Unblock Your Mind with Design Thinking

It is not easy to unlock your thinking, especially if you are convinced that your way is the right and only way.

Last week, I participated in a 3-day intensive Design Thinking course and it was outstanding on so many levels. I won’t get so much into the details about the structure of the course as I want to focus more on the outcomes.

Can I share something with you?

At the beginning of the year, I placed several items on my list where I intended to expand my knowledge and learning. One of them was in the area of design thinking. I wanted to incorporate this into my toolkit for a number of reasons. First, I wanted to be able to leverage a methodology for structured problem solving and creativity.

It is no secret, that where we are right now in society and our world, creative problem solving is a skill to embrace. I’d been told and believed many times that creativity was just not my jam. That some people were creative, and others were not. I had bought into that story because it felt safe to do so and allowed me to “stay in my lane.”

Later, I realized that everyone is creative. There were some areas I was indeed creative, and others, not so much. For example, graphic design, taking words from a page and making the concepts visually beautiful and stunning, or having the patience to create an image with multiple edits and layers in Photoshop just turned up the impatient and irritation dial for me. I even remember taking a “creative” class several years ago saying to myself that once and for all, I am going to be CREATIVE! That was a joke.

Creativity is not limited to just making things look visually beautiful. It can be accessed through a number of ways, such as writing, coaching, acting, professional speaking, dancing, etc. all of the ways I actually enjoy and thrive at being creative.

So imagine my surprise when I took the design thinking virtual course through the Design Thinkers Academy USA and saw coaching, speaking, acting, and professional speaking modalities in the mix!

But let me tell you the truth. This process should really be called Being Empathetic at Work instead of Design Thinking.

Here’s why:

• You are required to use effective listening strategies and techniques to gather data and research on your customer. Suspending judgment and embracing curiosity allows you to capture good information in this stage.
• You are required to use structured tools, to go deeper into the lives of your customer. This is being able to see things from your customer’s point of view, and feel what they could be feeling so you can design for the challenge.
• You are required to challenge your assumptions and be open to exploring whether you have diagnosed the right problem.
•  You are required to narrow your next step which makes the outcomes more meaningful.
• You are required to allow others to expand and build on your ideas. In other words, you have to collaborate. Without collaborating, the process simply won’t work.
•  You are required to present your solution in a way that your customer can understand, using storytelling techniques and strategies to make you more effective.
• You are required to be committed to the journey and not the outcome.

Do you see what I mean when I talk about the competencies needed? Now, surely you don’t have to do those things in the process, but you won’t really be as effective if you don’t. Just being exposed to this process can unlock and transform a team’s collective consciousness.

Now, where did I struggle? When it came to the aspect of prototyping and making the prototype look pretty, I got stuck. I also wanted more time to dive deeper into certain areas but this was part of the process to keep it moving.

Overall, I really enjoyed this learning experience. There were so many things that were a success.

1. The team started on time and ended on time.
2. The exercises were varied to include individual activity, peer activities, small group, large group, research, real-world practitioners, and next steps.
3. The process addresses upskilling in real-time areas and can be applied immediately after use.

If you are looking for ways to see things from another angle, this is definitely the way to go. The tools I now have will allow me to bring so much more added value to my work. If you are looking to strengthen collaboration, and effective listening skills while being an innovative solution-driven company, you absolutely must consider design thinking. 

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Monique Russell is a communications expert who teaches leaders and teams how to go from good to great as effective communicators. Through executive communications coaching, workshops, keynotes, and live and virtual events, she teaches effective communication strategies that enhance the quality of personal and professional relationships. Follow and connect with her on LinkedIn for more useful and practical communications strategies.