Unlocking the design thinking puzzle
By Peter FullagarIt can be difficult to introduce design thinking and its value as an innovation approach to someone unfamiliar with it. So, in this article we dive into this challenge and explore three distinct yet interconnected perspectives that when combined, can help innovators understand how they might unlock the design thinking puzzle.
There are few words in the discipline of innovation that, when put together, cause more contention than “design thinking”. Is it what designers do? Is it a process? Is it a collection of methods from various other disciplines? Can anyone do it? Depending on one’s perspective, the answer to all of these can be yes. In this article, we aim to unravel the complexity surrounding design thinking by exploring three distinct yet interconnected interpretations.
The origins of design thinking
To understand design thinking, we must first delve into its origins. As Nigel Cross explains in his recent article, Design thinking: What just happened?, design thinking is not one thing. It encompasses multiple concurrent meanings. Returning to its original meaning takes us back to a time before it became a trendy buzzword.
Initially, design thinking explored how designers think as they engaged in the design process. It focussed on understanding the cognitive style of designers, their creative thoughts and actions, and their consideration of users and the user experience when designing products or solutions. This aspect encompassed individual designer’s exploratory and reflective practices, combining intuition and experience to craft solutions that carefully balance aesthetics with function. Here we are talking about the design practice that takes years to master and become an expert.
Over time the practice of design has become more complex, with user-centred design emerging as a distinct branch within the broader discipline of design. This human-centric version of design formed the foundation of the prevailing understanding of design thinking today, recognised as a collaborative tool for innovation. This version owes much to influential figures like Tim Brown, whose 2008 article in the Harvard Business Review propelled design thinking into the business arena. Additionally, the work of David Kelley in establishing the d.school / Hasso Plattner Institute of Design of Stanford University, along with subsequent courses in other universities worldwide, has played a significant role in popularising design thinking in education and business alike.
A common misconception of design thinking is that it is some shortcut or simplified version of becoming a designer or replacing their role. However, design thinking is not about replacing designers; it is about valuing the designer’s way of creative thinking and recognising that each of us possesses inherent design capabilities. As Cross aptly puts it:
“Everyone can–and does–design. We all design when we plan for something new to happen, whether that might be a new version of a recipe, a new arrangement of living room furniture, or a new layout of a personal web page. So design thinking is something inherent within human cognition; it is a key part to what makes us human.”
With this understanding, let us explore the three perspectives that enhance our understanding and practice of design thinking.
Design thinking as a process
The first step and most common view of design thinking is as a process. Here you find lots of diagrams and schematics (designers love a good diagram, after all!); from double diamonds to the honeycomb variant popularised by the d.school, various frameworks with different stages, steps and loops exist. However, no singular unifying voice or version exists.
At INDUSTRY of Us, we often present the design thinking journey simplified into four core elements:
EMPATHISE to define
IDEATE to diverge
PROTOTYPE to test
ALIGNMENT to progress
Compared to most of the other models out there, the difference between how we have named our core elements is by mapping the individual activities with a purpose and ultimately, the desired outcome. For example, empathising with the user serves the purpose of defining our point of view; they are linked, not independent.
While the first three elements map with commonly found components of design thinking, we particularly emphasise the importance of the fourth element; alignment to progress. This element acts as the glue that helps team members, stakeholders, and leadership work together effectively and enables the success of design thinking as a collaborative innovation process.
2. Design thinking as a series of mindsets
For experienced design thinkers, the process gradually transforms over time into a series of learnt behaviours and mindsets adopted throughout the journey. Some of the fundamental mindsets of design thinkers include:
CURIOSITY: It involves applying curiosity when interacting with users, avoiding the projection of ingrained knowledge, views, or biases. It encompasses seeking divergence and generating multiple and varied ideas rather than settling for the first one that comes to mind.
PLAYFULNESS: It encourages playfulness and embraces the creation of rough mock-ups and sketches to share with colleagues and users without embarrassment.
SENSEMAKING: It embraces abductive thinking as a means of sensemaking and discovering deeper meanings that spark new possibilities.
PROGRESSIVE: It entails seeking progress through collaboration with stakeholders and supporting group decisions while feeling confident to express alternative viewpoints when necessary.
These mindsets are not developed overnight but are cultivated through experience, supportive teams, and conducive environments. It’s about embracing design thinking as a cognitive style without becoming a designer in the traditional sense.
3. Design thinking as a social technology
While some assessments have been made to quantify the impact of design thinking, such as the return on investment showcased by IBM’s Forrester research, there is an equally significant, yet less quantifiable, value to consider. Much of the true value can be best understood by seeing design thinking as a social technology. Jeanne Liedtka describes this in her Harvard Business Review article, Why design thinking works:
“Design thinking processes counteract human biases that thwart creativity while addressing the challenges typically faced in reaching superior solutions, lowered costs and risks, and employee buy-in... And by supplying a structure to the innovation process, design thinking helps innovators collaborate and agree on what is essential to the outcome at every phase.”
By providing a structure to the innovation process, design thinking facilitates collaboration and consensus-building at every phase, addressing the intricate human aspects of innovation. This is why we emphasise the ‘alignment to progress’ stage as so critical at each junction of your design thinking process. It goes beyond mere problem-solving; it creates a constructive environment for innovating together, overcoming barriers like the “not invented here” syndrome.
By involving cross-functional teams, design thinking fosters cohesive collaboration, breaks down silos, and even transforms the process into an enjoyable experience, despite the hurdles and setbacks commonly encountered by innovators.
Conclusion
In this article, we have unravelled some of the complexity surrounding the term “design thinking”. We bring these aspects together in our suggested definition of design thinking:
Design thinking combines a framework for solving wicked problems, a hands-on design-led approach to innovation and a mindset for innovators. It starts by uncovering what people truly need and then rapidly ideating, prototyping and testing solutions to find the ones that are desirable, feasible and viable.
Design thinking delivers impact by working as a social technology that helps teams imagine and build different ways the world might be. As a Swiss Army knife of tools and methods, it guides and supports teams through the uncomfortable but rewarding journey to innovation.
Having run many projects and through the teaching of design thinking on our Design Thinking in Practice training course, one thing is clear - understanding design thinking is not solely achieved through stories or analysis; it necessitates first-hand experience.
The true value of design thinking materialises when all its elements converge, empowering teams to explore complex user-centred problems and reap the rewards of all three perspectives: as a process, a series of mindsets, and a social technology.