Why is Design thinking so important?

Why your clients will love you for it.?

It is absolutely essential to apply design thinking as a principle to your business. It has already become the new norm, and you have catching up to do if this is not already a part of your business ethos.?

What is Design-thinking?

Design thinking is a way of thinking. It is fundamentally about putting your customers or users at the centre of everything you do. Design thinking is known as a human-centered approach. Instead of traditional problem-solving methods, Design thinking is iterative. Design thinking is the process of solving problems with the customers' experience at its heart.?

Instead of tackling a problem or symptom head-on. Design thinking is about taking a step back to consider the bigger picture. It challenges preconceptions and assumptions. It understands that there is an interconnected system involved and asks the right questions to get to the root cause.?

This makes design-thinking efficient in solving the right problem.?

“We spend a lot of time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it.”

– Dr. Prabhjot Singh,?Director of Systems Design at the Earth Institute

How does it work?

Design thinking is not about providing a solution to a problem. It is about providing a continuously evolving solution that not only solves the problem but enhances the user's experience. ?

Design thinking begins with observing a person in a particular environment. How the person interacts within this environment determines how the problem is addressed.?

There are 5 stages to the design-thinking framework: ?

1. Empathize

This is perhaps the most important differentiator in Design thinking. The ability to observe with empathy allows the designer to not only identify problems but pick up on issues the client didn’t even realise they had. It involves observing the customer's engagement in the environment without any preconceptions, prejudice, or judgement. This is what makes the process human-centered.

2. Define

The second stage involves gathering these observations to define the problem that needs to be solved. These findings are different in that they are specifically aimed at solving the customer experience in a live environment. It is focused on the detail of the experience. Defining these details requires continuous questioning and probing to find any pain points. ?

3. Ideate

Thirdly, ideas are brainstormed in a group where creativity and out-of-the-box thinking is essential. What is important here is the volume of ideas. Several ideas are needed at this stage to ensure that the problem is considered from a variety of angles. A model for taking a 360-degree view of the problem is applied during this stage. The customer experience is thoroughly examined.?

4. Prototype

The Prototype phase is generally meant to be quick and on the go. This is the nature of Design-thinking. A minimum viable product must be produced as soon as possible to ensure that rapid feedback is processed and refined. ?

5. Test

As soon as the minimum viable product is implemented, rapid testing is conducted. Ongoing testing in the real environment is essential. Design thinking is non-linear. It is completely possible to start with ideation before empathising. Only to bounce around the different steps until the testing phase confirms the desired outcome.?

Testing may reveal that the designer wasn’t empathetic enough. Perhaps the pain point wasn’t properly understood and defined. More ideas may be needed. In some cases, the prototype isn’t strong enough and may need to be reworked.?

Even though there are these 5 stages of Design-thinking, there is no end. Ongoing experimentation and testing are a part of what defines design thinking.?

Conclusion

Design thinking is a powerful approach that ensures your customers are at the centre of what you do. It can be really useful to adopt a design-thinking mindset. Although it requires a lot of energy and attention to detail in your mind as well as in the minds of the entire organisation, it is well worth it.?

Consider partnering with a growth and technology partner that embraces design thinking. Someone that provides the same level of care for you, that you would for your customers.?