Innovation and Design Thinking

Last month, I was participated a day long workshop titled "Innovation and Design Thinking" with Suren Saini organized by b-academy and learning partner was Talent Elevators. I would love to share my learnings and takeaways of this workshop. So lets start...

About b-academy:

b-academy is program run by HR department of bKash Ltd. for its full time employee only. It offers several technical, non-technical, hard skill and soft skill learning workshops for bKash employee.

About Instructor:

Suren Saini - India's Most Practiced Sales Trainer, Leadership Coach, TEDx Speaker, Actor, Model

What is Innovation and Design Thinking:

Innovation:

In simple terms, Innovation means introduction of something new. It can be completely a new thing or can be adding new creative idea into a existing thing.

Types of Innovation:

1. Idea + Logic: At the beginning of thinking we should just avoid logic in our thinking.
2. Idea + craziness: At the beginning with idea there should be some craziness too. So that our idea can be widely covered.

Design Thinking:

Design thinking is the process of solving creating problems. But while solving the problems design thinking helps to focus on the user needs by balancing business goals and technical feasibility also.

3 Major Skills for Professional Growth:

1. Analyze situations and scenarios
2. Make logical and timely decisions
3. Proactive and user friendly solutions of problem

Practicing and following design thinking principles helps us to active these skills gradually.

Pre-requisite of Design Thinking Process:

1. Unlocking/unblocking: Don't be locked or block in a single point. Also don't be biased by someone or something. Try to think differently in different way.
2. Action oriented: Don't just think be action oriented also. Make it thinking plus trying approach.
3. Splitting problem: Split large problem into smaller and granular one. Because small thing is easy to solve than larger one.
4. User centric: Always keeps user or customer in your mind while designing or solving a problem.
5. Consider problem as possibility: Don't see problems in problem. Define the problem and try to solve it without finding any other problem into it.

Design Thinking Framework:

Empathize:

Way of observation and engagement with users and immerse yourself to uncover their needs. The way of how to approach the challenge. Some steps can be follow like:

• Follow user journey map: Understanding process/product, user goals, touchpoints & concerns, user/customer thoughts, overall customer/user experience and improvement opportunities.

Define:

Way of unpacking and synthesizing your empathy findings into compelling needs and insights, and scope a specific and meaningful challenge. The way of how interpret findings meaningfully and fruitfully. Some steps can be follow like:

• 5 Why technique: Asking 5 why question to justify the scenario and decisions. Like why this, why those, why and why not etc.

Ideate:

The process in which you aim to generate radical design alternatives. Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes – it is a mode of “flaring” rather than “focus”. Step beyond obvious solutions and try and harness collective perspectives. Some steps can be follow like:

• Use mind map: Instead of listing use mind map art technique and use large paper. Brainstorming with team or individually and then try it one by one.
• Six thinking hats technique: Hats define different thinking approach and philosophy.

1. White hat: Considering only facts and figures.
2. Red hat: Express the feeling and emotions.
3. Black hat: Consider the negatives of current scenario.
4. Yellow hat: Only consider the positives of current scenario.
5. Green hat: Propose the solutions by creative thinking.
6. Blue hat: Summarize and conclude.

So when Ideate, try to wear (means considering different scenario) each hats and find best possible outcome.

Prototype:

Prototyping is getting ideas and explorations out of your head and into the physical world. A prototype can be anything that takes a physical form – be it a wall of post-it notes, a role-playing activity, a space, an object, a model, an interface, or even a storyboard. You need to learn. Solve disagreements. Start a conversation. Fail quickly and cheaply. But still manage the solution-building process.

Test:

Testing is the chance to get feedback on your solutions, refine solutions to make them better, and continue to learn about your users. Prototype as if you know you’re right, but test as if you know you’re wrong. You test to refine your prototypes and solutions, to learn more about your user, with the goal of testing and refining your POV.

Conclusion

Design thinking and innovation are critical to any business product development and strategy-making process. It also helpful for personal life and personal mission design. By adopting a design thinking approach, we can create solutions tailored to the user’s needs and preferences, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and better business outcomes. This approach offers numerous benefits, including increased creativity and innovation, improved customer experience, cost savings, and competitive advantage.