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Self-reflection
Though it was really difficult for me at times to join or to even stay connected to our Collab Sessions, I still thoroughly enjoyed the unit. “Design Thinking Tools” has certainly changed the way I think about everything, as well as the way I work. I have now learnt that the design thinking process can be applied to any task and any field, including content creation and strategy.
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Lights, camera, action! Recording our Scitech Presentation - Research Methods and Processes.
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Design Thinking for Kids - Discussion Response
It can be said that the design thinking process is likely to have long-term advantages particularly when incorporated from a young age. The process can provide kids with an active, problem-solving toolkit which they can then apply to find solutions to a wide range of problems. Furthermore, the process can help instill a ‘maker mindset’ which will be increasingly important in the future (Manchanda 2016).
Spencer (2016) notes the following additional benefits when kids participate in the design thinking process.
1. Kids move from engaged to empowered. They are the ones asking the questions, doing the research, generating ideas, and creating the final product. When they own the creative process, they own their learning.
2. They become problem-solvers. By the end of the process, kids view themselves as problem-solvers and this is the kind of self-concept that continues outside of school.
3. Kids grow more empathetic.
4. Kids remain curious. Design thinking begins with a sense of wonder and curiosity, and reminds us that learning begins with inquiry.
5. Kids learn how to work collaboratively. Design thinking teaches kids to work interdependently, balancing the needs of the group with the need for personal expression.
6. They view themselves as makers. By sharing their product with the world, kids participate in a global community of creativity. In the process, they are more likely to appreciate the creativity around them.
7. Kids value the diversity of creative mindsets. Here, kids experience a bigger definition of creativity and learn to value the creative mindsets of everyone around them.
8. They learn the power of creative constraint. Here, kids learn that limitations are often the very design features for their finished work.
9. Kids learn to see the value of iterations. With design thinking, they have an entire phase devoted to refining their work.
10. Kids become creative risk-takers. Design thinking encourages kids to engage in creative risk-taking at every stage (Spencer 2016).
Most importantly, awareness of and consistent use of this mindset can help kids think about learning itself. Developing skills of planning, executing, and critical thinking/reflection will serve kids well regardless of the type of work they choose. In other words, learning “how to learn” or “a way to work” will have far greater value in the long-term than any content that kids memorise, and this is the greatest possible benefit of using a design-thinking like approach from a young age (Manchanda 2016).
References
Manchanda, Nitasha. 2016. "How Design Thinking Can Transform Your Child’s Creativity." Medium. April 13. https://medium.com/@NitashaM/how-design-thinking-can-transform-your-child-s-creativity-46700b3ee70c. Accessed June 6, 2020.
Spencer, John. 2016. "10 Things that Happen when Students Engage in Design Thinking." John Spencer. November 8. http://www.spencerauthor.com/ten-things-that-happen-when-kids-engage-in-design-thinking/. Accessed June 6, 2020.
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The Wonderful World of Design - Discussion Response
Design thinking is a process for creative problem solving and has a human-centred core. It encourages organisations to focus on the people they are creating for, which leads to better products, services, and internal processes (IDEO U 2020).
Design thinking combines what is desirable from a human point of view with what is technologically feasible and economically viable. It also allows those who aren't trained as designers to use creative tools to address a vast range of challenges (IDEO U 2020).
Design thinking is often referred to as “the healthy middle ground of problem-solving” because it comprises of a mixture of emotion and intuition, together with analytics, science and rationale. Furthermore, design thinking has evolved from a range of different fields — including architecture, engineering and business and can be applied to any field (Stevens 2019).
The design thinking process consists of five phases, namely: empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test (Stevens 2019). It is important to note that the five phases are not always sequential. Instead, they are flexible and fluid. They do not have to follow any specific order and can often occur in parallel and repeat iteratively (Dam and Siang 2020).
Focusing on empathy in the design thinking process, encourages organisations to consider the people who use their products and services, and in doing so, creates meaningful user experiences. For the user, this means better, more useful products that actually improve their lives. For organisations, this means happy customers and a healthier bottom line (Stevens 2019).
