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Coursework Type:
Individual report

Module Name:
< STA309IAE Design Thinking and Innovation>

Project Title:
The Use of Design Thinking in Cisco Systems

Submitted By: Submitted To:

CU ID: 11782209 Name: Shankar Shrestha

Name: Samyog Gautam
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Contents
Introduction: .................................................................................................................................... 3
Background of the company & founders: ................................................................................... 3
Problem & the solution provided by the company:..................................................................... 4
Understanding the customer: .......................................................................................................... 4
Market gap: ................................................................................................................................. 4
Customer & Consumer distinction: ............................................................................................. 5
Customer Persona Fig:............................................................................................................. 6
Customer Empathy Map: ......................................................................................................... 7
Business Model: .......................................................................................................................... 8
Fig Business model:................................................................................................................. 8
User feedback: ......................................................................................................................... 9
Identify a feature to enhance and product to add: ..................................................................... 10
Serving the customer: ................................................................................................................... 10
Define: ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Fig Stakeholder Map: ............................................................................................................ 11
Fig journey map: .................................................................................................................... 12
Fig opportunity map: ............................................................................................................. 13
Describe the problem behind the features: ................................................................................ 14
Ideate: ........................................................................................................................................ 14
Fig Affinity Map:................................................................................................................... 15
Ways of solving problem & implementing the features: .......................................................... 15
Prototype: .................................................................................................................................. 16
Fig proposed feedback: .......................................................................................................... 17
Prototype of Cisco implementing the features: ......................................................................... 18
TEST: ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Fig feedback capture grid: ..................................................................................................... 18
Check effectiveness of feature: ................................................................................................. 19
Revenue Model: ........................................................................................................................ 19
Fig Revenue Model: .............................................................................................................. 20
Reflection: ..................................................................................................................................... 21
Recommendations: .................................................................................................................... 21
REFERENCES: ............................................................................................................................ 22
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Introduction:

Background of the company & founders:

Cisco Systems, which was founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, is a global
leader in networking and information technology solutions. Cisco has established itself as an
industry leader throughout the years, altering the way organizations and individuals connect and
communicate. Cisco has developed in response to the ever-changing requirements and challenges
of the digital world, with a strong commitment to innovation and customer-centricity. Leonard
Bosack and Sandy Lerner, the business's founders, envisioned a company that would provide
seamless communication and safe information sharing. They noticed the growing demand for
dependable networking solutions as businesses tried to use the power of the internet in their
operations. The skill in computer science and networking zeal of Bosack and Lerner established
the groundwork for Cisco's success.
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Problem & the solution provided by the company:

Cisco's goal was to address the shortage of efficient and secure networking infrastructure.
Businesses had considerable hurdles in establishing dependable connections and successfully
maintaining their networks in the early days. Cisco provides a comprehensive range of cutting-
edge technologies to handle the complicated networking requirements of organizations across
sectors, from routing and switching solutions to security systems and collaboration tools. Cisco
helps enterprises to connect securely, boost network performance, and increase productivity with
their extensive spectrum of products and services. Furthermore, Cisco's solutions go beyond
typical networking requirements. They have broadened their offerings to include cloud
computing, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things (IoT), and software-defined networking (SDN).
Cisco guarantees that organizations can prosper in an increasingly connected and digital world
by consistently inventing and staying ahead of market trends.

Understanding the customer:

Market gap:

Cisco's goal is to solve unmet demands and close market gaps in the networking and IT
industries. One of the main gaps that Cisco works on is the requirement for organizations of all
sizes to have dependable, secure, and scalable networking infrastructure. Organizations had
difficulties in building and operating their networks successfully in the early days of networking.
There was a scarcity of complete systems capable of delivering seamless connection, strong
security, and scalability.

Cisco saw this gap and developed a wide collection of networking products and solutions to
satisfy these specific needs. Cisco also targeting the demand for better collaboration and
communication capabilities as a market gap. Cisco offered Webex and Unified Communications
systems that enable virtual meetings, video conferencing, and real-time collaboration. Finally,
identifying market gaps is critical for company success. Cisco's focus on meeting unmet
networking and IT demands has helped them to offer complete solutions that address corporate
difficulties. Companies may stay nimble, inventive, and sensitive to their customers' ever-
changing demands by consistently discovering market gaps, generating growth and keeping a
competitive advantage in the market.
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Customer & Consumer distinction:

