UNLEASH
DESIGN
THINKINGTO
REDESIGN
YOUR

DESIGNERS CREATING ICONIC WORK, ARE
ROLE MODELS EVERY DESIGNER LOOKS
UP AGAINST. WE ALL WANT TO DO MAJOR
BRANDS AND AWESOMENESS.

YET MANY OF US WORK FOR
COMPANIES NO ONE REALLY
KNOWS OR CARES ABOUT.

WE MAINLY WORK
FOR B2B COMPANIES.

A LOT OF OUR WORK IS HIDDEN IN
WEBSITES AND APPS CONSUMERS
NEVER VISIT OR HAVE ACCESS TO.

DESIGNERS ARE SEEN AS
‘THE CREATIVE BUNCH.’
WE DO STUFF AND THEN
THEY GET MONEY.

AND FROM OUR
PERSPECTIVE, AS
DESIGNERS, WE
OFTEN DON’T
REALLY GET THE
BUSINESS WORLD.

WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER AND NEED
MORE PATIENCE TO CONVINCE A TOUGH
CROWD AND GET EVERYONE ON BOARD.

BUT IF YOU’RE STUBBORN ENOUGH TO
STAY, YOU CAN DO WONDERFUL THINGS.

YOU HAVE TO EARN AND DEFEND
YOUR CREATIVE FREEDOM.

AND WE’RE REALLY NEEDED, BECAUSE
THERE’S A LOT OF CRAP OUT THERE…

WHAT IF WE USED OUR CIRCLE OF
INFLUENCE TO GAIN BETTER CONTROL
OVER WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE GROW?

IF YOU FIND YOURSELF
IN FRONT OF A BORING
CLIENT: DON’T WORRY!

FIGURE OUT THE BIG PICTURE:
IT WILL HELP YOU SEE OPPORTUNITIES,
CHALLENGES, STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES,
EASY WINS AND PRIORITIES.

THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN
YOU RECEIVE A PROJECT BRIEFING:
THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW UNREAD.

IF YOU WERE A DOCTOR, YOU WOULDN’T
ACCEPT A PATIENT’S OPINION ON HOW
TO TREAT THEM BEFORE YOU EXAMINED
THEM BY YOURSELF. YOU SHOULD TREAT
YOUR CLIENTS THE SAME WAY.

YOU DON’T WANT TO BE WASTING YOUR
VALUABLE TIME AND YOUR CLIENTS’
MONEY BUILDING THE WRONG THINGS…

SO BE SHERLOCK HOLMES, AND TRY TO
FIND OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

ON YOUR OWN, FOR STARTERS.
(MEANING YOU AND YOUR TEAM)
BECAUSE THERE’S REAL VALUE IN
FINDING YOUR OWN ANSWERS FIRST.

GET YOUR SHARPIES OUT, WRITE WHAT
YOU FIND ON STICKY NOTES AND PUT
THEM ON A WALL FOR EVERYONE TO SEE.

IF YOU’RE NOT
ALREADY USING
THIS METHOD: GO
READ THIS BOOK.
IT’S THE CLEAREST
AND FASTEST
METHOD I KNOW
FOR GAINING THE
INSIGHT YOU NEED
IN ANY PROJECT.

“Your job, as a designer – a creator of
software – is not to create software;
Your job is to change the world.”
Jeff Patton

FOCUS ON OUTCOME, NOT OUTPUT.

QUESTIONS/NEEDS
CUSTOMERS HAVE
WHY WOULD THEY
CHOOSE US?

NOW
LATER
STORYLINE
MANY SMALL STEPS
MAKE A YOURNEY.

NOTE CUSTOMER NEEDS.
CUSTOMER NEEDS

AND REALIZE THEY
ARE TOUCHPOINTS.
TOUCH POINTS
COMPANY MISSION/
VISION/PROCESS

HOW CUSTOMERS FOLLOW THEIR OWN
PATHS THROUGH ALL TOUCHPOINTS.

START
OUTCOME
WHAT IS ALREADY THERE AND WHAT
SHOULD (OR CAN) BE DONE?

BUILDING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
!
!
! ! !
?
?
?
!!
!

