THE MOST POPULAR AND VALUABLE INNOVATION METHODS: Results from the first global Design Thinking survey

Design Thinking is currently on everyone's lips and is used in many areas of application. It is used in start-ups and large enterprises, and increasingly in mid-sized companies. The Design Thinking mindset and tools applied can help develop radical innovations, initiate digital transformation or create new business ecosystems. “The First Global Survey on Design Thinking Methods and Tools” with over 2.500 participants revealed which tools are well known in the Design Thinking community and how often they are used as part of a Design Challenges. 

Design Thinking is a mindset, which leads to solutions for wicked problems and the development of radically new ideas, which from the user's point of view are convincing (desirability), from a business point of view economically viable (profitability) and from a engineer/developer point of view technically feasible (feasibility). However, applying the appropriate tools across the entire design thinking cycle makes a vital contribution to success. The selection depends on the situation, the team, the possibilities and the respective goal. 

“The Global Survey on Design Thinking Methods and Tools” was the basis for our new Design Thinking book, which describes 50 of these valuable tools in a comprehensive Toolbox. The collection is of great interest especially for Design Thinking beginners, because it describes the respective method, gives hints when it is best used in the Design Thinking micro-cycle and provides guidance which tools can be used alternatively. Based on the content of the book, 50 templates have been developed to make life easier applying them. Currently, the templates are mainly used at universities and in the context of consulting mandates. Lately, large companies started to license the templates for their employees to use them ad hoc in workshops and collaboration. The Basic Templates can be accessed at the dtp webpage (free download): www.dt-toolbook.com/tools-eng

Demographics about the first global Design Thinking survey

To find out more about the relevance and popularity of Design Thinking tools the first global survey on Design Thinking Tools and Methods was initiated in 2018. The aim of the survey was to find out which tools are used in practice. The survey was distributed globally via social media, especially LinkedIn, to Design Thinkers from industry and education. More than 2,500 individuals with different levels of knowledge about Design Thinking completed the questionnaire. Most of the participants in the survey had substantial experience in Design Thinking, 85% more than 2 years of experience, and 23% even more than 7 years of experience with Design Thinking.

In terms of affiliation to an industry or sector, it might be no surprise that most of the respondents, i.e. 40%, came from the service and consulting sector. Twelve percent of those surveyed said that they belong to the education sector. A large proportion, 15 % are active in building digital solutions or belong to the IT industry, followed by other industries 14 %, Transport & Logistics 12 %, Pharma & Biotech 5 %, Banks and Insurance 5 %, and merely 4 % indicated they were active in the manufacturing industry.

Regarding global reach, the survey attracted participants from 44 countries. The majority were from Europe (65%) followed by North America (16%), South America (7%), Asia (7%), Australia (3%) and Africa (2%). The high number of participants from Europe is probably also because the social media network tapped into had this point of time most connections in Europe.

The Design Thinking process and the tools applied

It is a no-brainer that the appropriate tools should be used at the right time. However, at each phase of the design thinking cycle, there are a variety of tools which can be used. Some of them have a different origin but they are usually very well accepted by Design Thinking practioners. The choice of the appropriate tools depends on the phase in the design thinking process, the design challenge, the objectives, the framing condition (e.g. time, team size) and on the personal preferences of the facilitator. Design Thinking coaches and facilitators must consider the context, the objectives of the whole project and the following iteration to apply the methods and tools effectively. Other factors like the current mood, preferences and knowledge of the team members are of paramount importance as well. Practiced Design Thinking facilitators and coaches know also the importance of having a positive energy and the ability to generate momentum with the entire team. They usually reflect on their behavior and share their methodological knowledge. Experienced facilitators also adapt the tools amenably to the situation, select the appropriate methods and adapt them. They have a good gut feeling telling them when they are supposed to initiate the transition from the diverging to the converging phase, the so-called “Groan Zone”.

Results: The most popular Design Thinking Methods and Tools

In our survey, the micro cycle of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam was used as a reference model. This was chosen because of its widespread use at universities and in industry. The HPI model contains the phases "Understand", "Observe", "Define point of view", "Ideate", "Prototype" and "Test", while the problem is solved in many iterations over the Design Thinking cycle.

It could be argued that various Design Thinking process models are used in practice and that there might be confusion about the tools used in the different process models. However, all process models follow the "Double Diamond" pricniple. The first Diamond deals with the exploration of the problem space - the second with the solution space. In order to counter this problem, the survey referred also to the Double Diamond to place the tools in this well-known framework.

The participants in the survey have been asked predominately if the know the tool and if yes, how they rate it. The awareness [in %] represents the percentage of people knowing the tool. The popularity [in %] indicates how many people rated the tool as very useful or declared them among their favorite tools.

In the following all results from the survey are briefly outlined. The tools are linked to the phases in the design thinking process (Understand, Overserve PoV, Ideate, Prototype, Test, Reflect). Tools and methods are displayed in the phase in which each tool is usually applied most frequently.

