Design Thinking is a non-linear 5-stage process which is a structured way of solving almost any type of problem for your organization. It provides an opportunity for employees and managers alike to take ownership of solving problems in a creative, positive, and innovative way.
What kind of problems can we solve?
This process is used to tackle problems we normally face in companies, such as:
Cross-functional teams find hard to align with common business objectives.
Projects are often pursued with unclear goals as the scope changes repeatedly.
Teams lack real data on which to base business decisions and instead are relying on endless internal discussions.
Employees experience pressure to be ‘innovative’ but don’t know how to start.
Divergent vs. Convergent Thinking
There are two modes of thinking and these must not overlap: Divergent, where we’re open-minded and creative and Convergent, where we’re analytical and logical.
“How Might We?”
To deeply understand the problem we’re trying to solve, we frame the scenario with How Might We questions:
HOW — We recognize that solutions exist.
MIGHT — We explore possibilities and give ourselves the permission to be wrong.
WE — We do it together by collaborating.
Core Principles of Design Thinking
TogetherAlone. We believe that there’s value in working alone to diverge first before sharing with the team and converge.
Tangible>Discussion. We believe that making things we can interact with is better than constantly relying on our thoughts alone.
Getting Started > Being Right. We believe we can get to ‘right’ by getting started, rather than being stuck in endless discussions.
Don’tRelyonCreativity. Whether you think you are creative or not, it doesn’t matter. The process will naturally get you there and bring that out of you.
