Unlocking Creativity: The Magic of Design Thinking in Product Marketing

"Design thinking is about being creative and solving problems in a smart way.”

People often think "design" is only for experts, making it seem hard to approach. But guess what? Design thinking proves anyone can be creative. It's a special way to come up with new ideas and improve things. Think of it as a tool you can learn and use. Over time, you get better at making cool things, like ideas, products, and ads that really help people. I learned about design thinking at Stanford, where they taught it as a step-by-step plan. But now, it's more like a bunch of smart ideas you can use differently.

?Teaching Design Thinking to Your Marketing Team?

Getting your team to use design thinking needs two things: learning and a new way of thinking. Some big companies, like Uber and Google, really use this way of thinking. When they start a new project, they first learn what people need and then make their own plans. This way, their work always keeps the users in mind.

Teaching design thinking during training is good, but not always easy. Sometimes, teams can join forces to learn together. Design teams and marketing teams can have workshops to learn from each other. Even if training is hard to set up, the important thing is to have a design-thinking mindset. This means making decisions that help people and finding new ways to solve problems.

?Surprising Uses of Design Thinking?

Design thinking isn't just for design jobs; it can help in many tasks. Sometimes, it might seem like the steps of design thinking are too much. But don't worry, you can still use the ideas behind it. I remember when I worked at Visa, I had to share info about customers. Instead of using boring charts and reports, I made a video that showed what people thought. It was different from what people expected, and it made them understand better. This is like design thinking because it's about doing things in a new way and caring about others.

?Your Guide to Embracing Design Thinking?

If you want to try design thinking, there are some great things you can check out:?

- Read books like "The Art of Innovation" by Tom Kelley or "Sprint" by Jake Knapp.

- Use online resources from IDEO, a company that's good at design thinking.

- Try doing a design sprint with your team. You all work together to solve a problem using design thinking steps. Jake Knapp's book "Sprint" can help you do this.

- If a big design sprint is not possible, use design thinking as a way of thinking. Ask questions, understand what people need, and try new ways to fix things.

Examples of design thinking in marketing:

1. Tailored Content: Create content that meets your audience's needs.

2. Relatable Storytelling: Share stories that emotionally connect with customers.

3. Tested Campaigns: Refine campaigns based on small-scale testing before full launch.

4. User-Friendly Websites: Design easy-to-navigate websites for seamless experiences.

5. Personalised Engagement: Offer content and deals customized to individual preferences.

6. Collaborative Products: Involve users in shaping products to match their real needs.

7. Dynamic Social Media: Adapt content by analyzing engagement and feedback.

8. Emotion-Driven Messaging: Use stories and visuals to evoke feelings and forge connections.

9. Feedback-Enhanced Strategies: Improve campaigns using collected feedback.

10. Innovative Problem-Solving: Solve customer pain points with creative solutions.

Design thinking isn't just for experts. It's a special way of thinking that can help all of us be creative and solve problems. By using design thinking in product marketing, we can make better ads, connect with people, and find smart solutions to challenges.

Remember, it's not just a plan – it's a way of seeing the world in a new light.