Understand

In the first phase of the micro-cycle, we usually want to learn more about the potential user, his/her needs and the tasks that he/she must complete. At the same time, we define the creative framework more exactly, for which we want to design solutions. In this phase, the most suitable methods are interviews, stakeholder map and special questioning techniques such as ask 5x Why, Wh-Questions (Why, How, What etc.).

A very effective Design Thinking method is also to engage with Extreme Users, since the needs and problems of this user group are often easier to identify than those of ordinary users. It's about understanding the user and his needs as deeply as possible. Interviews, in all kind of forms such as Interview for Empathy, Explorative Interview, Problem Interview or Solution Interview, are often and appreciatively used. The questioning technique in the interviews is crucial to gain deep insights about the user and his needs. There should be as many Wh-questions as possible, such as "Why? What if? How?”. Closed questions should be avoided in the early phase and it is important to pay attention that the interviewee speaks as much as possible and that the interviewer listens actively.

Surprisingly, the "Jobs to be done" (JTBD) framework is less well known, although it provides important insights into the tasks to be performed by a user or customer and often explores the real reason why a product is bought or used. One of the elements is to ask why one "hires" a product. The concept of JTBD-Framework was originally developed by Harvard Business Professor Clayton Christensen, who has written for example the the international bestseller “The Innovator's Dilemma”.

The stakeholder map is also very popular in the global Design Thinking community. Stakeholder maps are often complex and the exploration of interactions laborious. In addition, a map outlining the internal stakeholders provides often very valuable hints when it comes to implementing innovation ideas and/or dealing with internal politics. Knowing who has what needs in an organization or ecosystem can be helpful in any project phase to succeed, especially in large companies or complex systems.

Observe

In the observing phase, the idea is to fathom the real needs and verify our own assumptions. Our assumptions and hypotheses must be confirmed in the context of the user. However, also Field Notes / Video & Photo Documentation, Empathy-Map, Persona and the Customer Journey are particularly suitable methods in this phase.

The survey revealed that especially the Customer Journey is used with preference, because it helps to understand the customer holistically and over a sequence of events. It's all about starting in the right places, i.e. those places that are important for the customer or where a continuous customer experience is interrupted. The evaluation of a product or an experience with the company depends on the weakest moment. In the Customer Journey all (direct and indirect) touchpoints of a consumer are listed. A negative experience can be enough to lose a customer. It is therefore a matter of creating a consistently positive customer experience. The best-known tool in this phase is the Persona concept. This is a fictitious character who reflects the target group. A well-structured Customer Profile usually includes the description of the potential User, Pains, Gains, Job-to-be-done and often also the Use Cases.

Tools like the Hook Canvas, 9-Windows-Method, AEIOU-Method are rather unknown. It was a bit of a surprise because the AEIOU method usually helps to bring structure into the first observations. AEIOU is the abbreviation of the categories A - Activities, E - Environment, I - Interaction, O - Objects and U - User. These five categories help in analysis and research to structure the collected data and information and to recognize correlations.

Define Point of View (PoV)

In this phase, the collected findings are usually evaluated, interpreted and weighted. The result of this synthesis is the new point of view, which can be summarized e.g. in a question for the following ideation phase. The key is the synthesis and to find the appropriate focus for the next phase (Ideate).

The apropriate method in this phase is obviously the "How might we..."-questions or PoV in once Sentences. The Vision Statement and Mind Maps are also popular. Especially the Mind Map is a simple tool that helps to structure the insights and find a focus topic. Better known is the Value Proposition Canvas by Alexander Osterwalder, which elegantly links the customer profile with the value proposition and helps to define the transition from observation to defining a Point of View.

Ideate

Ideation is about finding solutions for the problem. First, many ideas are sought (often through brainstorming and various other creativity techniques). These ideas are then usually clustered, and the most promising ideas are selected. Idea Selection tools like dot voting or 2X2 matrix are used frequently. All creativity techniques are suitable. Brainstorming is often used for this purpose. Brainstorming is of course the best-known method and it also the most popular method among beginners. Design Thinking experts have a preference to conduct co-creation sessions. However, there are many other creativity techniques that can be used together with the customer in co-creation sessions. Especially SCAMPER is a tool which can be used very well in co-creation sessions. The SCAMPER method uses a list of questions that should provide food for thought toward finding new ideas. SCAMPER is an acronym and stands for the terms: SCAMPER = Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Rearrange.

Prototype

Prototyping phase serves to quickly test ideas or solutions with potential users and to learn more about the problem and the needs of the users. When building the prototypes, the design team should already consider what they want to learn and how they want to test them.

Prototypes are very simple and non-functional at the beginning of the innovation process (e.g. paper prototypes) or the functionality is simulated. In later phases the prototypes become more functional (Functional Prototype) or are also called MVP (Minimum Viable Product). A "Minimum Viable Product" (MVP) is a functional version, which is however reduced to the most basic functions. Other methods used in this phase are Service Blueprints, Role Play or MVE (Minimum Viable Ecosystems), which is based on the combination of Systems Thinking and Design Thinking and is increasingly regarded as one of the most important capabilities of companies in the future. 