In the context of Cisco's products, the roles of customer and consumer are separate. Customers
are individuals or organizations who buy and use Cisco's goods and services. Consumers, on the
other hand, are end users or persons who engage with and profit from Cisco's goods and services.
Here are some elements to consider when distinguishing between customers and consumers:

Recognizing the varied wants and requirements of client’s vs consumers allows Cisco to modify
its solutions accordingly. By extensively researching comments and ideas from both parties,
Cisco can identify gaps and areas that can lead the development of new functionalities. Cisco can
create and deliver products and services that meet and exceed the goals, preferences, and pain
points of both parties, resulting in customer happiness, loyalty, and, ultimately, corporate
success.
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Customer Persona Fig:

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Customer Empathy Map:

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Business Model:

Cisco's business model relies around offering networking and IT solutions to its clients' different
demands. Various essential parts of the company's business strategy fit with client requirements:
Product Portfolio, Value Proposition, client Relationships, Distribution Channels, and Revenue
Streams.

Cisco's major business model aspects have a substantial influence on customer satisfaction.
Furthermore, the many distribution channels and income sources give flexibility and
accessibility, allowing consumers to interact with Cisco on their own terms.

In essence, Cisco's business strategy meets customer needs by providing a varied product
portfolio, delivering value through dependability and security, prioritizing customer
relationships, utilizing different distribution channels, and providing flexible income sources.
These factors work together to increase customer satisfaction by fulfilling individual demands,
facilitating successful implementation, and delivering accessible and cost-effective solutions.

Fig Business model:

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User feedback:
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Identify a feature to enhance and product to add:

A complete Network Security Analytics Platform might be one viable feature to improve or
product to add to Cisco's portfolio.

Network Security Analytics Platform is a feature/product.

The Network Security Analytics Platform is a strong and intelligent system that monitors,
analyzes, and detects threats in real time for Cisco's networking infrastructure. This platform
employs sophisticated analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning algorithms to
proactively detect possible network security threats and vulnerabilities.

Serving the customer:

Define:

In Cisco's Design Thinking approach, the "Define" phase is crucial for understanding customers'
demands and pinpointing the underlying problem to be solved. Cisco empathizes with clients at
this phase through research and interviews to acquire insights into their experiences and
motivations. The team then develops a clear and actionable issue statement, presented as a design
challenge, to drive the process's future steps. By identifying the problem from the customer's
point of view, Cisco lays the groundwork for developing unique and customer-centric solutions
in the subsequent phases.
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Fig Stakeholder Map:

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Fig journey map:

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Fig opportunity map:

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Describe the problem behind the features:

The Network Security Analytics Platform was created in response to the rising complexity and
sophistication of cyber threats in today's digital ecosystem. Because Cisco's networking
infrastructure serves a diverse set of clients and sectors, it has become a favorite target for
hackers looking to exploit flaws and obtain unauthorized access to critical data.
To overcome these issues, Cisco need a strong Network Security Analytics Platform that can
give real-time insights, monitor network activity, and detect suspicious behavior. This platform
should use sophisticated analytics and AI-driven algorithms to proactively identify possible
security issues. Cisco can improve its clients' entire security posture, assure business continuity,
and guard against any financial and reputational harm caused by cyberattacks by doing so.

Ideate:

Ideate is a critical stage in the Design Thinking process in which the emphasis is on producing a
diverse set of potential solutions to answer the identified consumer needs and preferences. The
objective is to develop a broad group of ideas that have the ability to successfully answer the
customer's concerns.

The following are the important steps in Cisco's ideation phase:

• Divergent Thinking
• A Customer-Centered Approach:
• Techniques for Generating Ideas
• Iterative Refinement
• Prioritization of Ideas

Cisco ensures that the produced ideas are relevant, effective, and customer-centric by researching
viable solutions and ranking them based on consumer needs and preferences. It allows Cisco to
proceed with the most promising ideas for further research and prototyping in the subsequent
stages of the Design Thinking process.
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Fig Affinity Map:

Ways of solving problem & implementing the features:

Cisco's adoption of a complete Network Security Analytics Platform is the solution to the
problem. This platform will continually monitor and evaluate network events in real-time using
sophisticated analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning algorithms. The platform
will enable Cisco and its clients to respond fast and effectively to new cyber threats by
proactively detecting and identifying possible security risks and vulnerabilities. The Network
Security Analytics Platform, with enhanced threat intelligence and proactive security measures,
will strengthen Cisco's network infrastructure, improve overall security posture, and provide
customers with a robust defense against sophisticated cyberattacks, ensuring business continuity
and safeguarding sensitive data.
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Prototype:

