Fjord Trends 2018
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The 2018 Fjord Trends report, created by a diverse team of over 1,000 contributors, outlines seven key predictions about the convergence of digital and physical experiences, the rise of AI, and the growing importance of ethical considerations in business. Recommendations include rethinking the role of technology and algorithms in services, fostering collaborative workplaces, and embracing blockchain for transparency. Fjord emphasizes the need for organizations to innovate design practices and focus on shared ethical values with employees and customers.
Fjord Trends 2018
- 2. Introduction Our annual Trends report is always a team effort, and this year’s team was bigger and more diverse than ever. More than 1,000 Fjordians and 85 clients from five continents inspired our report, each bringing their own individual perspectives and experiences to the table. We gathered insights in a broad range of formats—a mix of hastily-drawn thoughts on Post-it Notes, elegant (and not-so-elegant) illustrations, simple scribbles and long-form copy, or even some musings over a cup of coffee. We took every single one into workshops designed to hone the thinking and spot patterns. The result? Seven predictions on the design and innovation challenges and opportunities facing organizations, consumers and employees in 2018.
- 3. Physical fights back Digital and physical will converge in 2018 as digital fades into the background. No longer the centerpiece of brand innovation, digital is becoming the invisible enabler of physical and sensory experiences.
- 4. Fjord suggests 01 Stop viewing digital and physical as separate Instead ask: how do we design experiences and spaces to connect with people around us, enabled by digital in a physical world? 02 Let technology inspire you In addition to putting the user first, designers must understand (and think laterally about) the wealth of technological possibilities from the outset. 03 Sharpen your design skills More digital will be integrated into physical products and services from the get-go. As a result, it will be prudent to have new physical and digital design capabilities in-house.
- 5. Computers have eyes For a while now, computers have been able to read words, understand them, then react. Now, they can do the same with images.
- 6. Fjord suggests 01 Rethink services Organizations must start imagining the new generation of services they could create using computers with sharper “eyes” and smarter “brains.” 02 Rethink your approach to data Expect more data, and consider what data can be extracted from processing large quantities of visual images—and which would be most useful. 03 Rethink the design context As computers get better at reading the emotions of people using computer vision, human behaviors and intrinsic features will need to be designed into services to fully interest and engage users.
- 7. Slaves to the algorithm As we become reliant on algorithm-driven services, they will act as gatekeepers that mediate the relationship between brands and consumers.
- 8. Fjord suggests 01 Get to know the gatekeepers Consider carefully where a product or service can be designed to make it past the gatekeeper—and how to earn customer loyalty once it does. 02 Adapt to a new marketing environment Consider how to inject purchase prompts into the environment where the customer is—be that in the home, car or elsewhere. 03 Beware the backlash Prepare for the possibility that once algorithms’ newness wears off, market fatigue could dampen consumers’ enthusiasm.
- 9. A machine’s search for meaning The rise of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will transform working life, requiring organizations to re-imagine the workplace, work culture and work experience.
- 10. Fjord suggests 01 Think collaboratively, not competitively Let people do what they do best, and robots do what humans do worst. Start by considering which activities are most meaningful to people. 02 Design for interaction Design machines to ask questions and clarify their instructions. Remember that their communication skills are less nuanced than ours. 03 Be transparent, be inclusive Algorithmic transparency will be central to your brand values. Staff and customers alike must have an understanding of how decisions are being made.
- 11. Establishing trust and transparency has long been an issue in the digital world. With decentralized ownership and tight security, Blockchain has the potential to reinvent our conceptual model of trust. In transparency we trust
- 12. Fjord suggests 01 Act now Take understanding blockchain off the “too hard to do” list and educate yourself and your entire workforce about its potential. 02 Design for trust Consider what next generation service you could create if a far deeper level of trust was demanded. 03 Open up for collaboration Collaborate with trusted partners to maximize blockchain’s potential.
- 13. The ethics economy Organizations have always engaged with public affairs to meet their narrow business needs. In 2017, they began taking a stance on wider issues of more general concern. As employees and customers now demand it, this will become commonplace.
- 14. Fjord suggests 01 Ethically self-audit Look within, and understand your employees and customers. Find shared values and desires, and build on them regularly. Evaluate every decision for its human impact. 02 Define your personality and purpose Make your ethical positions relevant and clear to your employees, and publicly model the behaviors you’d like to see in the world. 03 Shared ownership of goals Co-generate ideas with your employees on things that matter at different levels. Define new success indicators to jointly assess how you’re doing.
- 15. Design outside the lines As the discipline of design broadens its horizons, new challenges are arising. To continue making an impact, designers need to evolve how they work, learn, and differentiate themselves.
- 16. Fjord suggests 01 Give designers space to focus on craft Up-weight emphasis on design craft to ensure your products are loveable and truly compelling. 02 Establish multi-disciplinary teams These teams need to be empowered to work with autonomy, bypassing bureaucratic barriers that often slow down progress. 03 Designers: take responsibility for your craft Design is changing. Become determined to remain constantly curious to discover— and keen to understand—new technologies and processes.
- 17. Fjord, part of Accenture Interactive, is a design and innovation consultancy that reimagines people’s relationships with the digital and physical world around them. We use the power of design to create services people love. By combining a human-centered approach with robust methodology, we work with some of the world’s leading businesses to make complex systems simple and elegant. Founded in 2001, Fjord has a diverse team of 1,000+ design and innovation experts in 27 studios, including Atlanta, Auckland, Austin, Berlin, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dubai, Dublin, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, New York, Paris, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seattle, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Zurich. For more information visit www.fjordnet.com or follow us on Twitter @fjord. Accenture Interactive helps the world’s leading brands transform their customer experiences across the entire customer journey. Through our connected offerings in design, marketing, content and commerce, we create new ways to win in today’s experience-led economy. Accenture Interactive is ranked the world’s largest digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report. To learn more, follow us @accentureACTIVE and visit www.accentureinteractive.com. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions—underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network— Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 425,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.