As a designer, we are told to think outside of the outside box. That we need to solve problems critically. Sometimes in the business world we have to solve problems in a set time frame. Sometimes these time frames give us plenty of time to test and retest our ideas before going to the consumers, other times we have to find a solution in a matter of hours or even minutes.
When we start to think of how to solve the problem that is presented to us, we have to think about who we are designing for, essentially we are in the process of design thinking. But what is design thinking exactly?
Design thinking is a methodology that embodies the full spectrum of innovative activities with human-centered design. It a discipline that allows designers to use their senses and methods to match people’s needs and wants to help establish a business strategy for the consumer market.
There are four steps to designing thinking.
- Define the problem. When we define the problem it requires a team/business to constantly ask questions. “Why is this a problem?” “What has caused the issue?”
- Create and consider every option. You want every option and idea available to you to help solve the problem.
- Refine selected directions. Allow the ideas you (and your team) develop, to see their full potential. You will have to revisit step 2 and step 3 multiple times to find the best solution.
- Pick the best solution and execute it. Commit to a solution, create a prototype if it helps, and implement it.
These four steps can be practiced by anyone in any career field. Design thinking is not limited to only an artist/designer. In-fact a health care provider called Kaiser Permanente used design thinking and its techniques to solve the issues between nurses, doctors, and administrators. The employees helped identify the numerous issues when nurses change shifts. With the help of prototyping and testing, they came up with a way to keep every nurse on the same page with each patient. What used to take up to an hour (and still missing information), now takes a matter of moments, allowing nurses to be ahead of schedule by almost an hour.
If you and or your team want to give design thinking a try you can do so by participating in what is called a design thinking drill. Follow these eight simple steps.
- Start at the beginning – always involve design thinkers (someone who can help implement your ideas as prototypes).
- Take a human-centered route – take into consideration human behavior, needs and preferences along with business and technology.
- Try early and often – make sure you encourage your team to create a prototype within the first week of the project to measure the progress.
- Look for help outside – do not be afraid to seek an expanded innovative ecosystem of co-creatives with customers/consumers.
- Have an array of projects – it is always a good idea to have both short-term and long-term projects for your team
- Budget – budgeting is a big element in design thinking, you need to prepare for the possibility of rethinking your budget as different projects evolve and your team learns more.
- Find talent – utilize and find talent in any way you can. It does not matter if they are an employee, prospective employee or even a consumer, find them and utilize their talent.
- Design for the cycle – plan assignments so design thinkers go from inspiration to ideation to implementation.
Remember that anyone and any business can benefit from design thinking. You just have to keep an open mind, stay judgment-free, have empathy, and collaborate with a group of individuals or teams. Design thinking benefits both you and a team/business.
Bibliography
Brown, T. (2008, June). Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review, 84–92.
(2015, June 24). Introduction to Design Thinking. Retrieved from https://experience.sap.com/skillup/introduction-to-design-thinking/
Staff, F. C. (2015, April 5). Design Thinking… What is That? Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what
thinking out loud 