This is a great example of how design thinking could be used in healthcare. The Rotterdam Eye Hospital wanted to transform their patient experience from a nerve-wracking, grim experience into something much more pleasant and personal. To do this, they incorporated design thinking principles into their planning process (Stevens 2019).
By adopting a design thinking approach, the hospital was able to get to the heart of their users’ needs and find effective solutions to fulfil them. In doing so, they greatly improved the user experience: patient intake rose by 47%, and the hospital has since won several awards for safety, quality and design (Stevens 2019).
References
Dam, Rikke F, and Teo Y Siang. 2020. "What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular?" Interactionn Design Foundation. May 26. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-is-design-thinking-and-why-is-it-so-popular. Accessed June 5, 2020.
IDEO U. 2020. "What is Design Thinking?" IDEO U. https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/what-is-design-thinking. Accessed June 5, 2020.
Stevens, Emily. 2019. "What Is Design Thinking? A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide." CareerFoundry. December 16. https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/what-is-design-thinking-everything-you-need-to-know-to-get-started/#:~:text=Design%20Thinking%20can%20also%20be,solutions%20to%20meet%20those%20needs. Accessed June 5, 2020.
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Empathy and Design Thinking - Discussion Response
Design thinking is a human-centric, iterative process to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems. It is made up of five core phases: empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The first step, empathy, draws on the ability of researchers and designers to see the world through other people’s eyes, feel what they feel, and experience things as they do (Fanguy 2018).
Osman (2019) points out that in order to truly understand the needs and wants of a user, it is necessary to have empathy as a designer. Moreover, practicing empathy in the design thinking process helps designers to look deeper into situations in a way that helps them to think and create solutions for problems.
Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand other people’s feelings. It is about making oneself aware of what other people feel and sharing their emotions. It can be further said that practicing empathy ultimately serves as a way to link one person to another (Osman 2019).
Taking an empathic approach in the design thinking process is an important step towards improving one’s people skills, as well as the end products/services that will reach an organisation’s users (Osman 2019).
According to Rollins (2018), practicing empathy assists designers in gaining valuable insight into their users. Further benefits of practicing empathy include:
· obtaining a deep understanding of how users feel
· helping designers to set aside biases and design objectively
· assisting designers in thinking outside the box and in turn discovering innovative solutions
· having users feel as though the product was specifically designed for them (Rollins 2018).
Fanguy (2018) notes that creating empathy with users requires more than just listening and imitating users’ lives. Empathy can be gained by conducting thorough and well-planned research. Utilising objectivity and thoughtful interpretation allows designers to arrive at interesting and valuable insights. By interpreting the world through the lens of users’ values, history, religion, and cultures, designers can begin to design for users with users in mind. Fanguy (2018) concludes by saying that most importantly, understanding who designers are designing for is just as significant as what is being designed.
References
Fanguy, Will. 2018. "4 essential steps to designing with empathy." InVision. July 18. https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/essential-steps-designing-empathy/. Accessed June 2, 2020.
Osman, Maddy. 2019. "Empathy in UX Design: What It Is and Why It’s Important." UX Planet. March 19. https://uxplanet.org/empathy-in-ux-design-what-it-is-and-why-its-important-3f6a8919ef10. Accessed June 2, 2020.
Rollins, Nick. 2018. "https://uxengineer.com/empathy-in-design-how-does-it-work/." UX Engineer. September 24. https://uxengineer.com/empathy-in-design-how-does-it-work/. Accessed June 2, 2020.
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Why Journey Mapping is Important and How to Use It - Discussion Response
A customer journey map is a powerful tool (Boag 2020). The Harvard Business Review defines a customer journey map as “a very simple idea: a diagram that illustrates the steps that customer(s) go through in engaging with a company, whether it be a product, an online experience, retail experience, or a service, or any combination” (Richardson 2010).
While the Interaction Design Foundation very aptly describes a customer journey map as “walking a mile in your customer’s shoes” (Komninos 2019).
A customer journey map takes many forms, but typically appears as some type of infographic. However, whatever its form, the goal is the same: to teach organisations more about their customers (Boag 2020). InVision quotes Jim Kalbach, the author of Mapping Experiences, in noting that customer journey maps assist designers and organisations to build empathy, provide a common ‘big picture’, break down silos, bring focus and ultimately reveal opportunities (Melone 2018).
