{"id":769,"date":"2018-03-26T17:50:33","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T21:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rebeccahorton.net\/?p=769"},"modified":"2018-03-26T17:50:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T21:50:33","slug":"what-is-design-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rebeccahorton.net\/rebeccahorton\/what-is-design-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Design Thinking?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been a full-time practitioner of design thinking for six years and a dabbler for over nine. As a seasoned service designer and founder of two design-led companies, my approach to practicing design thinking is more nuanced than that of the average practitioner. Therefore, I want to finally share my point-of-view on the topic formally, and provide a working definition for those who might be interested in learning about it.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics. Design thinking was first popularized by the consulting firm IDEO in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Its roots, however, date back much further. The work of David Kelley and his colleagues at IDEO fueled a new category of design practice, which has since spawned a whole range of new disciplines (experience design, service design, etc.) and major acquisitions (Adaptive Path, Doblin, DesignIt, Fjord, etc.).<\/p>\n

Some years ago, the 1999 ABC Nightline video \u201cIDEO Shopping Cart\u201d was my introduction to design thinking. It depicts how an IDEO team applied a design thinking methodology to reimagine the shopping cart. Years later, that video is still a great primer on the topic. It shows some of the steps involved in a design thinking project, helps explain the composition of a design thinking \u201cteam,\u201d and highlights the core principles of design thinking in action. The video also illustrates the iterative and user-centered nature of design thinking.<\/p>\n

While the IDEO video is great at explaining what design thinking is, at a high level, it does not fully unpack its impact on business. This last point is the biggest criticism of design thinking, and it has also been my focus ever since I started my first company, Trestles. Below, I will unpack the essence of design thinking by outlining its core principles, explaining its methodology, and finally speaking a bit to its \u201cstickiness\u201d and business impact.<\/p>\n

The Core Principles of Design Thinking<\/h2>\n

Design Thinking Is User Centered<\/h3>\n

Design thinking starts with the user and builds from there. The \u201cuser\u201d can be a customer, an employee, or even a shareholder, depending on the type of challenge being explored. There is more than one user at play in almost all design thinking projects, and it is often unclear who will use the solutions the project yields. As a result, practitioners typically refer to users as \u201cstakeholders\u201d in the beginning of a project.<\/p>\n

You would be surprised how very different user-centered thinking is from the \u201cif we build it, they will come\u201d thinking that predominated the business world for much of the 20th<\/sup> century. Design thinking, like anthropology, supposes that you cannot devise the right solution until you really understand the problem. Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski famously described, in his book Argonauts of the Western Pacific<\/u>, \u201cthe imponderabilia of everyday life.\u201d He argued that the values, norms, and behaviors that make people do what they do simply cannot be understood from the outside.<\/p>\n

A rich user context will yield a truly user-centered solution, but it requires the design thinking practitioner to spend time immersing herself in her user\u2019s world. She must cultivate empathy for users\u2019 unmet needs, everyday tasks, and even their clever workarounds that make navigating the world just a bit easier.<\/p>\n

Design Thinking Involves Constant Learning by Making<\/h3>\n

Design thinkers learn by making inexpensive prototypes and sketches, rather than simply talking about a problem or challenge. This approach empowers a project team to explore the many facets of a problem and its stakeholders. Prototypes can reveal unforeseen challenges and opportunities with the proposed solution and its rollout. Prototypes can also allow a team to refine their thinking about what the real problem is and who its real stakeholders are. The learn-by-making process consistently leads to the discovery of new user groups, new problem statements, and ultimately brand new solutions.<\/p>\n

These protocols encourage design thinking teams to get out from behind desks and computers to make their work visible. Teams practicing this methodology flourish in open office environments that allow practitioners to create working walls for sharing sketches, diagrams, and post-it charts. They also benefit from leaving the office, returning \u201cto the field,\u201d and employing simple materials to flesh out the details of a solution with<\/em> the user (e.g., paper, cardboard, Legos, and foamcore).<\/p>\n

Collaboration is the Backbone of a Design Thinking Project<\/h3>\n

Finally, design thinking requires multi-disciplinary collaboration. This way of working is not compatible with a lone genius striving to actualize a new idea in his workshop and honing it into finished form before unveiling it to the world. That may be design, but it is not design thinking. Instead, design thinking is about unlikely teams coming together to solve a problem that no one person could solve on his or her own. It involves a constant cycle of soliciting, distilling, and interpreting feedback from one\u2019s peers, stakeholders, and the project\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n

As I alluded to before, an open concept workspace can facilitate this way of working. Walls invite secrecy and isolation \u2013 the opposite of a design thinking approach. Getting out of the office is also a great tactic to encourage design thinking teams to collaborate in new and different ways. One of my favorite modes of collaboration as a design thinking practitioner is to host workshops and co-creation sessions in a neutral \u201cthird place,\u201d like a library or co-working space. Typically, the workshop involves eight to twelve attendees, including the project owner, a cross-section of members from my client\u2019s team, two or more users, and at least one employee who may be responsible for operationalizing a potential solution.<\/p>\n

When I am facilitating a work session, I encourage my \u201cbosses\u201d and \u201cstrong communicators\u201d to take a step back and make sure everyone has an opportunity to share their perspective. To fuel deep and authentic collaboration, I invite my teams to practice a policy of \u201cdeferring judgment\u201d and saying \u201ctell me more\u201d when they don\u2019t agree with a point-of-view or solution shared by another team member. We use Post-it notes to capture our thoughts and create diagrams, paper prototypes, and sketches to convey our ideas. These protocols help each of us to \u201csee\u201d what the others are thinking, and take all perspectives into account.<\/p>\n

The Design Thinking Methodology<\/h2>\n

With the above principles in mind, I would now like to share the \u201crecipe\u201d element of design thinking: the methodology. However, before I offer a basic outline, it is worth saying that design thinking is as much about a nimble work style<\/em> as it is about a standard process<\/em>. Frameworks and methodologies can only take you so far. The key to fully leverage a methodology is to deeply understand it before deploying so you can adapt on-the-fly.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, a design thinking methodology involves four to six steps. I have highlighted those steps in the diagram below and then described each one in detail.<\/p>\n

Design Thinking Methodology<\/em><\/h4>\n
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\u00a9 Rebecca Horton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n