Design products, systems and thinking are changing the business world, providing vast opportunities for those involved in the field. At the helm of the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) since 2010, executive director Dr Edmund Lee Tak-yue has witnessed the growing dominance of innovations and designs in our society.
An expert in microbiology, with more than 20 years of management experience in public and professional services, Lee shares his insights on how to incorporate design-thinking more fully into the economy.
What is your role at the HKDC in formulating Hong Kong's strategy for the design industry?
My role at the HKDC - a design promotional agency - is to advocate the use of design and promote its wider use in the creation of business value and progress in society.
I am talking about design with a capital D. It is not just about aesthetics, or making things beautiful on the surface. I am referring to design thinking and how you integrate it into your overall system and strategy so that it can deliver an outcome with a bigger impact and a greater efficiency, or even cost-effectiveness.
It is our hope that more executives in the business sector will come to better understand and appreciate the power of design, both in terms of differentiating their companies and in creating value and impact.