At Cisco, prototype review is critical to the Design Thinking process. It entails developing
prototypes of new ideas or solutions and testing them with users in order to get feedback and
insights. Cisco has a methodical approach to prototyping and testing, which involves the
following steps:

• Prototype Development
• User Testing
• Iterative Refinement
• Data Collection and Analysis

Within Cisco, obtaining user feedback and iterating on prototypes is critical for various reasons:

• User-Centric Design
• Validation and Risk Mitigation
• Iterative Improvement
• Stakeholder Alignment

Overall, inside Cisco, the process of prototyping and testing new ideas or solutions is critical for
user-centric design, validation, risk minimization, iterative improvement, and stakeholder
alignment. Cisco can design solutions that better satisfy their goals, improve user experiences,
and boost the probability of market success by including consumers and obtaining their input.
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Fig proposed feedback:

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Prototype of Cisco implementing the features:

Cisco has used different ways to collect and analyze relevant data in order to assess the success
of a feature. Cisco may acquire a full knowledge of the feature's usefulness by combining these
strategies. The data gathered from these assessments may be used to influence future
developments, refine the capabilities of the product, and increase overall customer happiness. It
is critical to evaluate feature efficacy on a regular basis in order to preserve a competitive
advantage and provide relevant solutions to consumers.

TEST:
Fig feedback capture grid:
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Check effectiveness of feature:

Cisco has used different ways to collect and analyze relevant data in order to assess the success
of a feature. Cisco may acquire a full knowledge of the feature's usefulness by combining these
strategies. The data gathered from these assessments may be used to influence future
developments, refine the capabilities of the product, and increase overall customer happiness. It
is critical to evaluate feature efficacy on a regular basis in order to preserve a competitive
advantage and provide relevant solutions to consumers.

Revenue Model:

Cisco's revenue model incorporates many income sources and pricing techniques in order to line
with customer value and assure long-term viability. Cisco's revenue model is defined by the
following elements:

• Product Sales
• Software Licenses and Subscriptions
• Maintenance Contracts
• Professional Services
• Cloud Services

Cisco's pricing methods include the following:

• Value-Based Pricing
• Tiered Pricing
• Subscription Pricing

Cisco's business model matches with customer value by providing products, services, and
support that successfully fulfill their networking and IT demands. Cisco's revenue strategy also
adds to its long-term viability by diversifying income streams, offering continuing support, and
encouraging client loyalty.
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Fig Revenue Model:

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Reflection:

Cisco's use of Design Thinking, in my perspective, has been critical in driving innovation,
increasing customer value, and assuring long-term sustainability. Cisco's human-centered
strategy has put consumers' wants and preferences at the forefront of its decision-making
processes. Because of this customer-centric approach, Cisco has been able to create products that
actually resonate with its target audience.
Cisco's revenue strategy matches with customer value by providing a variety of income sources
and pricing methods. Customers benefit from the many income streams, which include product
sales, software licenses, subscriptions, maintenance contracts, and professional services. This
guarantees that clients can access and use Cisco's products in the most appropriate way for their
unique demands and budgets. Cisco promotes the image of justice and improves customer
happiness by matching price with the value offered to consumers.
By developing long-term relationships with clients, the revenue model also helps to
sustainability. Software licenses and subscriptions, maintenance contracts, and cloud services are
examples of recurring revenue streams that give continuous value to consumers while assuring a
consistent and predictable cash flow for Cisco. This long-term revenue model allows Cisco to
spend in R&D, innovation, and customer service, ultimately leading to the development of better
goods and services.

Recommendations:

While Cisco's application of Design Thinking and revenue model has been mainly successful,
there are some suggestions that might improve its efficiency even more.
Cisco should continue to engage in user research in order to obtain a better understanding of
changing consumer demands, preferences, and pain areas. Collaboration and cross-functional
collaboration are critical to Design Thinking's success. This will encourage creativity, increase
problem-solving, and promote customer-centricity throughout the firm. Cisco should stress
Design Thinking's iterative nature by adopting an agile approach to product development and
innovation. Customers should be actively involved in the co-creation process by Cisco. Cisco
should remain ahead of developing technology and market trends in order to predict future client
needs.
Finally, Cisco's use of Design Thinking, along with a revenue model based on customer value
and sustainability, has proven helpful in encouraging innovation and customer-centricity. Cisco
can improve its adoption of Design Thinking and continue to offer solutions that suit the shifting
demands of its customers by consistently concentrating on client needs, promoting collaboration,
embracing agility, and extending co-creation possibilities.
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