Design Thinking as Meaning Creation: The Case of Descomplica

ABSTRACT Context: the design language was introduced to innovation management as a mechanism to increase creativity, given the predominance of an economic rationality in the innovation theory and practice. Among the design thinking discourse, meaning innovation gained relevance in post-industrial societies. Objective: explore the adherence of Descomplica strategy to the meaning innovation model. Method: an exploratory survey with a qualitative approach and a narrative method was carried out. Results: the data collected shows that the company does have a strategy to build and consolidate an emotional relationship with its users. This emotional connection can be perceived in students’ narratives, mainly when they came from public schools. Results also brought evidence that traditional education methods can be threatened by EdTech, mainly in environments where regulatory controls are weak. Conclusion: even though meaning innovation proved to be effective from the point of view of Descomplica’s strategy, it cannot be considered a radical innovation in the sense attributed by sustainability-oriented innovation theory. The results reinforce the urgency to discuss, from organizational and educational perspectives, the impacts of online platforms in Brazilian students’ perceptions, behaviors, and capabilities development.

摘要
【研究背景】鉴于创新理论与实践中经济理性占据主导地位，设计语言（Design Language）被引入创新管理领域，作为提升创造力的一种机制。在设计思维话语体系中，意义创新（Meaning Innovation）在后工业社会中获得了愈发显著的关注度。
【研究目标】探究Descomplica战略与意义创新模型的契合程度。
【研究方法】本研究采用质性研究导向的探索性调查与叙事研究方法开展。
【研究结果】收集到的数据显示，该企业确实制定了构建并巩固与用户情感联结的战略。该情感联结可在学生的叙事文本中得以体现，尤其多见于来自公立学校的学生群体。研究结果同时提供了相关证据，表明教育科技（EdTech）可对传统教育模式构成威胁，这一现象在监管管控薄弱的环境中尤为突出。
【研究结论】尽管从Descomplica的战略视角来看，意义创新已被证实具备有效性，但从可持续导向创新理论所界定的范畴而言，其并不能被视作根本性创新。本研究结果进一步凸显了从组织与教育视角出发，探讨在线平台对巴西学生认知、行为及能力发展产生影响的紧迫性。