Though customer journey maps may focus on a particular part of the story or give an overview of the entire experience, what they always do is identify key interactions that the customer has with the organisation. Customer journey maps assist in providing information about the user’s feelings, motivations and questions for each of these touchpoints. Moreover, they often provide a sense of the customer’s greater motivation by assisting in deciphering what customers wish to achieve, and what customers’ expectations of the organisation are (Boag 2020).
Boag (2020), further adds that customer journey maps provide benefits for every employee across an organisation. For designers, customer journey maps assist in helping to understand the context of users. Designers are able to gain a clear picture of where the user has come from and what they are trying to achieve. In the case of copywriters, customer journey maps assist in helping to understand what questions users have and how they are feeling.
For managers, customer journey maps provide an overview of the customer’s experience which then enables managers to see how customers move through the sales funnel, and ultimately, helps them identify opportunities to enhance the customer experience. In terms of the user experience designer, customer journey maps help to identify gaps or points in the customer experience that are disjointed or painful (Boag 2020).
Most importantly, regardless of the sector, customer journey maps put the user front and centre in any organisation’s thinking and encourages employees across the organisation to consider the user’s feelings, questions and needs (Boag 2020).
References
Boag, Paul. 2020. "Customer Journey Mapping: Everything You Need to Know." Sailthru. https://www.sailthru.com/marketing-blog/written-customer-journey-mapping-need-to-know/. Accessed May 31, 2020.
Komninos, Andreas. 2019. "Customer Journey Maps - Walking a Mile in Your Customer’s Shoes." Interaction Design Foundation. October. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/customer-journey-maps-walking-a-mile-in-your-customer-s-shoes. Accessed May 31, 2020.
Melone, Jay. 2018. "Journey mapping powers better design thinking." InVision. April 19. https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/journey-mapping-design-thinking/. Accessed May 31, 2020.
Richardson, Adam. 2010. "Using Customer Journey Maps to Improve Customer Experience." Harvard Business Review. November 15. https://hbr.org/2010/11/using-customer-journey-maps-to. Accessed May 31, 2020.
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Why Design Thinking Works - Discussion Response
I agree with the discussion initiated by Zulu (2020) on “Why Design Thinking Works”, and that the design thinking process “gives the people a chance to apply themselves in new and unconventional ways that will overall improve the day to day lives of their target audience.”
Singhal (2018) notes that the importance of design has significantly increased over the years. Due to consumers of today’s generation having quick access to the global marketplaces, they no longer distinguish between physical and digital experiences, and as such have made it difficult for organisations to make their products or services stand out from the rest of the competitors (Singhal 2018).
He goes on to say that as such, infusing an organisation with a design-driven culture that puts the customer first not only provides real and measurable results, but also gives an organisation a distinct competitive advantage (Singhal 2018).
Dam and Siang (2020), observe that today, design thinking is often referred to as ‘outside the box’ thinking, as designers are attempting to develop new ways of thinking that do not abide by the dominant or more common problem-solving methods.
They further add that at the heart of this ‘out of the box’ thinking is the intention to improve products by analysing and understanding how users interact with products and investigating the conditions in which they operate. Moreover, at the heart of design thinking lies the interest and ability to ask significant questions and challenging assumptions (Dam and Siang 2020).
Thinking like a designer transforms the way organisations develop products/services, strategies, and processes by bringing together what is most desirable from a human point of view, with what is technologically feasible and also economically viable (Singhal 2018).
Singhal (2018), goes on to say that one of the great benefits of design thinking is that it gives employees who are not formally trained as designers an opportunity to utilise creative tools to tackle a range of challenges (Singhal 2018).
Ultimately, it can be said that design thinking offers all designers – whether formally trained or not, a means of digging a bit deeper; it helps designers to do the right kind of research and to prototype and test their products and services so as to uncover new ways of improving the product, service or design (Dam and Siang 2020).
References
Dam, Rikke F, and Siang, Teo Y. 2020. "What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular?" Interactionn Design Foundation. May 26. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-is-design-thinking-and-why-is-it-so-popular. Accessed May 29, 2020.
