Designing the new creative experience for businesses

Over the past 18 months, the creative sector and related industries, including tourism and hospitality, have been profoundly disrupted by the pandemic. However, when it comes to creativity within these organisations, the show must go on.

As the first line of defence, brands have adapted to the “new normal” by tapping into creativity to solve challenges brought on by the pandemic and build innovative experiences for their customers. As such, the creative and design process is no longer a nice-to-have, rather essential to sustain and revitalise operations.

We recently hosted a webinar – Designing the New Creative Experience for Businesses – examined how creative processes are helping APAC organisations navigate business challenges during COVID-19 and beyond.

Here are the key insights for business leaders:

Businesses must reimagine the purpose and impact of creativity

The business benefits of good design and creativity are no longer up for debate. 86 percent of companies in the APAC region have established internal design teams, allowing them to get their products into the market 35 percent faster than competitors.

The increasing reliance on creativity has rapidly advanced the role creative teams play within businesses. In 97 percent of organisations, creative and design teams are now core contributors in strategic decision making. These companies are already reaping the benefits from repositioning the creative function.

As businesses look to reinvigorate their operations, they should look to invest in a core design system led by a team of evangelists. Organisations should manage these systems like they would a product or service, establishing a roadmap for progress and constantly evaluating bottom-line business impact.

Investment in design helps improve customer experiences and ROI

The continuing fallout from the pandemic has seen businesses ramp up efforts to build more authentic and meaningful relationships with their customers. Leaders who invested in design expenditure reported improved customer experiences and a 17 percent higher return on investment.

Luke Wheatley, former Head of Content and Creative at Flight Centre, says notions of business success today have changed significantly.

“A critical part of enterprise survival under new operating conditions rests on how quickly businesses can reach out to its customers.”

Using established internal digital teams, Flight Centre was able to turn around campaigns within 48 hours, saving $2 million annually on outsourcing costs to external agencies.

Such time and cost reductions are echoed throughout the industry, with 68 percent of business leaders reporting that their design system investment improved their speed-to-market by 66 percent.

In addition, design systems allow organisations to deliver more consistent and impactful experiences at a time when remote and hybrid working poses significant challenges to delivering excellent customer service.

While design teams are expanding their scope, some companies still lack a competitive edge

Businesses generally acknowledge design as a strategic priority. 33 percent report having design-related expertise at the executive level and 50 percent at the Director or Vice-President levels.

However, there is a significant misalignment between the design teams’ goals and their ability to execute. 43 percent of leaders believe their design teams lack the technology to achieve best-in-class creative ideas, while roughly 40 percent feel their teams lack the talent to outperform competitors.

“Nothing happens quickly,” Wheatley shares, reminding design teams to play the long game. “Implement steady improvements and continually justify investment from shrinking budgets. Increased efficiency and employee satisfaction is key to edging out the competition.”

To accelerate creative innovation, organisations must look for a unified system that guides design decisions and ensures they hire and retain talent who can align creative output to business goals.

One thing is for certain – the pandemic won’t be the last time businesses experience massive disruption. Those who invest in creative innovation will deliver excellent experiences for their customers and reap the rewards in the years ahead.

Watch the full webinar here.