Our process
We don't have one set process, because each business needs different kinds of help, but we always begin with an analysis of your company needs.

Your business
Most small companies don't have time to sit back and take stock of their current activity. Our team of professionals can give an objective view with our free initial needs analysis and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We spend time with you to determine how we can best help you, or signpost you to other design and business support agencies who would be more useful.

After our initial needs analysis, we can explore both your marketing and design activities and ways in which you can refine and improve them. Once we understand your needs, we agree with you the work that should be of most help to you.

Your business environment
Our tailored research into competitors, markets and products can help you better understand the environment that your business operates in. Better understanding reveals more opportunities to innovate. With you, we help identify and analyse new product opportunities and/or product development strategies.

Marketing
Do you have a marketing plan, or is it in need of an overhaul? DKN's bespoke marketing and communications strategy reports can help you plan and formalise your marketing activities and contribute improvements to your process, including design.

Branding and product development strategy
A strong brand is driven by knowing who your target market is and making them understand the benefits of your brand. We can analyse your current range of products and marketing materials to identify branding issues, for example, which products best reflects your core brand values and how they can then guide future product development strategies.

Creative thinking and concepts
We can guide your creative thinking with half day sessions that help you focus on customer needs and the product opportunities that stem from them. You will also think about branding, or new technologies and how you can use them to innovate, resulting in concept discovery.

Design development
We can guide you through the initial stages of design development, providing support for initial rapid prototyping and digital manipulation of concept ideas

Costs
After the initial needs analysis, we will work out costs for future work with you. We do also ask for a commitment of your time, so that you can take part in our process and gain useful insight and potentially new skills.

To register your interest in Design Knowledge Network's consultancy and research services or to learn more about us, please click here.