Singhal, Harshit. 2018. "The Importance Of Design Thinking." HashedIn. March 20. https://hashedin.com/blog/the-importance-of-design-thinking/. Accessed May 29, 2020.
Zulu, Gloria. 2020. "Why Design Thinking Works." Critical Forum. Design Thinking Tools. Murdoch. WA
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Why Design Thinking is the Future of Sales and Marketing Strategies
Design thinking is about understanding problems before looking for solutions. This is especially important in sales and marketing (Pineda 2020).
Over the past few years, design thinking has quickly gained momentum in the business world. Some of the world’s leading brand – like Apple, Google, HBO, Samsung, World Bank, and General Electric have embraced design thinking. The sales cycle is becoming increasingly complex and today, customers expect a more personalised experience (Fatemi 2019).
Here is how these leading brands have incorporated design thinking into their sales and marketing strategies.
Empathy
Empathy means trying to place yourself in the mind’s eye of your customer so that you can relate to their world. A major component of design thinking emphasises the value of empathy over statistics.
Once you engage with customers, you will uncover so much more about them and come to a much deeper understanding of their needs (Williams 2018).
Furthermore, when you empathise with your customer, you can craft the right marketing messages, and be sure of hitting your target’s most pressing need (Pineda 2020).
Curiosity
Be curious about observing the physical interactions with your customers. For an online business, think about how customers enter your website, where they go once they have entered it, what appears to be meaningful to them while they browse, how long they stay online and what causes them to exit your website (Williams 2018).
Moreover, become a detective and collect as many clues as possible about your customer, their world, motivations, and unmet needs. When you keep discovering things about your customers, much larger opportunities for sales present themselves (Williams 2018).
Customer-Centricity
Gain insights into what your customers care about and value, their current state and needs, and their future needs. Due to all of the information that is freely available online, educating the customer about your product is not as necessary as it used to be. Instead, educate yourself on how to add value to your customer (Williams 2018).
A human-centred point of view makes your marketing messages relevant, clear and powerful. Knowing why your customers buy your product or service gives you the chance to connect with them emotionally and better match their buyer’s journey (Pineda 2020).
Prospecting
Design thinking gives you a new set of tools with which to look for new prospects. Once you understand a prospect’s world and needs, you can use this knowledge to obtain excellent prospects (Williams 2018).
Become a Trusted Advisor
Buyers act upon their emotions as well as logic. When customers purchase your products or services, they are buying a feeling as much as a solution to their needs. Make customers feel that they have made the right choice by establishing yourself as their trusted advisor. Design thinking helps evolve a relationship from just a sales representative to a trusted advisor. In sales, trust is currency (Williams 2018).
Listening to customers and relating to a customer’s world should be a part of every sales and marketing strategy. As technology advances, human skills (such as empathy, collaboration, leadership, innovation, and creativity) will become even more valuable. In terms of boosting sales, when a customer needs help, there is no substitute for a real human being practicing design thinking (Williams 2018).
References
Fatemi, Falon. 2019. "Why Design Thinking Is The Future Of Sales." Forbes. January 15. https://www.forbes.com/sites/falonfatemi/2019/01/15/why-design-thinking-is-the-future-of-sales/#7c3975134683. Accessed June 8, 2020.
Pineda, Diego. 2020. "How Design Thinking Can Boost Your Sales and Marketing Strategy." Cloud Task. January 7. https://www.cloudtask.com/blog/how-design-thinking-can-boost-your-sales-and-marketing-strategy. Accessed June 8, 2020.
Williams, John. 2018. "Transforming a Sales Approach with Design Thinking." Prague Post. April 17. https://www.praguepost.com/business/transforming-sales-design-thinking. Accessed June 8, 2020.
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Wicked Problems and How to Tackle Them
A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that’s problematic or impossible to solve – usually because of its complex and interconnected nature. Wicked problems lack clarity in both their aims and solutions (Wong 2019).
It can also be said that wicked problems are difficult to define, ambiguous, unstable, and do not have just one solution. Trying to define the problem is a never-ending task, the amount of information gathered is endless, and standard problem-solving techniques are unable to generate fresh ideas (Ketchell 2012).
Wicked problems are complex and usually dependent on many other factors (Ketchell 2018). Additionally, wicked problems are intertwined and solving one problem might cause other problems to occur (Orazulume 2018).
