Introduction

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Introduction to Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a flexible, yet systematic process to define and solve problems. A common misconception is that design thinking requires artistry, but it is not centered on artistic principles. Design thinking is a strategy and mindset that can be applied to any industry to solve problems.

Narrative descriptions thanks to Rochester Institute of Technology https://www.rit.edu/

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a user-centered, creative, and collaborative problem-solving methodology. Design thinking also describes a set of attitudes and a way of thinking about one’s own participation in the problem-solving process. While, individuals can perform design thinking, it is best done in cross-functional teams that represent key areas of expertise.

Design Thinking Methodology

Design thinking is comprised of three major stages: research, ideation, and prototyping. Even though the work of solving a problem goes from research to ideation to prototyping, within each design thinking stage are repeated cycles of exploration and refinement that become ever more focused on the eventual solution. All of this iterative work in the process is grounded in what we understand about users and their needs and how we use our understanding to identify potential solutions.

Characteristics of Good Solutions

A good solution:

Has a purpose
Is useful
Is understandable
Is honest
Is sustainable
Is long-lasting
Fits to the context
Is compelling
Is simple

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Defining

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Defining a Problem

What sort of organizational culture do you need for design thinking to be successful? How you come upon problems to solve?

Narrative descriptions thanks to Rochester Institute of Technology https://www.rit.edu/

Implementing Design Thinking?

Anyone or any group of people can use design thinking to solve a problem. But does your place of work have an atmosphere conducive to open-mindedness, unstructured investigations, and risk taking? You may need to introduce design thinking to your organization before you can begin forming a team and solving problems.

Initial Problem Description

The very first step in the design thinking process is for the design team leader or manager to find out more about the problem. This will help the person forming the design team to understand the experience and skills that should be represented on the team. This early investigation will also help set parameters for the design team such as providing them with a budget and a deadline, telling them who should get updates on their progress, and how often updates should be given.

Starting With the Right Problem

Not all design thinking projects start with you being given a clear, defined problem to solve. The problem may be messier than initially thought. The client may not articulate their problem well or even know what the problem really is.

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Creating

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Creating a Team

Design teams are a type of cross-functional team. A cross-functional team brings together people who have different areas of expertise and are often from different job levels to address a problem. While this diversity is a strength, it can also be a source of friction. When you’re an expert you often approach problems in particular ways. All members need to come to the team with the expectation that they will learn from one another, and all members of the group must respect these different ways of working and be committed to working together.

Narrative descriptions thanks to Rochester Institute of Technology https://www.rit.edu/

Qualities Needed on a Team

Design thinkers need to be bold enough to ask the questions no one else is asking, but also collaborative enough to know how to ask those questions in a collegial way. You need experts, but just as important, you need people who enjoy working with and learning from others.

Team Diversity

Beyond subject matter expertise, there are additional considerations and benefits for building diverse teams. In a review of the literature, they said, “Published research from academia, corporations, and other organizations supports that diverse and inclusive groups make better quality decisions, often faster, and in a more fact-based manner, with less cognitive bias or groupthink.” Simply put, diverse teams are strong teams.

Supporting the Work of the Team

Work with your team to establish some guidelines or rules for how the group will work together. This can include administrative rules, such as team members should be on time to meetings, as well as those that might help the group be its best version of itself. Some of these rules can be set by the team leader, particularly those that set the tone of meetings. Think about how you might turn that table describing the aspects of design thinking into a set of guidelines for the how the team will work together. How can you help activate the team’s empathy and curiosity toward a user-centered investigation of the problem? How can you help ensure that they provide non-judgmental and constructive feedback during a critique?

Revisiting the Problem Description

Now that you have assembled a team that will work to find a solution to the problem, you should bring that expertise together to re-investigate your problem. Run through the What, Who, When, Where, Why questions of problem investigation again to see if your team has deeper insight into the complexities of the problem. The team members will want to feel confident in their initial understanding of the problem so that they can begin to pursue research in their area of expertise. As you pursue research, your team will come back periodically to exchange information and perhaps adjust the team’s understanding of the problem description.

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Research

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Research the Problem

The next logical stage is the research substage of the design thinking process as well as what happens after you conduct the research so that you can move forward in the process.

Narrative descriptions thanks to Rochester Institute of Technology https://www.rit.edu/

Research Stage

The research stage of design thinking begins with initial problem description and team formation. Once the team is formed and it has reviewed and dissected the problem description, the team will list areas of information that are pertinent to solving the problem. They will also need to discuss who will gather the information and how. Team members will explore their area of expertise to bring back information or data that is relevant to the problem.

Understanding User Needs and Wants

A good solution considers the users’ needs and wants, or in other words, what is necessary and what is desirable. In the previous video, Richard described the impact of the users’ emotions when they were using the camera. The technology was good, but users were embarrassed to be seen with it. A product may solve the problem and contain all of the latest technology, but if potential users don’t find it desirable, the product will not succeed. As members of the team conduct research, it is critical that you all understand what is necessary and what is desirable, as this understanding will be what guides your decision making in upcoming stages.

Problem-Solving Methodologies

Other ways of solving problems that are similar to design thinking:

Participatory design
User-centered design
User-experience design (UX)
Human-centered design
Service design
Social design

Research Methodologies

Once you have identified the users and their context, you will need to select appropriate research methodologies. A research methodology is a process used to collect information and data for the purpose of making decisions about your design thinking problem.

Research Ethics

You must ensure that your research participants are aware of their rights and that you will promise to:

Respect their privacy and keep their private information confidential
Respect their right to change their mind, to decide that the research does not match their interests, and to withdraw without a penalty