The most innovative work methodology. Discover its main characteristics and what it is for.
What is Design Thinking?
Design Thinking is the most effective method to find innovative ideas to bring to market and achieve success. It is a fairly old method that not only does not go out of style but is increasingly topical. It is used by the most important companies in the market that work in different sectors.
Design Thinking focuses on the needs of the user and works to capture the problem and solve it by creating a product that covers them.
The designer uses all his sensitivity and works from logic, imagination, intuition and systemic reasoning to investigate possible results and offer the user a suitable and innovative product.
How does the Design Thinking process work?
The Design Thinking process is made up of five fundamental actions. It is not a linear process so you can go backwards or forwards at any time if you wish.
- Empathy. It is essential to understand the user, detect their problems and their needs as well as their desires to be able to work precisely on that part and offer a product that they already wanted, but did not know. This entire process of searching and working together is carried out in a playful atmosphere that facilitates the influx of ideas and allows for enjoyment during the process, and thanks to this, reaching a state of mind in which everyone’s full potential overflows.
- Definition. At this stage we will sift through the information that we have collected during the emphasizing process and we will focus on what gives us value in order to reach an interesting objective. We will identify problems and then give them solutions.
- After having created different options thanks to the definition stage, we must decide which idea we will keep. We will work from an expansive thought eliminating all value judgments, because perhaps the most innovative option is in the rarest idea.
- Here we bring ideas to reality. We build a quick model that will help us shape our main idea. It becomes something physical, something palpable, something real.
- During this phase we will test the prototypes with the target audience towards whom we want to direct our product. This is a very important phase through which we will obtain the conclusions we need, it will help us identify possible failures or deficiencies and thus be able to provide a solution.
What is Design Thinking for?
Design Thinking is perfect for creating work teams free to express their creativity. The ideal to promote situations in which ideas arise thanks to the motivation provided by the bases of this methodology. Helps the growth and development of work teams. Try to offer a safe and relaxed environment where workers feel safe and free to give ideas and opinions.
Design Thinking is therefore a work methodology that seeks to develop the skills of each member of the team to achieve a change in mentality and therefore creative work with heart. It is not only based on technology and production, but also gives importance to feelings and relies on the sensitivity of each of the participants to give the product heart. This allows them to reach the target audience and connect immediately.
Many companies are choosing to implement this fruitful way of thinking and proceeding to their work creation and development processes.
History of Design Thinking
Despite the fact that many claim that Design Thinking became known in 2008 with the publication of Tim Brown’s article in the Harvard Business review, this methodology dates back much earlier, specifically from the year 1919, where it began to be used, although different from how we know it today.
Then, in the sixties in the United States, they began to flirt with the idea of creating a science around design and linking it in some way with people’s needs.
Richard Buckminter Fuller was an architect and inventor who worked hard on this initiative creating different methodologies with which to design and find solutions to problems.
On the other hand, in the Scandinavian countries they created cooperative design groups, inviting anyone who wanted to join the discussion about what design could be like. This was based on the fact that any worker had the right and duty to participate in the process. This way of doing things, of creating design, was modeled until it reached what we know today as Service Design, based on designing using many mock-ups, games, research and dialogue in the process.
Already in 2003 Service Design became something that was taught in some universities of Europe and the United States which led to the consecutive appearance of many other methodologies to resolve conflicts.
Recently, a change in focus has begun to be given to design, directing it towards a social and sociological function so that the creations have a sense of social utility. And this is how companies are taking advantage of it today.
Why Design Thinking is perfect for your business?
Because with Design Thinking we can achieve innovative projects to improve our business. The Design Thinking work methodology ensures that each job is created to make our clients fall in love. Let’s not forget that they are designed with your problems and your wishes in mind. Its main philosophy is to create a product that the customer needs, and not create the need for a product.
On the other hand, the main objective of Design Thinking is to continuously innovate and this leads you in parallel to working on continuous improvement of your business and inevitably growing as a company. And if not, let’s look at the success of companies that use this work methodology such as Apple, Google or Zara.