If you haven’t yet heard of design thinking then you really need to get out more! Design thinking is a creative process made famous by design and consulting firm IDEO. The ideas and concepts behind design thinking can be applied to all form of problems, including products, services, systems and people. A recent article in the Kellogg Insight online journal (find it here) explains design thinking in very easy to understand terms. We summarise this article for you below, but encourage you to click on the link and read the full story.
The basics behind design-thinking is a four-step process as follows:
- Observe a Problem
This includes observing a particular situation and actually noticing what is really happening. It is important that in observing, you identify and abandon you pre-existing narratives that may guide how you understand the situation. Then learn from this and then find patterns. Importantly, observe for yourself and don’t rely on what other people tell you. - Reframe the Problem
The second step is to look at the problem from multiple perspectives and vantage points. - Design a Solution
This step involves imagining and designing. Brainstorming is a good tool (when done correctly), but even better is the practice of brainwriting – which is explained really well within the article. - Testing
The final step is to build and test solution, which includes understanding that “failure is simply and expected part of the process and will ultimately make the work better.” As the article notes, “fail faster and learn sooner.” Another important aspect of this final step is ensuring you and your team have a growth mindset, which means you team “believes that ability and skill come through practice, not through innate talent.” The outflow of this is that “failure becomes a way to learn, not proof of incompetency.”
Assuming that the end goal of your problem-solving is to create a solution that people can appreciate, then this process is a proven winner and something to be put into your problem-solving toolbox.