Summary of “Design Thinking” By Tim Brown
The article titled “Design Thinking” by Tim Brown asserts that when one thinks like a designer, they are able to transform the way they develop products, services, processes and even strategies.
This article begins by mentioning how Thomas Edison in inventing the electric light bulb, conceived a fully developed marketplace and he was not overly about developing a discrete device. As such “Design Thinking” when considered in a business sense is “the use of a designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity” (Brown, 2008).
The article urges people to become design thinkers to “get beneath the surface” by creating ideas that better meet consumers’ desires and needs. This way they are able to discover new forms of value. The innovations in shift routines, management and systems at healthcare provider Kaiser permanente is mentioned as one successful venture. Prototyping doesn’t have to be expensive and complex but it is a key step in enhancing design thinking.
The article also explains “how Design Thinking happens”. It states that “Design Thinking” occurs as a result of “hard work, augmented by a creative human-centered discovery process and is followed by iterative cycles of prototyping, testing and refinement” (Brown, 2008). All design projects pas through the stages of “Inspiration, ideation and implementation”. The reinvention of coasting bikes by Shimamo, a bike manufacturing company and the resurgence of adult interest in bikes can be attributed to this aspect of design thinking.
The third aspect of “Design Thinking” is “taking a systems view” by understanding consumers’ lives and using the principles of design to innovate and create value. The development of a cheap and effective eye-care system by India’s Aravind Eye Care System in response to India’s poor and needy village population attests to the importance of considering this aspect in design thinking.
The last aspect discussed in the article is “getting back to the surface”. This entails using design as a tool for imagining emotionally satisfying and meaningful experiences. In this case design is used to give these experiences a desirable form. The innovation “keep the Change” by the Bank of America entailed making it easier for clients to save coin money instead of using saving boxes.
“Design Thinking” basically entails solving problems with people at heart, creativity, iterative and practicality in finding the best ideas and ultimate solutions.
References
Brown, T. (2008) Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.
