A structured Design Thinking approach to identify use cases and business opportunities in the IoT B2B space
++ Objective and context
In a telecom company, the rollout of a new network technology for Internet of Things (IoT) enabled a discussion about how the new connectivity standard could result in multiple business opportunities for B2B customers. Design Thinking was applied to guide the discussions in a structured thinking process.
++ Design process: brainstorming use cases
During the first part of a Design Thinking workshop, brainstorming questions were posed to inspire creativity. In front of a city map, stakeholders from different countries came up with new use cases across multiple IoT verticals that could be developed or enhanced thanks to the technological advantages of the new network.
++ Design process: challenging assumptions
During the second part of the workshop, participants shared their ideas collectively. Looking at the use cases as a whole, the group had the ability to question some preconceived beliefs. A new vision of interconnected ecosystems emerged to replace the assumption that use cases had to be treated in silos.
+ Design process: providing a tool to continue the exploration
The results from the workshop were synthesised and published in a booklet that became a tool for stakeholders to identify areas of opportunity and explore in-depth new use cases.
While a market analysis provided an overview of use cases and vertical markets that could be addressed with the new technology, a use case canvas for IoT was created to allow stakeholders expand the first ideas generated during the ideation workshop.
First draft of the use case canvas and an example a use case published in the booklet.
Use case canvas for exploring IoT B2B opportunities
................................................................................................................................................................................................
This project is the result of a collaborative effort between designers, market researchers and the IoT business unit.
