Ideo

IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy known for applying human-centered design to help organizations create new products, services, and experiences. Founded in 1991 in Palo Alto, California, IDEO grew into a network of multidisciplinary studios that work across industries such as consumer products, healthcare, finance, and public sector projects. The company emphasizes design thinking, an approach that begins with deep user research, followed by rapid prototyping and iterative testing.

The firm operates through diverse, cross-functional teams that bring together designers, engineers, researchers, and strategists. It maintains a global presence with studios and collaborators around the world, enabling work with a wide range of clients from startups to multinational corporations. IDEO also runs IDEO.org, a nonprofit arm that applies design thinking to social impact initiatives in low-resource communities.

Core methods include ethnographic and user research, collaborative brainstorming, rapid prototyping, and storytelling to communicate ideas and test concepts. These practices aim to reduce risk and foster innovative solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable.

Impact and reception: IDEO has played a major role in popularizing design thinking within business and education, influencing corporate innovation and design curricula. The firm’s work and writings, including contributions by former leadership, have helped shape how organizations approach problem-solving. Critics note that design thinking can be overused or misapplied if not grounded in real constraints or rigorous validation.

See also: design thinking, user-centered design.