Introduction
While in the designing process, a designer may use design-specific thinking activities. The most common definition of design thinking is one which puts an empathy in problem solving, rationality in studying and fixing solutions to problems, and creativity in innovating solutions to problems. Design thinking has the role of matching people’s needs with solutions that are technologically feasible as strategy of the business. Companies and organizations can upgrade their problem solving techniques and skills once they have information on how to successfully approach and solve multi-dimensional problems individually, as well as the appropriate methods to ideate, choose and implement a solution. There are several academic research that has been carried out in design thinking. The first of a kind research on design thinking was done on 1991 at the Delft University of Technology. David M. Kelly, in the same year, adapted the design thinking for business purposes. This article discusses design thinking; core information about design thinking, its influences, the critiques, examples linked to design thinking, and the impacts of business strategy in the global context.
Core-information
Design thinking, unlike analytical thinking, is a technique that entails the developing of ideas, with little or no limits at all on the breadth during the phase of brainstorming. Design thinking method helps reduce or eliminating the fear of failure while encouraging input and participation from a broad variety of foundations during the ideation phases. In design thinking the familiar phrase, “Thinking outside the box” is used in describing one objective of the brainstorming phrase. This phrase helps in discovering of hidden aspects and ambiguities in the problem-solving, thus explores the potentially faulty assumptions that could be possibly made. There are several version of design thinking; however, the most basic one has seven stages. These steps are defining, researching, ideation, developing prototype, choosing, implementing, and finally learning. In the seven steps of problem solving, problems are framed, and appropriate questions are asked, and there is creation and development of many ideas, and the correct answers to the problems selected (Ingle, 2013. Pg. 32). It is important to take into account that these steps in design thinking do not occur in a linear i.e. they can at times occur simultaneously, or they can be repeated.
- Defining
In this stage, the issues to be solved are decided, and the audience is selected. The project is also prioritized in terms of urgency. A glossary having term is developed to help in the project. Finally, at this stage things that will make the said project to be successful are determined.
- Researching
In this step, the study is done on the history of the problem where the existing obstacles are also obtained. Some examples of attempts to solve the problem are collected. At this stage the designer notes the project supporters, the project investors, and also the project critics. The leader’s opinions are taken into account.
- Ideation
In this stage, the motivations as well as the needs of the end-users are outlined. Several ideas are generated so as to serve the identified needs of the end-users. There is no judging nor debating of ideas i.e. only one conversation is had at the moment of time.
- Prototype
The ideas that had already been generated in the previous phase are combined, expanded and refined. This would, therefore, mean that multiple drafts are developed. Opinions from the diverse group of people is obtained. A selection of ideas is presented to the client. The judgment of the diverse group of persons is reserved. An actual working prototype is created and given.
- Choosing
At this stage, the objective of the project is one again reviewed. Emotions and ownership of ideas is set aside. Census thinking is not encouraged at this point. The designer, therefore, chooses the most ideal and powerful ideas.
- Implementation
The implementation stage entails description of tasks, planning of duties, determination of resources available, assigning of the tasks, and finally execution of the tasks.
- Learning
In this process, the feedback and opinions from the consumers are gathered. From the feedback obtained, it is easier to determine the whether the solutions met the goals it was meant to. From the data collected, success can then be measured. The whole process is documented for future references. Since these stages are not strictly linear or circular, the adaptive expertise is needed in choosing the correct inflection points as well as the appropriate next stage. This is made easier by practice and learning.
Influences
There are several impacts of design thinking. These influences are;
- Impact on Business management
Design thinking has made it easier to managers of businesses when it comes to business management. The design thinking gives an added value that is required for distinctive, knowledge-driven and high-quality decision making. Design thinking has made it possible for managers to solve various issues in the business. This is because design thinking can provide a particular way of dealing with the complexities of problems and how to handle problems of which are not well defined. (Stickdorn, 2010. Pg. 213)
- Society and well being
The society usually draws its identity as well as values from creativity. Design thinking is what bring about creativity. From design thinking, people can make well-informed choices that will not have adverse impacts to them or to the society. Because of this, a large number of the people in the society do not make choices that negatively influence the community, as such a society is at peace. In a society, there are those people who are renowned to be influential. When these people make informed choices using design thinking, they can influence the rest of the society positively.