According to Wong (2019), a combination of systems thinking and agile methodology can help tackle wicked problems.
Systems thinking is the process of understanding how components of a system influence each other as well as other systems. While agile methodology is an iterative approach to design and product development and helps to improve solutions through collaboration. Together, systems thinking and agile methodology lead to better solutions at each iteration as they both evolve with the wicked problem (Wong 2019).
Wong (2019) further observes that there are five ways to apply systems thinking and agile methodology when solving a wicked problem.
Break down information into nodes and links
Designers can utilise systems thinking if they break the information down into nodes and links. This makes private mental models visible to the outside world and ultimately helps designers face wicked problems more effectively.
Visualise the information
Sketching out and placing information into a physical space, helps designers better understand the systems at hand—as well as the relationships between them.
Collaborate and include stakeholders in the process
Share mental models to help other people build on those ideas. A design team can synthesise several points of view when physical drawings and group notes are created to produce different systems models.
Release solutions quickly to gather continuous feedback
The more feedback designers gather from users and stakeholders, the more guidance designers have to get to the next step.
Carry out multiple iterations
Designers have the opportunity to utilise feedback at each iteration. The more iterations carried out; the more likely designers are able to determine what changes are needed to further improve the solution to a wicked problem (Wong 2019).
Designers have the responsibility to generate the best solution possible even when the wicked problem itself is undefined and the best solution does not yet exist. A combination of systems thinking and agile methodology can help designers tackle these wicked problems. Furthermore, it encourages designers to utilise these practices and share them with others so that, together, the next iteration of the design process can be reached (Wong 2019).
References
Ketchell, Misha. 2012. "Wicked problems and business strategy: is design thinking an answer?" The Conversation. May 16. https://theconversation.com/wicked-problems-and-business-strategy-is-design-thinking-an-answer-6876. Accessed June 8, 2020.
Ketchell, Misha. 2018. "Wicked problems and how to solve them." The Conversation. October 18. https://theconversation.com/wicked-problems-and-how-to-solve-them-100047. Accessed June 8, 2020.
Orazulume, Blessing. 2018. "Wicked Problems => Design Thinking — Day 4." Medium. September 19. https://medium.com/ux-design-from-a-novice/design-thinking-day-4-8257db95cf57. Accessed June 8, 2020.
Wong, Euphemia. 2019. "What is A Wicked Problem and How Can You Solve It?" Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/wicked-problems-5-steps-to-help-you-tackle-wicked-problems-by-combining-systems-thinking-with-agile-methodology. Accessed June 8, 2020.
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Perspective and the Use of Empathy in Design Thinking
Gasparini (2015) divides empathy into two main dimensions. The first dimension may be seen as an emotional empathy, being an instinctive, effective, shared and mirrored experience where one feels what other people experience. The second dimension of empathy is cognitive, where one understands how others may experience the world from their point of view. He goes on to say that in the design process, one can address and use empathy in different ways. Firstly, as a tool to design with, requiring the transformation of this emotional feeling in an attribute. And secondly, designers can use empathy to acquire insight into users’ needs and in doing so, inform the design process (Gasparini 2015).
There are several ways in which designers can develop a sense of empathy towards the people that they are designing for in order to gain insights into what they need, what they want, how they behave, feel, and think, and why they demonstrate certain behaviours, feelings, and thoughts when interacting with certain products in a real-world setting.
Assuming a Beginner’s Mindset
Designers should always try to adopt the mindset of a beginner. This can be achieved by leaving their own assumptions and experiences behind when making observations (Mortensen 2020).
Ask What? How? Why?
By asking the three questions — What? How? Why? — designers can move from concrete observations that are free from assumptions to more abstract motivations driving the actions that they have observed. In “What”, details (not assumptions) of what has happened are recorded. In “How”, designers analyse how and what the user is doing. Finally, in “Why”, designers make educated guesses regarding the person’s motivations and emotions (Mortensen 2020).
Photo and Video User-based Studies
This method entails users being photographed or filmed either in a natural setting, or during sessions with designers that are gathering information. Photographing or recording target users can help uncover needs that people have which they may or may not be aware of, and can help guide innovation efforts, identify the right end users to design for, and discover emotions that guide behaviours (Mortensen 2020).
