User factor* is an innovation support program carried out by 8 European companies. This project aims to strengthen the innovation capacity of local SMEs by taking into account users and the design approach.

Every asset in the SMEs economic development in Brittany, Walles, Scotland, Ireland, Galicia, Canary Islands and Porto, these partners use their skills to support SMEs into the integration of design methodology, competitiveness factors, differentiation and innovation.

In Brittany, User-Factor is a support package to help SMEs who wants to develop innovative products or services through design.

From here to the end of 2020, 25 companies** will benefit from a tailor-made support to be inspired, understand the design approach and build their project.

Why design?

Design create and make accessible innovation.

“1 euro invested in design reports 2.25 euros in turnover“ – British Design Council

User-Factor’s ambition in Brittany

• Organize the design industry on the territory to give more visibility to this function who would be a key in every innovation project
• Acculturate SMEs to innovation by design
• Proposed a reading grid and innovative tools project monitoring to 25 companies

For that, User-Factor is based on a place of reference and experimentation to raise awareness and unite SMEs and Designers behind this user innovation: Design Lab Bretagne supports by APCI, association of promotion of design and hosted in the Eclozr local, innovation place by digital and design.

Targeted actions along 4 axes

A tailor-made offer that we adapt according to each SMEs requirements will be a way to discover, understand, practice and apply the design approach for the benefit of its company through:

• A community: Organization of executive meetings to improve practices by sharing experience and promote the transition to innovation through design (I discover user-centred and design)
• Shared challenges: involvement in practical workshops (1/2 day) and/or an experimental workshop (1 day) in B2B format to discover user-centred innovation and provide methodology on the phases of a design process (I learn to control the phases of design process)
• Individual challenges: Implementation of a tailor-made support to develop and strengthen an innovation project by design to guide the company towards an optimal solution and make the linking with a designer easier. This step integrates workshops in team with the company’s project team (I design products and/or services by putting user at the core of my strategy)
• A follow-up and valuation of the company’s project with the Design Trophies (I am independent & I pilot my design approach)

Say yes to design with CCI Innovation

*User-Factor is a European Interreg Atlantic Area project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund
** The 25 SMEs must be from the following sectors: Agri-Agro, ICT, Industry of the future, Health, Sea, Eco-activities