This month on KCRW's DNA, the podcast beings by interviewing Jessie Scanlon, the online editor for a newly launched Business Week channel: Innovation and Design. The interview offers insight into how the approach of producing products better, faster, and cheaper will not offer success in a global economy. Jessie describes how innovation and the 'design of services' is becoming the the focus for innovative companies. Even though user research is not mentioned specifically it is alluded to. Jessie speaks of companies 'developing from the inside out' instead of from the outside in. She gives specific examples of how people have been observed in order to develop new products, which is at its core what user centered design is all about.

The bigger picture is that we're beginning to see the emergence of a design economy. This is partially due to the fact that the United states will never be able to compete on a global scale when it come to production of goods. China and India will always be able to produce products and software at a much lower cost. Companies are looking to innovation and design for a competitive advantage.

While the Innovation and Design channel is an 'overview' compared to the more design specific sites likeCore77, Engadget, Design Observer etc... it is great to see publications like Business Week taking an interest in design and realizing that design has come of age.