Innovation is rarely straightforward. Whether you’re facing a challenge, exploring an opportunity or trying to drive change, your team will bring different perspectives, experiences and goals to the table.
The Value Model helps you create clarity and direction from the start. It supports guided conversations that build shared understanding, not by jumping to solutions, but by defining the kind of value you want to create and how to move forward together.
What is a “challenge”?
A challenge is your starting point. It might be a need, a problem or an opportunity that calls for new thinking.
You don’t need a perfectly defined problem to start working with the Value Model. A step-by-step approach helps teams explore the challenge together and build a shared understanding that provides direction for the work ahead.
Four essential perspectives
The Value Model invites you to explore the challenge from four interconnected perspectives. This helps you see the bigger picture and uncover the most valuable paths forward. It encourages long-term thinking, stronger collaboration, and solutions with greater impact.
Organisation
What is your organisation aiming to achieve through this project? How could it support strategic goals, strengthen internal capacity or contribute to positive change?
Users
Who are the users or stakeholders you want to create value for? What are their real needs, and how could your solution improve their lives in a meaningful and positiv way?
Planet & Society
How could your project contribute to the environment and to society? What long-term value might it create in terms of inclusion, equity or sustainability?
Opportunities
What existing resources, partnerships or technologies could support your ambition? What can be reused, adapted or reimagined to create something new, using what we already have in more sustainable ways?
What results can you expect?
Using the Value Model helps teams:
- Align across roles, sectors, and levels of expertise
- Prioritise what truly creates value, not just what feels urgent
- Strengthen collaboration and shift conversations from short-term tasks to long-term ambition
- Develop clearer, more focused and impact-driven solutions
The model is used by both private and public organisations and has contributed to more effective innovation projects across DOGA’s funding programmes.
How to use the model
The Value Model is designed as a step-by-step process for use in collaborative tool that takes about 3 hours and is guided by PowerPoint presentation. The tool works well both for internal teams and when you want to bring in partners, clients, or stakeholders with different perspectives.
You will need:
- A challenge or topic you want to explore
- A large screen for the presentation
- Post-it notes, markers, and a table or board (A2 or larger)
- A printed summary template in A3 format
The PowerPoint and summary template are currently only available in Norwegian. We are in the final testing phase and would greatly appreciate feedback on how it works in practice. If you would like access to the tool, please contact Marianne Lind at mli@doga.no.
About the Value Model
The Value Model was developed by DOGA to strengthen the innovation capacity of organisations across sectors. It is free and available to everyone, regardless of design expertise.
The model is part of DOGA’s broader work to accelerate sustainable transition through design-driven innovation. It should be used in line with DOGA’s values and principles. All content is DOGA’s intellectual property.
