At co:dify, we work a lot visually with our clients. For this, we constantly build and adapt tools, models, and canvases, both small and large. Many of these we tailor to specific clients and their challenges. Others are universally applicable, and when useful, we share them with the innovation community.
Some of these tools emerged slowly over the years, like our Innovation System Design Card Set filled with “building blocks” for innovation success, which Jan Schmiedgen has “collected” and described over the years in his consulting and teaching practice. The tool has served us well, especially in time-condensed, strategic conversations with decision-makers and innovation professionals from organizations who needed to quickly and visually become aware of their innovation system’s status quo and possible futures. Jan has already written in more detail about why he chose a card form for this and how to get the tool to work.
Today we are happy to announce that Jan has put the first public version 1.0 of the cards into a form that we believe will now be useful to other organizational consultants, innovation leaders, and anyone driving “change for innovation” in larger organizations too. The cards are available as PDFs in German and English and as a load-speed-optimized Miro/Mural board in English.
All interested parties who want to support the further development of the cards for version 2.0 can purchase the large crowdfunding support package “co:dify Innovation System Design Cards (Print Crowdfunding + Digital)”, which includes all variants (PDFs, Mural, Miro) as well as the physical set. We will produce and deliver the latter when we get enough backers. For the digital files, we will provide them immediately after purchase.
The PDF for self-printing comes with 120 building blocks and a facilitation guide with suggestions on how you might use the cards. 
Each card comes with a short description and real-world examples. In version 2.0 there will be a back-page with even more information. 
The loading speed-optimized Mural and Miro Boards come with 120 cards and pre-made working models like an innovation funnel and example pathways within an innovation system. 
A physical card set of the Innovation System Design Cards for teaching, facilitation, and strategy-work. 
The cards come in different color-coded categories. 
The cards grouped by category.
Jan will also put the proceeds from digital-only card sales into the further development of the set. Buyers of version 1.0 will receive future updates for free. Here are a few roadmap items for version 2.0:
What will we see in version 2.0?
- A backside to each card with a description of the jobs-to-be-done of the building block or vehicle, as well as a QR code to an info page with more information.
- A curated info page for each card with links to best-of studies and papers, blog articles, and videos to dig into the card’s topic.
- Short videos on selected and popular vehicles: e.g., “Definition of Innovation,” “Foresight,” “Catalyst Networks,” and others.
- Addition of still missing vehicles: e.g. “Innovation Council”, “Future Advisory Board”, “User Research Panel” and others.
So, to all of you who are as serious as we are: If we really want to shape an economy where grandchild- and planet-friendly business models can emerge out of humanocratic organizations, then the thinking of decision-makers and the structures of many companies need some fundamental updates. We hope that the cards will be helpful to you, too, in bringing these updates more effectively to the organizations whose transformation you are helping to shape.
