Definition is the Core of Innovation

For those reading this second in the series of articles that illustrates what is wrong with the current Design Thinking Methodology being peddled by IDEO , Stanford University Graduate School of Business , 美国麻省理工学院 among others, here is a link to the first one that addressed Empathy as the first step in Design Thinking that these Institutions promote ?? https://bit.ly/3QusKQx

In this post, we examine the second step prescribes as Definition from Empathy. Let us first understand the term Definition.

Definition is the state we arrive at when any Subject, Theme or Topic is Explored with Innocence and being aware of the Context is Understood and that leads to Definition; which is a Precise and Accurate Description of a Context Sensitive statement of Ideas / Concept, New Opportunity, New Objective, New Event or a Foreseen or Existing Problem that must be addressed with Priority and Urgency specified.

In a world where the People did not have a means to Imagine or Realize their Aspiration, one could Define a Problem or Opportunity from the limited understanding of fulfilling Needs and Wants that go to fulfill Expectations. When people can express their Aspirations, then the Expectation changes dramatically to advance towards that Aspiration; the Critical Threshold Success Factor being the fulfilling of Needs without having to advance to Wants.

Enterprises have not only failed to deliver to Aspirations but have licensed themselves to serve only to the extent of the collective illusion they can create about the Need of the Product and Services they create.

Segmentation and Cohorts are therefore commercial definitions and not life realities to which the Innovation in our Societies should respond. And that is the reason why we see the best of the products and services failing to deliver with maturity even the five integrated dimensions of Transactional Value including:

1. Quality ?? Delivering it right the first time to an absolute definition.
2. Cost ?? Being true to the economic value of Reduced Cost of Goods sold that the Customer / Consumer should not have to bear.
3. Delivery (Time) ?? The functionality responding to the Aspiration and not just the Needs and Wants.
4. Service (Empathy) ?? Addressing the Customer / Consumer Life Cycle and not just the Product Life Cycle.
5. Flexibility ?? Delivering at the rate of Customer / Consumer use with the right Distribution and Reach across Segments and Cohorts.

The above five dimensions are what Design needs to address uncompromisingly in the context of Functionality, Affordability, Desirability, Viability and Usability reducing the Variability that is the bridge between Product / Service Performance and Human Aspiration.

And how do the dimensions and attributes of design manifest? Through the constantly evolving Design Thinking Construct of Value for Life including:

1. Functional Value that responds to the Quality of Life.
2. Emotional Value that responds to the importance of offering Solutions that are dependable and available when needed with respect to Access.
3. Brand Value that responds to the importance of Trusting what is offered and having the data for failsafe from Creation to Consumption.
4. Lifetime Value that responds to the lifecycle of People's Priorities in their Life and the Relevance.
5. Economic Value that responds to the growth of Life in Societies including dimensions such as Circularity and Sustainability.

It should be clear by now that Design Thinking is about deciphering the Value of Life while Design is responding with Products and Services that work measurably to those Value Parameters.

Therefore the conventional Design Thinking narrative fails in its second step of the Method / Approach and hence we are a Product of Poor Design in our societies. In the next post, we will examine how Ideation that is supposed to start consequently is so misplaced.

Sriram Karri ?Neil Grunberg ?Ryan Kimel ?Tim Ryan ?Pratap Behera ?Entrepreneurship Cell, IIM Lucknow ?Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode ?IIM Lucknow - Strategic Management Programme ?Kulbir Lamba ?Stanford University Graduate School of Business ?Harvard Business School ?Mauro Porcini ?Satya Nadella ?Google for Startups ?Naveen Manga ?Anu Aiyengar ?Parag Mehta ?Ramesh Kumar ?Navin Chugh ?Bobby George ?Nilabh Dubey ?Jeyachandran Kasimani ?V V Subba Rao Adhikari ?Santhosh Babu ?Lalitha Ravindran ?Prabhu Rajagopal ?Mahesh Panchagnula ?Mahesh Panchagnula ?Anand KV ?Seema Prasad ?Dan Primack ?Harichandan Arakali ?Raghavan Srinivasan ?Jason Kluver ?Aditya Mendon?a ?Mitch Joel ?Luca Castellanza ?Dr. Michael Werner ?Prasad P. Meharunkar ?Carole Stromboni ?Sitaraman Shankar ?Mugdha Variyar ?Ayushman Baruah ?Agil Joseph ?Hari Pulakkat ?Darlington Hector ?Sujith Vasudevan ?Shweta Hitesh Joshi ?Dibeyendu Ganguly ?Vinod Mahanta ?Yasmin Taj ?Malavika Sacchdeva ?Kalpana Singhal ?Sivaram Malaikani ?Siva Kumar Padmanabhan ?Karthik Krishnamoorthy ?Manoj Kothari