What is Design Thinking?

You may have heard of the term “Design Thinking” in the past decade, not just in Design, but also in industries such as Technology, Healthcare, Education, Finance etc.. It is spoken highly as the ‘holy grail’ of Innovation and Design, but is that truly the case? One might wonder “What is it that makes Design Thinking superior to other methods?” or “What is the difference between Design Thinking and Problem Solving?” In this article, we will bring clarity to these questions through the "What" and "How" of Design Thinking.

Beauty of Ambiguity

So, what is Design Thinking (DT)? You will find no clear definition if you enter "Design Thinking" into Google. Kryse Ynieto described it best:

“If you ask 10 experts what design thinking is, it’s likely you’ll get 20 different answers. It has been described by academics and practitioners as a set of toolkits, a mindset, a way to solve problems, a scaffolding for creativity, an organisation resource, a competitive business advantage — the list goes on.” (Ynieto, 2019)

Ambiguity defines Design Thinking; this is perhaps one of its greatest strengths (Buchanan, 2001). With the lack of a mental boundary, Design Thinking can be applied to any type of problem in any context. It is the perfect tool for innovation and problem-solving in any organisation or business.

There are also many different DT frameworks such as the Double Diamond by the British Design Council, the Stanford d.school model, and the Loop by IBM to name a few.

The Orbital Process

At its core, Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that puts people at the centre of the equation. Here at Design Sojourn, we follow a five-stage process (Orbital Process), that guides our problem-solving and innovation opportunities.?

1) Vision

This stage, known as “What's The Big Idea?”, begins with determining your current proposition and strategy. This helps us to set clear goals to steer outcomes by mapping your starting point. These goals, however, are preliminary and may shift according to user data gathered in the Discover Stage.?

2) Discover

To start, we first need to understand the problem. The process begins with user research to understand their needs and challenges, and ultimately their Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD).

Through methods such as interviews and first-hand observations, we put ourselves in the "shoes" of the users. This approach allows us to adopt an unbiased perspective and ensures that any solutions generated at the later stages are rooted in a deep understanding of the users' perspectives.

3) Define

Once we have deeply understood our users, we're ready to identify opportunities. Drawing from the insights gathered during Stage 2 (Discover), we employ tools such as user personas, affinity mapping, and the 5-Whys to identify innovation hotspots and transform challenges into potential avenues for growth.

Subsequently, we will craft a problem statement which serves as a compass that guides us through the remainder of the process.

4) Design

With the research findings laid out, it's time to brainstorm ideas! At this stage, many ideas are generated without immediately assessing their feasibility. Ideation techniques such as Crazy 8s and Worst Possible Idea are commonly used to get things rolling. The emphasis is on the quantity and diversity of ideas. We encourage a free flow of creativity to think outside of the box. Anything is possible.

Selected ideas from the ideation phase are then translated into tangible representations or low-fidelity prototypes such as sketches or paper models. The purpose is to test the feasibility of these ideas quickly and cost-effectively.

Quantity over quality is key as limitations and challenges of the proposed solution will also be revealed at this stage. As the cycle of prototyping and testing repeats, prototypes may increase in fidelity to become functioning models.?

5) Deliver

The final stage involves presenting the prototypes to the actual users for evaluation and feedback. This phase is crucial for refining and iterating on the proposed solutions. Based on the feedback received, Design Thinkers may need to revisit previous stages to fine-tune or generate new ideas. The iterative nature of testing ensures that the final solution is thoroughly validated and aligned with user needs.

A pattern repeats

There is a pattern that occurs throughout the 5 stages. The DT process forces you to think in a divergent and convergent manner.

At the Discover stage, the mind diverges to keep an open mind and receive all relevant information surrounding the problem. At the Define stage, the mind converges to narrow down on potential opportunities. The pattern repeats in the following stages and continues if previous stages are revisited.?

Design Thinking encourages us to view and tackle problems from different perspectives. It is a problem-solving tool and a way to innovate. However, while Design Thinking is powerful, it does not create miracles. Not all problems can be resolved with Design Thinking. And if design thinking does not suffice, then what?

In our next article, we will explore the benefits and limitations of Design Thinking in businesses.

Want to know more about us and our Design Led Innovation projects? Come say "Hi!" at www.designsojourn.com.

References:

Angela. (2024). What is happening to design thinking? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z60a-4k3qck

Buchanan, R. (2001). Design research and the new learning. Design Issues, 17(4), 3–23. doi:10.1162/07479360152681056.

Convergence – how to be creative through analytical thinking. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/convergence-how-to-be-creative-through-analytical-thinking

Dam, R. F. (2024). The 5 stages in the design thinking process. Retrieved from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process

Intrapreneur.tools. (2023). Design thinking models and processes. Retrieved from https://www.intrapreneur.tools/design-thinking-models-and-processes/

Ynieto, K. (2019). Design Thinking is Superficial. Unless you start with the WHY. [web log]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@kryseynieto37/design-thinking-is-superficial-unless-you-start-with-thewhy-c8b5adc7545f