THE DESIGN THINKING QUICK FIX.

All views in this post are strictly in my personal capacity*

I got a call yesterday from a friend ( series A funded startup founder) to quickly suggest “some design thinking point of view design” for his product. With over 15yrs of practicing, advocating and training people on the discipline I did not know how to react to him.?So, After a moment to digest I answered “ Sure, once you tell me the MBA point of view of your business.”

But having had similar encounters since I began my journey as a architecture / design professional, the request was not surprising. Earlier it was “ Nakasha bana do ( make me a layout ) now it is “Design thinking kr do ( do design thinking of the solution)”.

I don’t blame him/ them, as having been in the system, I have seen many of my my students declaring themselves to be Design Thinking trainers after a week of training from me, god knows how that works? (its like making Harsha Bhogle the coach of Indian create team …At least Harsha has the merit of being a close observer of the game for years ). It really makes me uncomfortable when my over excited students turned trainers tag me to such posts. ?As each time I train, I do I make sure that three things are very clear to them:

1.??????Design thinking is not a 4or 6 step process but a discipline, to build a innovation mind set … and like any discipline ( like sports, arts , engineering , medicine ….) ?it has a set of basic tools that you learn to master over years …and once you reach there you can improvise your shorts.

I cannot expect weight reduction or muscle building from two days of going to gym. It needs practice…like any other discipline… So for those who criticize it , you just have your fundamentals wronged.

2.??????Design thinking could be the answer to mostly anything, but not everything.

It is a discipline designed to help any individual be able to probe deeper into a problem / see the big picture of the problem, be empathic and then be creative (think outside the box ). These are generic rules that has helped any creative person over ages ( it is a generic as the tools of MBA to a Marwadi businessman ). In fact if you look deeper it is a very simple advancement to the scientific process that was taught to each one of us in child hood.?

Scientific process : Build a hypothesis – experiment – validate ( repeat )

Design thinking process : Observe / interact ( build empathy to understand the user ) –??Insight ( unmet behavioral needs and desires ) – re phrase a problem ( define the big picture) - Build a hypothesis – experiment – validate ( repeat )

It is not rocket science ….just a layer of human science added to it. It went missing for a generation who had been educated out of arts as a discipline to be a worker in the industrial supply chain. So while every problem could have a creative approach and an end users need to be solved for…it does need a SME with a mind of design thinker to solve specific things.

3.??????Don’t get married to / or confused by the tools , frameworks and terminologies ( UX / CX / BX) As for tools one search online could yield thousand of tools ( I too have created some unique ones), But a Luma Institute puts it these are ingredients for a recipe. Each problem requires its own recipe, all one needs to know is what ingredient to use when. ?A hammer could be used to open as well close , depending on the situation.

Rest is ?consultancy jargons created by professionals like me to be relevant in the market . ( I shall talk of it in the next blog, as I too have my frame work to add to the hundreds already existing) .

It helps introduce one to the three fundamental superpowers that takes any practicing designers years to develop in order to create a great design experience .

1.??????Empathy – understand users ( at most time beyond they understand themselves and their constraints and desires)

2.??????System thinking / Co creation – Designers have never been solo warriors weather it is a move or a building or and product …we have always worked with a eco system / teams / co creators to make it happen. Hence naturally trained in system thinking, and working by challenging and respecting each other’s core competency.??

3.??????Doing to design – takes and re takes , models / prototypes , countless concept sketches these are natural part of any design evolution . A fundamental skill for quick testing and validation that allows us to improve.

Trust me I am happy about the buzz of Design thinking. 12 years ago when I had started not many had even heard of it , the industry has moved a long way since ..thanks to the digital transformation wave. But, please do not make it a tick in the box as the discipline has lot more to offer. Scared that the next word getting ready for commoditization is “ innovation”. ( I get those too “ Please innovate my idea”…its called consultancy , and yes sir ….happy to do it).?