Less known is for example the “Dark Horse” Prototype. The term Dark Horse comes from horse betting and describes a horse that nobody knows and therefore has high odds. Applied to Design Thinking, these are prototypes that are very innovative, that you think users don't want or are technically impossible to produce. If the concept works, however, the return would be very high - as with horse betting. The “Dark Horse” allows the team to try crazy ideas.

Test

Next, the prototypes are tested with the potential user, preferably on site. Enough time should be allocated for the Test Phase. The "testing" helps to learn, to develop the ideas further and to improve the prototypes until the users are completely convinced. In general, it should not be attempted to carry out as many tests as possible, but as many iterations as possible to improve the idea and the prototype in a short time. Each iteration brings new insights. Of course, it is central to find the appropriate users/customers for the testing. It is important that the findings from the tests, the user survey or observation are well documented, e.g. in the form of videos, photos or quotations. In this way, the findings can also be easily shared with the design team or project sponsors. The test phase is at the same time again a part of gaining more empathy (understanding and observing) and the iterative process starts again.

In addition to the well-known testing with potential Users, Usability Testing and Storytelling, the Feedback Capture Grid or "I like..., I wish..." have proven to be good methods in the test phase. It is very easy to use and gives a helpful structure. This kind of constructive feedback helps to generate a positive energy. Usually A/B testing is merely used to test options or select from two prototypes. Online feedback tools are much less popular than the other tools. Especially in the early phases direct contact and interaction with the user during testing seems to be more valuable than massive feedback from online testing tools.

Reflect

At the end of each iteration, it is advisable to reflect on the results and the procedure so that the process and collaboration can be improved. In the SCRUM methodology the term “retrospective” is used for this essential step. Retrospectives are about learning from the past together as a team. The team members analyze what went well and what went badly and try to understand the reasons and causes to derive measures for improvement. For this purpose, the tools Lessons Learnt and the Feedback Capture Grid are often used. The Retrospective Board is less well known and less standardized. When it comes to reflecting and summarizing the contents and results, the Lean Canvas by Ash Maurya and at a later stage in the innovation process the Business Model Canvas by Alexander Osterwalder seems to be popular and very suitable.

The survey revealed that the Business Model Canvas is very well known. Less known is the Lean Canvas, which has a very similar structure as the Business Model Canvas, but partly consists of other building blocks. The Lean Canvas might be better suited for the early phases of an innovation project, i.e. when it comes to understanding and visualizing the problem, the customer needs, the solution and the value proposition. The Lean Canvas supports the visualization of the Problem-Solution-Fit.

Reflection on survey results

Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that achieves the greatest benefit in an interdisciplinary team when it comes to developing new products, services, business models, etc. or optimizing processes. The mindset works usually in all environments, whether start-up, industrial company, service company or public administration. Of course it is still the case that sometimes corporate culture, management and decision makers are not ready for this mindset. 

Design Thinking also promotes "out of the box" thinking and the generation of new, radical ideas. The individual solutions found are quickly tested with the user and iteratively improved or discarded. In the end, the various partial solutions are combined and further developed. Design Thinking, especially in combination with more traditional management and innovation approaches, helps to find new and better solutions. To do this, the appropriate tools need to be selected and used.

In applying Design Thinking for the Digital Transformation, it will continue to integrate analytical tools such as Stakeholder Map, System Thinking and Hybrid Models (combination of Design Thinking and Data Analytics). We expect that in general Design Thinking and the respective tools will gain even more popularity, because the interdisciplinary collaboration helps to visualize complexity, such as the Lean Canvas or the Business Ecosystem Canvas does.

Not surprisingly, the better-known tools are mostly the more popular ones. Basically, it can be said that the simpler and more user-friendly the tool, the more frequently they find their application in the field. 

However, the challenge is still selecting the appropriate tools for the respective context from the multitude of tools and methods. It is in our nature that tools that are known by the facilitator or within the team are used more frequently. However, it would be great to see a certain joy in experimentation and a new failure culture to break new ground, try out new tools and perhaps also failing using a new tool. This should not be seen as a failure but as a learning experience. It is recommended to tried out, adapt and further develop each tool to match one’s needs.

We like to say thank you to all participants in the first global survey on design thinking tolls and methods and we really appreciated the contributions of over 100 authors and reviewers for collaborating on the Toolbook and Toolbox. Well done!

Michi, Patrick and Larry

“The Design Design Thinking Toolbox” and the German equivalent, “Das Design Thinking Toolbook”, provide further insights and detailed description about 50 selected tools and methods from the survey.

The German “Das Design Thinking Toolbook” is available at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Dv1FdJ

The English "The Design Thinking Toolbox" can be pre-ordered at Amazon and will be delivered in Spring 2020: https://amzn.to/2sTNLxj

Check-out our Design Thinking Template Online-Shop: www.dt-toolbook.com/shop