The use of transformative methods and solutions to improve a design.

Areas for Design Innovation

Accessibility

Aesthetics

Capacity

Differentiation

Durability

Efficiency

Engagement

Environments

Experience

Integration

Modularity

Performance

Productivity

Quality

Reliability

Technology

Safety

Structure

Sustainability

Usability

Innovation in interior design is the development of a new idea or method that makes implementing a solution better, easier, and more efficient. Being innovative requires a designer to examine a problem from all sides, and to develop solutions that challenge our traditional response to it.

The process of developing innovative responses to a design challenge is solution-based, not problem-based. The issues surrounding the design of interior spaces have not changed much over the course of the profession’s short history, but with increasing engagement and interactions with clients, consumers, and end users, designers can develop a more comprehensive solution to a design brief. Innovation occurs through the generation of ideas, the production of prototypes, and the subsequent testing—and failure—that leads to refinements and improvements to the solution.

Innovation can occur at all scales in an interior design project. These investigations into transformative models can be as practical as making a space more usable, or can engage in a holistic view of project delivery and scheduling.