Tapaki, Digital Experience Director at Honest Digital, Alex Hulme, Director at Map Project Office, and Billy Seabrook, Global CEO for IBM iX, on design transformation, their favourite work from this year and how it can help brands in the wake of Covid-19.

“Design transformation is using design thinking to question a business inside and out including the business, the service, the operations and the customer journey,” explains Tapaki.

Seabrook selects the transformation of Formula E racing and Attack Mode, which utilises AR and interactive features meaning if drivers follow lights on the track, they gain speed and cars can change colour – separating Formula E from Formula 1 and bringing in new audiences. “There’s this fundamental concept of esports inspiring real sports in order to attract a younger audience and in this case it’s so uniquely on brand to do this because of the digital nature of the sport itself,” he says.

Hulme highlights the Vegi-Bus, an e-commerce platform that connects farmers with consumers and businesses in Japan to sell produce using a bus delivery system that is cost efficient and environmentally conscious. “We’re at an interesting point socially, where people are incredibly interested in where their food comes from so provenance is not about fine wines anymore it’s also about the cucumber that you buy in the corner store,” he says.

Tapaki chooses to speak about the wonderful Avatar Robot Café by ADR Creative One for Diverse Avatar Working Network, which enabled ALS sufferers and severely disabled people to work in a café by controlling robot avatars. The project is being rolled out further and has meant some participants now have employment they never thought they would have access to. “The tech itself is mind-blowing,” she says.” And in Covid-19 this could be expanded further, for example for elderly people who can’t go out.”

Design transformation could come to the fore over the coming months as businesses large and small adapt to our changing marketplace.

Created in partnership with Adobe