Quite unlike many other innovation methods, Design Thinking is not a method in the classical sense – Design Thinking is a fundamental approach that leads to solving complex problems and developing new ideas and always puts the customer or user at the center of the effort. Thus, it is more than an innovation method: “Problem solving in this context does not necessarily always have an innovation context either.”
Design thinking is based on the assumption that problems can be solved more efficiently if people from different disciplines and teams work together in a space that promotes creativity, develop a problem together, know the exact needs and motivations of customers, and then design concepts that are tested several times and changed iteratively (pivoting).
The design thinking process is inspired by the work of inventors and creative developers, which is understood as a combination of understanding, observation, ideation, enrichment, testing, and learning.
Design thinking is always multidisciplinary!
The leading approach here is to work exclusively in a multidisciplinary manner with people from at least three to five different disciplines, departments or teams. So if only people from a traditional team use design thinking, it is not design thinking.
In order to create new things and solve problems that our customer has but has not yet recognized, it is immaterial to which hierarchical level an employee belongs or to which department. Maximum diversity is the key to innovation success with design thinking.
Design thinking always means “broad understanding”!
Design thinking is always about broadly understanding a problem. What else is it related to? Who or what influences it? These and similar questions are asked during design thinking. For many, this already means a paradigm shift – after all, most people are conditioned to only deeply understand a problem.
Design Thinking always means MAKING!
“Don’t judge on opinions – only judge on Testing!” – that is one of the so important laws of nature in Design Thinking. In general, one can also say “before we theorize for a long time and create assumption after assumption … we better do it”. Early prototyping and testing also means in hard business terms: We like to make mistakes quickly and early. This way we save cash and learn great things early on. Prototyping and testing also correspond to the fact that Renaissance works of art were repeatedly changed and painted over during their creation.
Also tried and tested at the time: inspiring spaces and multidisciplinary work. Both can be found, for example, in the art school of Andrea del Verrocchio. Artists from a wide range of disciplines worked together interactively in large inspiring spaces back then – they always did it right away and put their ideas into practice.
Design thinking is innovation culture!
Yes, it exists – the culture of innovation. Design Thinking provides a lot of mechanisms for this and helps to transform entire organizations in a goal-oriented way. Here are some key features:
– Design thinking involves more people for more ideas in less time, so the right things happen at the right time.
– Design thinking gives help in transforming and sharpening strategy – it makes your team fit.
– Design thinking means creating benefits for the user or customer and thereby putting the company in pole position.
– Design thinking is inventive thinking with a focus on radical customer value and radical need fulfillment.
– Design Thinking creates a new agile culture of collaboration with more lived values.
Design thinking is a fundamental approach to solving complex problems and developing new ideas, always putting the customer or user at the center of the effort. Design Thinking is also ideally suited to optimize processes with a user-centered view or to completely and digitally rethink them.
Design thinking is based on the insight that problems can be solved more efficiently when people from different disciplines and teams work together in a space that promotes creativity, develop a problem together, know the exact needs and motivations of customers, and then design concepts that are tested several times and changed iteratively (pivoting).
The design thinking process is inspired by the work of inventors and creative developers, which is understood as a combination of understanding, observation, ideation, enrichment, testing, and learning.
Design thinking is always multidisciplinary!
The leading approach here is exclusively multidisciplinary work with people from at least three to five different expertises and perspectives. In our experience, the multidisciplinary approach is also one of the biggest levers of success for projects in digital transformation if you really want to rethink processes.
In order to create new things and solve problems that our customer has but has not yet recognized, it is immaterial to which hierarchical level an employee belongs or to which department. Maximum diversity is the key to transformational success with Design Thinking.
Design thinking always means “broad understanding”!
Design thinking is always about broadly understanding a problem and the people involved. What else is it related to? Who or what influences it? Such and similar questions are asked by the hundreds during Design Thinking. For many, this already means a paradigm shift – after all, most people are conditioned to only deeply understand a problem.
Design Thinking always means MAKING!
“Don’t judge on opinions – only judge on testing!” – this is another of the so important laws of nature in Design Thinking. In general one can also say “before we theorize for a long time and create assumption after assumption … we better do it”. Early prototyping and testing also means in hard business terms: We like to make mistakes quickly and early. This way we save cash and learn great things early on. Prototyping and testing also correspond to the fact that Renaissance works of art were repeatedly changed and painted over during their creation.
Also tried and tested at the time: inspiring spaces and multidisciplinary work. Both can be found, for example, in the art school of Andrea del Verrocchio. Artists from a wide range of disciplines worked together interactively in large inspiring spaces back then – they always did it right away and put their ideas into practice.
Design Thinking is innovation and transformation culture!
Yes, it exists – the transformation culture. Design Thinking provides a lot of mechanisms for this and helps to transform entire organizations in a goal-oriented way. Here are some key features:
– Design thinking involves more people for more ideas in less time, so the right things happen at the right time.
– Design thinking gives help in transforming and sharpening strategy – it makes your team fit.
– Design thinking means creating benefits for the user or customer and thereby putting the company in pole position.
– Design thinking is inventive thinking with a focus on radical customer value and radical need fulfillment.
– Design Thinking creates a new agile culture of collaboration with more lived values.
For even more knowledge on design thinking, check out our Navigator article What is Design Thinking?
