Audi has a problem. It isn’t sales; the cars practically sell themselves. The brand, stalled in the mid-1990s, is now the fastest-growing luxury automaker in the U.S. While still behind such peers as Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW in total unit sales domestically, Audi is coming off 24 straight record months. The trouble is, few drivers come back. Only 46 percent … Read more

The word “audit” is not a good one when it comes to your taxes – but how about one that’s not conducted by the IRS? Continuum, a global design and innovation consultancy based in Newton, Mass., has worked with some of the largest candy makers in the world to design the best chocolate experience by … Read more

With January comes the perennial advice about what to read in the New Year. But it’s not just what you read, it’s how you read, writes Andy Boynton, the Dean of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, in a new post up on Forbes.com. He continues: “Are the blogs and journals in your … Read more

It wasn’t the holiday cheer Amazon fans were looking for. The online retail giant announced last week it would begin collecting online sales tax from Massachusetts residents, beginning next November. While this will help boost tax collections for the state, it could mean big changes for retailers. Craig LaRosa of the Global Design Consultancy Continuum, joined NECN … Read more

Moving across the country was a big deal for me.  In my case, relocating back to Los Angeles from the east coast allowed me to tend to important family matters that I could no longer do from a distance.  Amid the excitement of returning home, it also it represented a seismic shift in the way … Read more

A not-so quiet revolution is emerging in healthcare. Health accelerator programs like Healthbox are causing entrepreneurs — who previously didn’t know how to approach the industry — to flock to opportunities to make real change in a broken system. “People from really varied backgrounds are taking a lot of skills from different markets and applying … Read more

Many large companies today are trying to figure out what to do next. But if they’re mature companies, then they’re likely staffed with people to suit that environment — those that excel  at analyzing and optimizing. “But you can’t analyze and optimize your way into something new,” says Continuum Principal Tony Driscoll, who runs our … Read more

Earlier this week, Continuum was recognized by Fast Company as the winner of its 2012 Innovation By Design Concept Award for the Leveraged Freedom Chair. The design was praised by judges for its low-tech ingenuity. “We are proud to be amongst the first winners of Fast Company‘s Innovation by Design awards. With over 1,700 entries … Read more

Gianfranco Zaccai, our President and Co-Founder, is the star of Herman Miller‘s latest video for their “Why Design” series. He shares his design philosophy while at his favorite restaurant in Boston, saying, that “great food should be like great design. Sometimes it is ceremonial, and needs to make a statement, and sometimes it should be subtle and just … Read more

With so much being reported from the design and innovation communities, we’ve decided to pull together some of the most compelling stories we’ve been reading each week. Keep an eye here for a round up of news every Friday.   Innovation: Is Your Firm Doing it Wrong?, by Carmen Nobel Working Knowledge Firms large enough to … Read more

With so much being reported from the design and innovation communities, we’ve decided to pull together some of the most compelling stories we’ve been reading each week. Keep an eye here for a round up of news every Friday.   Adapt or Die: Why Retail Technology Innovation Matters, by Renate Juengling Retail Info Systems News The … Read more

The Leveraged Freedom Chair has been selected as a finalist in the concepts category in Fast Company’s Inaugural 2012 Innovation by Design Awards.  With over 1,700 entries, being named one of 56 finalists is an honor — and an acknowledgement of our commitment to improving people’s lives through human-centered design. Continuum collaborated with Amos Winter … Read more

With so much being reported from the design and innovation communities, we’ve decided to pull together some of the most compelling stories we’ve been reading each week. Keep an eye here for a round up of news every Friday.   Why Hiring People Who Annoy You Helps You Innovate, by Douglas Merrill Fast Company ZestFinance … Read more

With so much being reported from the design and innovation communities, we’ve decided to pull together some of the most compelling stories we’ve been reading each week. Keep an eye here for a round up of news every Friday. Why Customer Experience is the Only Thing that Matters by Harley Manning Fast Company In the … Read more

With so much being reported from the design and innovation communities, we’ve decided to pull together some of the most compelling stories we’ve been reading each week. Keep an eye here for a round up of news every Friday. In Praise of Copycats by Kal Raustiala and Chris Sprigman Wall Street Journal Imitation in certain … Read more

Meet Pete. Hailing from the turquoise waters of the Caribbean (or perhaps the Indian Ocean), Pete is a salty dog who sails the high seas, looking for loot, swashbucklin’ and plunderin’ for treasure. That’s right, Pete is a pirate. But I think Pete should reconsider his career path: he just might have a future as … Read more

In preparation for TED2013, set to take place in Long Beach, California in February, organizers recently wrapped up a “talent search” featuring young innovators from 14 cities worldwide. Continuum Shanghai senior strategist Nadia Orlova was selected to be one of 23 speakers at TED@Shanghai, and on May 17 gave this compelling talk about how to … Read more

  With so much being reported from the design and innovation communities, we’ve decided to pull together some of the most compelling stories we’ve been reading each week. Keep an eye here for a round up of news every Friday. Big Med: Restaurant chains have managed to combine quality control, cost control, and innovation. Can … Read more

The Compass System, which Continuum designed in partnership with Herman Miller, provides a flexible and economical furniture solution for healthcare providers. Its modular components are easy to install with interchangeable parts that can be adapted and adjusted, giving users the ability to efficiently navigate change. The Madonna University College of Nursing and Health recently installed … Read more

In their compelling and insightful guide, Talk, Inc.: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation To Power Their Organizations, authors Boris Groysberg, professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School and Michael Slind, a former editor for Fast Company, outline the many ways that business leaders are using organizational conversation to guide growth. Continuum is honored … Read more

As innovators, we are constantly testing, exploring, changing and rethinking—life here at Continuum is never stagnant. Our revamped blog, In Beta, speaks to that belief. It reflects our own evolving ideas and will be a gathering place for new ones. Here, you’ll find a collection of our thinking in key areas including innovation, service design, … Read more