Interviews
One-on-one interviews can be a productive way to connect with real people and gain insights. Talking directly to the people you are designing for may be the best way to understand needs, hopes, desires and goals (Mortensen 2020).
Analogous Empathy
Using analogies can help designers develop new insights. By comparing one domain with another, designers can conjure different solutions that would not necessarily come to mind when working within the constraints of one discipline (Mortensen 2020).
Bodystorming
Bodystorming is the act of physically experiencing a situation in order to immerse oneself fully in the users’ environment. This requires a considerable amount of planning and effort, as the environment must be filled with the artifacts present in the real-world environment, and the general atmosphere/feel must accurately depict the users’ setting. Bodystorming puts the team in the users’ shoes, thereby boosting the feelings of empathy we need as designers in order to come up with the most fitting solutions (Mortensen 2020).
Personal Photo and Video Journals
This method goes beyond an in-person Interview to better understand a person’s context, the people who surround them, community dynamics, and the journey through how they use a product or service (Design Kit 2020).
Collectively, these methods offer designers insight into users’ needs, and how they think, feel, and behave. To ignore the benefits of learning from others is to forget what design thinking is truly about. Therefore, it is vital for designers to ‘become’ their users if they are to offer users fine-tuned solutions that lead in the market (Mortensen 2020).
References
Design Kit. 2020. "Design Kit Methods." Design Kit. https://www.designkit.org/methods/65. Accessed May 5, 2020.
Gasparini, Andrea. 2015. Perspective and Use of Empathy in Design Thinking.
Mortensen, Ditte. 2020. "Stage 1 in the Design Thinking Process: Empathise with Your Users." Interaction Design Foundation. May. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/stage-1-in-the-design-thinking-process-empathise-with-your-users. Accessed May 5, 2020.
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Design Thinking, Innovativeness and Performance
Today, it is becoming more essential to merge design thinking with business management and strategy development (Clark and Smith 2008; Wylant 2008). A number of leading global businesses are now making use of a design thinking process in their management operations (Wattanasupachoke 2012). The design thinking process consists of three main principles that bring about creative strategies and designs for business. The process begins with inspiration which usually stems from a thorough understanding of customer ideas and needs. Next, is ideation – which is the improvement of innovative ideas by developing customer knowledge for practical purposes and creating prototypes. Lastly, implementation and integration. This approach combines the developed products with strategies and business models, and in turn, helps create innovations in both products and management (Brown 2008).
Principle 1:
Inspiration requires an ability to locate business problems and to follow those events that directly affect the operations, including finding opportunities for and obstacles to business (Brown 2008). It is equally important for employees to target customer groups and study every aspect of them (Wattanasupachoke 2012). Design thinking reveals a perspective that is deeper than the obvious benefits of the products and services offered to customers. It digs down to behaviour, thoughts and attitude of all customers (Clark and Smith 2008). It includes activities that customers are doing, feedback from the use of products, and association with other people or things. Studying the behaviour, thoughts and attitude of customers generates a genuine understanding of customers and in turn, more innovative ideas develop outside the box (Wattanasupachoke 2012).
Principle 2:
Ideation is the transformation of customer knowledge into innovative ideas and more materialised objects in the form of prototypes. In this process, the actual needs of customers are converted into tangible items by assembling a cross-functional team to brainstorm a list of lateral choices, scenarios and drafts about product designs and new business operating procedures (Wylant 2008). This is followed by various working groups testing the prototypes in order to receive feedback and discuss the results with the whole team. Developing and testing various unique prototypes is necessary to effectively respond to customer needs and aims. The best prototype is then developed into products/services and new business models (Wattanasupachoke 2012).
Principle 3:
The last principle involves integrating the creative prototype with new business strategy designs. During this step, points that need to be considered are the obstacles to integrating the prototype with the strategies of the company, the resources, and the ability to promote and reinforce the strategies, as well as the additional investments in necessary parts (Wattanasupachoke 2012). Furthermore, there should be a persuasion and communication within organisations in order to raise awareness of the importance of innovation in strategies so that employees can apply them to generate sustainable profits for enterprises and they should also pay attention to feedback from internal and external sources to further improve their strategies (Brown 2008).