UNDERSTANDING THIS BIGGER
PICTURE WILL ENGAGE EVERYONE
IN OUR CREATIVE THINKING PROCESS.

NO BUDGET IS NOT A VALID
REASON FOR NOT THINKING.

USE THE ITEMS ON YOUR
MAP TO KEEP YOU GOING.

THERE’S ALWAYS
MORE TO DESIGN.

SHARING AND DISCUSSING IDEAS
MAKES NEW SOLUTIONS SURFACE.

DESIGN THINKING
THINK UP
SOLUTIONS
PRIORITIZE/
DESIGN/
CREATE
ASSEMBLE &
LAUNCH
PROTOTYPE
TEST/
OBSERVE/
FEEDBACK
EXPLORE/
LEARN
REFRAME/
DEFINE

DESIGN
THINKING IS
NOT ONLY
ABOUT
THINKING.
IT’S A MINDSET.
AN ITERATIVE
PROCESS LIKE
LEAN OR AGILE
THINK UP
SOLUTIONS
PRIORITIZE/
DESIGN/
CREATE
ASSEMBLE &
LAUNCH
PROTOTYPE
TEST/
OBSERVE/
FEEDBACK
EXPLORE/
LEARN
REFRAME/
DEFINE

THE WHOLE PROCESS IS ABOUT EMPATHY.

DESIGN IS TOO
IMPORTANT TO LEAVE TO
DESIGNERS ALONE.
IT INVOLVES YOUR TEAM, YOUR CLIENT AND THEIR CUSTOMERS

UNLEASH DESIGN THINKING.

WHETHER IT’S ON YOUR BUSINESS CARD
OR NOT: BE A DIRECTOR.

“Creativity is the process of having
original ideas that have value.
It’s a process. It’s not linear,
but it’s not random.”
Sir Ken Robinson

DESIGN IS WHERE
SCIENCE & ART
BREAK EVEN.

CURIOSITY
EMPATHY
IMAGINATION
COMMON
SENSE
WE USE OUR MOST
CHARACTERISTIC
SKILLS FOR
DESIGN THINKING:

Curiosity means being open minded,
and sincerely interested in how things
work, why they work, or why they don’t.
CURIOSITY MAKES YOU
SEE.

CURIOSITY HELPS YOU
FIND OUT WHAT YOU
NEED TO LEARN.

Empathy means being interested in other
people and their behavior, while being
able to imagine yourself in their shoes.
EMPATHY MAKES YOU
FEEL

Imagination is simply the power to ‘see’
stuff that isn’t there yet.
IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, YOU
CAN COME UP WITH
SOLUTIONS.

Imagination means being able to dream
up new possibilities.
IMAGINATION ENABLES
YOU TO WONDER

COMMON SENSE MAKES
SENSE OUT OF THINGS.

Common sense enables you to apply
some simple logic.
COMMON SENSE MAKES
YOU UNDERSTAND

“It is in working within restrictions,
that the master reveals himself.”
Goethe

TO CONCLUDE

Before you start anything, make sure
you get the bigger picture.
1

Make that tangible by creating a
high-level storymap.
2

REMEMBER: WE’RE NOT ALONE.
Engage your team and your client in your
design thinking process by filling the gaps
with all solutions you can think of.
3

The actual problem – or the best
things you can do – will surface from
what’s on your map: Decide what’s
most valuable and create something
to make it real.
4

Launch what you built to a real
audience and see what it does.
5

Learn from that to improve
your solution.
6

Repeat until satisfied.

DON’T PRACTICE UNTIL
YOU GET IT RIGHT,
PRACTICE UNTIL YOU
CAN’T GET IT WRONG.
ITERATE RELENTLESSLY

Help your teams and your clients
participating in your design thinking
process by familiarizing them with
our key skills.

ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY CURIOUS!

MAKE SURE THEY REALLY EMPATHIZE
WITH THE ACTUAL PEOPLE USING THE
PRODUCTS YOU DESIGN.

IMAGINE TOGETHER HOW YOU
CAN CHANGE THEIR WORLD.

STAY GROUNDED IN REALITY.

Thanks to giphy.com for existing
& thanks to all the wonderful people
creating & posting their gifs!
AND THANKS TO Y’ALL FOR
LISTENING!