This article argues that we are in a transition from an economy of scale to an economy of choice. It presents the historical context of how design relates to the economy of scale, and why underlying forces of that economy reduced the relevance of user experience and focused design practice on appearance. It discusses why manufacturers now meet the desire for more consumer choice through over-production. It explains how this leads to an “innovation gap” in which companies know how to make anything without knowing what to make.

This article presents a model of the core capabilities of design, showing how they relate to economically viable ways of providing choice. The model involves a closer fit with emerging production processes related to platforms, the maker movement, and open innovation. In this model, such capabilities provide more exploratory and responsive ways to create innovation than a reliance on the predictive methods inherent in the economy of scale. This leads to a “whole view” model of innovation. The model proposes a way of “sketching” innovation initiatives that involves fundamental questions: What is the offering? Who is it for? Why will it create value? How will organizations make it a reality?