Share
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe (Konica Minolta) has supported a research project into the near-future experience of a digital workplace with the IED Barcelona Higher School of Design. The project, taken place from February to June 2016, aimed bringing together Masters’ students in Design Management with everyday business challenges by working on a digital workplace concept.
Working through the digital workplace concept Two teams of students conducted small-scale primary research amongst different workplace environments ranging from shared collaborative environments, retail and traditional office environments.
Using design management skills and models, the ways in which people encounter each other, their various devices and workspaces were mapped out. Persona techniques helped recognise the need for personalised workplace services leading to solution blueprints which balanced enterprise with individual needs. Marina Ojan, Director of Programmes at IED Barcelona, explained: “The aim of this collaboration was to give our Master’s students the opportunity to work directly with the innovation department of a relevant company such as Konica Minolta in order to prepare them for appropriate challenges at the end of their studies. We received full support from the Konica Minolta team and precious tutoring to achieve suitable solutions to the briefing proposed.”
Driving sustainable collaboration
Two of the students will complete an internship with Konica Minolta working on supporting an innovation team with the development of a new concept for Konica Minolta’s Digital Workplace portfolio advanced product design and development in Langenhagen, Germany, during summer of 2016. Jérôme-E. Zastrow, Manager Portfolio Extension is convinced that they will be able to seriously contribute to this project: “We believe in intercultural and interdisciplinary teams. The students’ unbiased view and design-mindset will enrich the team-composition eventually the concepts.”
About IED Barcelona Higher School of Design
Since 1966, Istituto Europeo di Design has been providing academic training in the disciplines of Design, Fashion, Visual Arts, Communication and Management at its centres in Milan, Rome, Florence, Turin, Venice, Cagliari, Como, Madrid, Barcelona, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Since its opening, more than 130,000 students have graduated and every year it attracts more than 10,000 students from all over the world. IED focuses on organising teaching projects and traineeships linked to corporate reality and has signed more than 1,000 business agreements over its 50 years of experience. The IED Barcelona campus is in the district of Gràcia. Since 2002 it became consolidated as one of the most important schools in design training and was recognised as a School of Higher Studies in Design by the regional government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya), offering Undergraduate Degrees in Product Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Graphic Design, in addition to university diplomas (IED Diplomas) in Management for Creative Industries, Bachelors of Arts (Honours) validated by the University of Westminster, masters and postgraduates courses, continuing study programs and summer courses, that every year draw in nearly 1,000 students from more than 100 different countries, thanks to the school's multicultural and interdisciplinary environment.
For further information, visit: www.iedbarcelona.es
About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan, forming part of its Business Technologies business area. As a leading global services provider in the field of IT- and document processes as well as digital production printing solutions the company excels in services-led business consulting, implementation and management and provides a range of world-leading printing systems and solutions. In this context, Konica Minolta’s Optimized Print Services concept (OPS) combines consultancy, hardware, software implementation, and operation in order to enhance business process efficiency and cost-effectiveness. To support customers optimally with powerful and sustainable solutions, technology leader Konica Minolta continuously invests in research and development work and regularly sets new standards.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With over 35,000 employees around the world (as of March 2016), Konica Minolta’s Business Technologies business area earned net sales of over EUR 6.2 billion in financial year 2015/16.
For further information about the company, please visit: www.konicaminolta.eu.
Product images are available at: www.konicaminolta-images.eu.
Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.