When the female interaction advisory group met in November to review and inspire the project, the concept of “women as a future export market” was intensely discussed.
“We need a new refreshing look on globalization,” Christina Melander, project manager at Danish Design Centre (DDC), claims.
“Instead of targeting national markets we need ways to cross the boundaries of nationality, culture, language and other traditional criterias for segmentation. Traditionally we have defined new export markets by these data but there’s a layer that goes beyond that. The idea of looking at women as a new export market visualizes a much broader perspective.”  
 
Modulates basic tools to a gender reflexive focus
Kristoffer Okkels, Business Development Lead at Innovation Lab, notes that some of the principles and methods explored in the female interaction project are already well implemented basic tools for user driven innovation in most companies. At least on the surface.
“I see the potential of this project broadening the overall methodology by modulating the basic tools in a more gender reflexive direction. How should companies utilize e.g. focus groups with the purpose of creating female interaction design? Certainly not by just recruiting women instead of men. If you boil it down to that, you haven’t grasped the point at all.
So I’m looking forward to seeing basic innovation tools and methods redefined. The female interaction project provides a research based framework open for immediate use. In my opinion this is a radically new contribution to the field.“
 
Denmark the future centre of gender focused innovation?
Female interaction is partly funded by the government Programme for User-driven Innovation, a 4-year programme running from 2007-2010 with a yearly budget of DKK 100 million.
The programme aimed to evolve Danish innovative powers by making businesses more user driven and less technology driven - in fact a unique Government measure on the international scale.
According to Advisory Group member Gitte Just, CEO of the Danish Design Association (DDA), Denmark now has the potential of being a future hub for gender focused product innovation.
 “We have a strong market position as innovative territory. We also hold the right institutions and preconditions, as institutions and industry work closely together today.”   
 
Visible proof of economic effect needed
To Gitte Just the coming step will be implementing new methodologies as common practice in Danish businesses.
“However, to succeed you need to convince management that design is a direct parameter to competitive power and increasing sales. We know that industry craves business cases with valid and measurable results, as most companies normally keep this information to themselves for competitive reasons. Documenting the transformation of the female interaction case products it’s important we produce visible proof of the economic effect. This is really the missing link.“