A product development technique acquired during the Lancashire Forum Creative programme at the University of Central Lancashire - is helping a local video analytics company to flourish.
Glen Higson, Founder and Managing Director of Business Insight 3 (Bi3) says the work and personal skills he learnt at the Lancashire Forum Creative, a part-funded ERDF business growth programme, have helped his business to develop new products and change the way all staff approach solving problems at work.
As a result, the methods have become embedded in the new organisational culture and helped the company to grow.
Software challenges solved using new technique
Business Insight 3 offers intelligent video analytics for security and retail services. Operating from its offices in Preston, Bi3 provides software for security services to more accurately identify potential risks and reduce false alarms from property protection systems.
Similarly, Bi3 supplies video analytics tools to the retail market across the globe, allowing consumer stores to understand more about their customers, including footfall demographics and alerting staff to predicted build ups of queues and customers who require assistance.
Leading a team of 11 employees, company owner Glen was keen to explore new opportunities to help the business to grow and attended the Lancashire Forum Creative Think Tank sessions, before joining the Lancashire Forum Creative Extra, a more detailed six-month programme.
Glen and his team studied a new technique to help them solve problems for customers. The ‘double diamond’ ideation method helps businesses to discover, define, develop and deliver new products or services through focusing on the key steps in turning an idea into reality.
For Glen and the team at Bi3, the ‘double diamond’ method has now become an integral part of the company’s approach to product creation and was recently used by staff to develop a new idea and create a piece of software that made video footage compliant with GDPR legislation.
“Double diamond is a creative way of solving a challenge and designing a new service,” Glen said. “Developing an idea into a product can quickly become very complex but this new method keeps everything in sharp focus so we can achieve our goals much quicker and more efficiently.”
"The technique gave us real clarity in developing new ideas and turning potential problems in the video sector into services that we could then monetise to transform and grow the company."
For more information please contact 01772 894547 or lancashireforum@uclan.ac.uk.
The Lancashire Forum Creative is a University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and supported by Boost; Lancashire’s business growth hub.