Articles

Design Concepts and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin School of Business have joined together to develop a new graduate course created to bring design thinking to future business leaders. The course, titled “Design Thinking for Business,” is offered to MBA students at the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Brand and Product Management (CPBM).

Stefanie Norvaisas, Design Concepts’ director of strategy and research, joined colleagues for a panel discussion of design strategies that give businesses a competitive edge at the Product Development and Management Association’s (PDMA) 33rd Annual International Conference, November 4, 2009 in Anaheim, California.

Dave Franchino, president and principal of Design Concepts, and Ken Martin, president and CEO of Sadra Medical, presented “Leveraging Innovation Partnerships in Emerging Medical Device Development.” On July 28th, 2009, Martin and Franchino spoke to the membership of LifeScience Alley, a Minneapolis-based trade association with a membership of companies involved in all aspects of life scienes.

Dave Franchino, president of Design Concepts and one of the founders of Sologear, LLC, recently spoke at the conference Beyond Firewood: Exploring alternative fuels and energy technologies in humanitarian settings. Beyond Firewood, an international research conference organized by the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, took place in New Delhi, India, December 11- 12, 2008.

Stefanie Norvaisas, Design Concepts’ director of research has conducted an extensive ethnographic research study for Filene Research Institute examining credit union members. The newly created study “Why Choose a Credit Union: An ethnographic study of member behaviors” points to new opportunities for credit unions to reach out to members.