- Creative economy and creative industries
Creative economy is built by creative industries. The creative industries deal in a range of economic activities that are aimed at generation and development of ideas, information, and knowledge. The knowledge, information, and ideas are seen as becoming increasingly important in economy well-being whether individually, locally or even globally. It is because of design thinking that these companies are creative. Companies using design thinking creates wealth and jobs to people by developing and exploiting intellectual property. Creation of wealth and jobs plays a significant role in making a stable and favorable economy. (Stickdorn, 2010. Pg. 210)
4). Education
Education is really benefiting from the current change in technology being experienced daily as a result of design thinking. Innovative methods of teaching have been developed and are acting as solutions to some of the things that seemed to be a challenge. For example, cutting edge technology has been developed and is now possible to sign up for a school online and attend your classes. Many students have taken their initiative and signed up for online classes which have proved to be very effective. Global issues can now be discussed among students online with the help teleconferencing technology. Students no longer have to raise money to finance abroad degree programs but instead only strive for a good grade to be admitted to online abroad universities. Education stakeholders continue to anticipate for more cutting edge and effective technology that will see a rise in levels of education. This is all possible through design thinking.
Critiques
Critiques believe that design thinking broke “design” out of its narrow, specialized and limited base, and instead connected it to crucial issues. However, they agree that design thinking also have its advantages, but far too many disadvantages. They more specifically have a problem with the construction and framing of design thinking. Initially, design thinking offered the world of large companies a new process that put much emphasis on delivering. Designers were able to increase their engagements, sales and impact on the world of corporate by packaging creativity within a process format. Initially, companies were ready to welcome and implement design thinking being that it was a packaged process. These companies applied the process of design thinking and turned it into a linear by-the-book method that delivered. Managers specifically took the design thinking process side and adopted it like six sigma. From the initial stages, the design thinking process was a scaffolding for the real deliverables. In order to be favorable to the culture of business process, design thinking was cleared of the mess, failure, conflict looping circularity and emotions that are part of the process of creativity.
The critiques believe that the success rate of design thinking is very small they, therefore, suggest that the best method is the creative intelligence. Creative intelligence is defined as the ability of framing problems in new ways and making only original solutions. The critiques believe that one can have low or high ability to frame and solve arising problems. The framing and solving problems are key and can be learned and perfected.
Examples linked to design Thinking
The Mayo Clinic uses design thinking. In this clinic, Nicholas LaRusso in early 2000s asked himself “If we can test new drugs in clinical trials, can we also test new kinds of doctor-patient interactions? (Beverly, 2013 p. 128)” There had been enormous advances in diagnosis and treatment of diseases. New trials, diagnostics, and procedure meant that the health care had become more complex both to the providers and the sick patients. LaRausso reasoned that what if there were other better ways of providing healthcare. LaRausso found out that organizations such as IDEO who were offering consultative services in the area of human factors design. After consultations with the IDEO, Mayo clinic established a skunkworks outpatient lab (SPARC). In this lab, the physicians and designers are capable of testing hypothesis about ways in which providers and patients interact. Mayo Clinic dealt with various issues of recruiting physicians to new, untested type of research. Within the first six years laboratory had evolved from a small enterprise into a big business center for innovation. The lab became a dedicated research institute for conducting studies on the processes of health care provision. This is an example of a success story of design thinking. Nicholas LaRusso thought of effective and efficient methods of providing healthcare. Because he approached the IDEO, the idea was approached from the point of design thinking.
Another good example of a company that was transformed by design thinking is the Airbnb. In 2009, the Airbnb Company was almost going bust. One afternoon, a team in the company conducted a small research online, on the 40 listings. The team noticed a similarity in these 40 listings. The photos of all the listings were not great. They noticed that people were not booking rooms since it was not easy to see what it was they were paying for. The team initially believed that the all the activities they did have to be scalable. It was then that they gave themselves the authority to investigate with non-scalable alterations to the business that moved out of the “trough of sorrow.” The team was able to implement design thinking in their approach and this lead to saving the company from going bust to being a billion dollar business. From the experiences of Airbnb, it is appropriate for designers to be patient in building better products. (Cross, 2011. Pg. 200)
Conclusion
Business strategy can be deliberate i.e. structured and intentional, or emergent i.e. unintentional. Strategy is defined, in basic terms, as an act of creating a course of action so as to achieve a particular goal within the limited established resources. Most business strategies usually take the intentional approach to understanding the market probabilities. However, there are limits to nature and scope of design. Business’s view design and design thinking in different ways depending on the company’s level of design literacy. Design is a flexible activity and is continuously expanding its meaning and connections. Design thinking has various advantages and disadvantages. Companies wishing to use design thinking should define it as a people-centered transformational process radically. The companies can use tools to help them to change their existing processes and practices. Design thinking, if correctly implemented, can champion a greater success of a business. However, it is also fatal if not properly implemented. For design thinking to work I management, it should be expanded to cover the ideas of the leader, the facilitator, and the mediator. However, it should be noted that everybody is creative, the only limitation is that people do not realize their potential.
Reference
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