It can be concluded that the outcomes from the design thinking process can increase the innovativeness of a company (Clark and Smith 2008). In addition, the application of design thinking is believed to increase a company's performance through the higher value-added products/services offered to customers (Wattanasupachoke 2012).
References
Brown, Tim. 2008. "Design Thinking." Harvard business review 86:84-92, 141.
Clark, Kevin, and Ron Smith. 2008. "Unleashing the Power of Design Thinking." Design Management Review 19 (3):8-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1948-7169.2008.tb00123.x.
Wattanasupachoke, Teerayout. 2012. "Design Thinking, Innovativeness and Performance: An Empirical Examination." International Journal of Management and Innovation 4 (1):1.
Wylant, Barry. 2008. "Design Thinking and the Experience of Innovation." Design Issues 24 (2):3-14. doi: 10.1162/desi.2008.24.2.3.
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Needfinding Through the Empathetic Interview Technique
According to Brown (2008), design thinking is a process focusing on human-centred solutions that empower people to develop new ideas that will have a real impact on their everyday situations. Although it was developed in the design world as a tool for innovation in the private sector, it has been used for positive social change in such areas as education and community development.
A powerful aspect of the design thinking process is needfinding. Needfinding can be described as a “qualitative research approach to studying people to identify their unmet needs” (Patnaik and Becker 1999, p. 38). Needfinding is human-centred and is therefore focused on the users of the process. Its purpose is to uncover those underlying needs that may not even be evident to the user. In order to accomplish needfinding, there must be an openness to the process and a trust that latent problems can be uncovered and defined (Martelaro and Ju 2017).
Needfinding can be accomplished in a variety of ways including observation, surveys, and a myriad of interviewing techniques. An empathetic interview is a type of interviewing technique that seeks to find out as much as possible about a user’s experience with something by trying to identify with the individual (Rojas, Nash and Rous 2019).
The empathetic interview process, however, is not a quick fix. It requires a change of mindset for problem-solving and change. Mutual respect, openness to new ideas, and deep empathy are equally important. The empathetic interview technique demonstrates that time invested in defining the actual problem to be solved is more effective than attempting to solve problems that are not as critically important to the human beings embedded in the context. By understanding the deep-seated underlying needs, attention can be focused on those solutions that will make the biggest impact (Rojas, Nash and Rous 2019).
In the design thinking process, the empathetic interview technique is seen as a practical, helpful tool for data collection. By learning to ask good questions and listening with an open mind, the empathetic interview can be used to collaboratively uncover an unmet need, and develop a workable solution (Rojas, Nash and Rous 2019).
This low-tech/high-impact approach of intentionally using empathy to listen holds tremendous promise for finding ways to improve any system (Rojas, Nash and Rous 2019). It can be said that needfinding is even more important to the design thinking process than prototype development or problem-solving. Needfinding focuses on ongoing, underlying needs. Finding a means to meet the needs is an important step of the process, but the ways to meet these needs should change over time. Therefore, the empathetic interviewing technique is one that can continue to shape and set vision (Patnaik and Becker 1999). This ongoing process can continue to promote engagement from the field because of user involvement in determining needs, defining the problem, and crafting the plans for a solution. As design thinking permeates an organisation, it can begin to shape the culture in positive ways (Rojas, Nash and Rous 2019).
References
Brown, Tim. 2008. "Design Thinking." Harvard business review 86:84-92, 141.
Martelaro, Nikolas, and Wendy Ju. "The Needfinding Machine." 2017.
Patnaik, Dev, and Robert Becker. 1999. "Needfinding: The Why and How of Uncovering People's Needs." Design Management Journal (Former Series) 10 (2):37-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1948-7169.1999.tb00250.x.
Rojas, Joanne P., John B. Nash, and Beth S. Rous. 2019. "Discovering childcare providers’ coaching needs with design thinking techniques." Early Child Development and Care 189 (4):613-624. doi: 10.1080/03004430.2017.1336166.
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Conducting further research for our Scitech presentation - Research Methods and Processes.
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Conducting research for our Scitech presentation - Research Methods and Processes.
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