The document discusses design thinking, including what it is, why it matters, who benefits from it, how companies can implement design thinking processes, and who should drive design thinking. The presenter provides their perspective on design thinking after a ProductCamp discussion. Design thinking is described as a culture, ideology, and proven problem-solving process. Companies starting new projects or solutions, rather than iterative development, are said to benefit most. Design thinking should start with new product teams and be driven by adopting the culture at all company layers.

1. Session topic: Design thinking – what is it
and who shall drive it?
Harri Pendolin
Prodman
ProductCamp Helsinki
18.4.2015

2. Just a little bit about me…
 Harri Pendolin
 Founder and Managing
Director of Prodman
 15+ years in product
(management) business
 Personal growth path from
tech to product to
business orientation

3. Product
manager
Is design
thinking a
friend or an
enemy?

4. Our target is to be agile…
Picture source: www.abacom.it
Is it business
that serves
processes or
vice versa?

5. We want to be lean…
Picture source: freakingnews.com
Perhaps we
should not try
to fix
something that
is not broken?

6. Design thinking?
Picture source: www.graphixmedia.net

7. The questions we wanted to answer:
 What is design thinking?
 Why it matters for me (or anybody)?
 Who would benefit from design thinking?
 How shall companies implement “design
thinking processes”?
 Who shall drive design thinking?

8. What is Design Thinking?
 It is …
 Culture
 Ideology
 Proven and repeatable problem-solving protocol
 Process
 different things for different people!

9. Design Thinking Process
(one example of it)
Discover
• Learn about
the audience
for whom you
are designing
Define
• Construct a
point of view
that is based
on user needs
and insights
Ideate
• Brainstorm and
come up with
creative
solutions
Prototype
• Build a
representation
of one or more
of your ideas
to show to
others
Test
• Return to your
original user
group and
testing your
ideas for
feedback

10. Why does it matter for me (or anybody)?
The answer we came up with:
 It may be a good asset where completely
new kind of a solution is sought.

11. Who would benefit from design thinking?
The answer we came up with:
 Companies and communities starting from
the green field, not the ones doing iterative
development.

12. How shall companies implement “design
thinking processes”?
The answer we came up with:
 Starting from the groups working with new
products and solution.

13. Who shall drive design thinking?
The answer we came up with:
 If the adoption doesn’t happen in all the
layers the culture will never change.
 Alternative solution: Hire high-paid
consultants to do it 

14. Conclusion
 Is design thinking a friend or an enemy for a
product manager?
 Voting results:
 No 2
 Yes 3
 No opinion A LOT!