Abstract

The case examines the approach of GE Healthcare, a leading global medical technology and life sciences company, to innovation and design thinking. In the early 2000s, the company began focusing on building a world-class, award-winning design team. With the ongoing demand for more user-oriented products and services, GE Healthcare used design thinking as its core competence. By putting the user experience at the center, the company not only used design thinking in its new product development but also trained its employees so that they could use design thinking in their everyday projects. The case discusses how GE Healthcare’s empathetic view helped the company develop several successful products. The case also analyzes how the company used design thinking in its innovation journey. This case provides an insight into the development of GE Healthcare’s two most successful products – The Adventure Series Radiology Solution and the Senographe Pristina Mammogram Machine. The case ends with a discussion on GE Healthcare’s continuing to use design thinking in creating innovative products and services.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of design thinking and its importance in medical technology and life sciences
• Understand GE’s design philosophy, ‘The Magic of Science and Empathy’, and how it used it in new product development
• Examine GE Healthcare’s approach of incorporating design thinking in its innovation culture
• Critically analyze GE Healthcare’ use of design thinking in creating innovative products and services
• Understand the concept of design thinking and its importance in medical technology and life sciences

Keywords

New product development; Design thinking; Design philosophy; ‘The Magic of Science and Empathy’; Customer-centricity; Core competence; Competitive advantage; User experience; Innovation; Innovation culture; Innovation management; Strategic Capabilities; Medical technology; Healthcare