The design centre for the smart economy

多伦多是加拿大最大的科技中心，也是北美第三大科技中心。这里有15000家科技公司，雇佣了16.8万人，年收入达到520亿美元。数字技术正在彻底改变这些公司开发产品和服务客户的方式。在所有领域，都出现了从工程驱动产品到设计驱动产品、从以产品为中心到以客户为中心的开发模式、从以市场为中心到以用户体验为中心的商业模式的转变。许多公司在接受这种转变时面临着技术和商业模式方面的挑战。克服这些挑战是乔治布朗学院（GBC）智能经济设计中心（DCSE）的重点。NSERC和CFI的投资将建立DCSE作为一个领先的应用研究和行业互动设施，以支持行业创新。DCSE将帮助多伦多科技界的中小企业采用新的方法来设计和开发客户体验、数字服务设计生态系统、计算平台和由技术塑造的替代用户界面。GBC教师和学生在游戏和交互式数字媒体、交互设计和开发、用户体验和用户界面设计、可用性测试和技术验证、虚拟效果、平面设计/品牌和信息技术方面的专业知识将促进中小企业合作伙伴的创新。DCSE的研究愿景与设计过程的关键阶段保持一致，这些阶段对于促进创新和产出至关重要，从而导致成功的商业化。通过参与研究项目，GBC学生将发展服务和产品开发与设计、实验室实验、实地研究、项目管理、沟通、道德、创业、领导和团队合作方面的技能。尽管GBC在支持该领域的项目方面取得了成功，但DCSE的启动代表着与行业合作伙伴一起参与更大规模、多年的项目的机会。

Toronto is Canada's largest technology hub and the third largest in North America. It is home to 15,000technology companies employing 168,000 people generating $52 billion in annual revenue. Digitaltechnologies are revolutionizing how these companies develop products and serve customers. Across allsectors, there is a shift from engineering-driven to design-driven products, from product-centric tocustomer-centric development models, and from marketing-focused to user experience-focused businessmodels. Many companies face technical and business model challenges in embracing this shift. Overcomingthese challenges is the focus of the George Brown College (GBC) Design Centre for the Smart Economy(DCSE). NSERC and CFI investment will establish the DCSE as a leading-edge, applied research and industryinteraction facility to support industry innovation. The DCSE will assist Toronto's technology sector SMEs to adopt new approaches to designing and developing customer experiences, digital service design ecosystems, computing platforms and alternative user interfaces that are shaped by technology. GBC faculty and student expertise in gaming and interactive digital media, interaction design and development, user experience and user interface design, usability testing and validation of technology, virtual effects, graphic design/branding and information technology will catalyze innovation in SME partners. The DCSE research vision aligns with key stages of the design process that are essential to fostering innovation and outputs that lead to successful commercialization. By being involved in research projects, GBC students will develop skills in service and product development and design, laboratory experimentation, field research, project management, communications, ethics, entrepreneurship, leadership and teamwork. Although GBC has been successful in supporting projects in this area, the launch of the DCSE represents an opportunity to engage in larger-scale, multi-year projects with industry partners.