Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem solving that involves empathizing with users, defining problems from their perspective, generating creative ideas, building prototypes, and testing solutions with users. It was pioneered by companies like Stanford's DSchool and individuals like Edison and Brunel who took a holistic view of innovation that considered users' needs. Design thinking focuses on asking questions to gain insights, encourages participation and wild ideas, and uses prototyping and testing to quickly refine solutions. The process helps ensure solutions are useful, usable and have a bigger impact by keeping users as the central focus.

1. Design Thinking
What is it?

2. DESIGN THINKING IS A COLLABORATIVE, HUMAN-CENTERED APPROACH...
D*School, Institute of Design,
Stanford
... TO SOLVING COMPLEX PROBLEMS BY GOING THROUGH SPECIFIC STAGES:
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN NEEDS (EMPATHIZE), FRAMING THE PROBLEM (DEFINE),
GENERATING IDEAS (IDEATE), BUILDING MODELS (PROTOTYPE) AND GETTING
FEEDBACK TO REFINE MODELS (TESTING).

3. Design Thinking
Thomas Edison created the electric lightbulb and
then wrapped an entire industry around it. In the
19th century Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed
The Great Western Railway. He didn’t stop with
just trying to design the best railway journey. He
imagined an integrated transportation system
in which it would be possible for a passenger to
embark on a train in London and disembark from
a ship in New York.
Edison and Brunel’s approach was an early
example of what is now called “design thinking”—
a methodology that imbues the full spectrum
of innovation activities with a human-centered
design ethos. Innovation is powered by a thorough
understanding, through direct observation, of
what people want and need in their lives and
what they like or dislike about the way particular
products are made, packaged, marketed, sold,
and supported.
http://hbr.org/2008/06/design-thinking/
http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_urges_designers_to_think_big

4. EMPATHISE
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN NEEDS (EMPATHIZE), ASK
QUESTIONS, WHY? WHY? WHY? THIS WILL ALLOW
CROSS FUNCTIONAL INSIGHT INTO EACH PROBLEM
FROM A VARIED NUMBER OF PERSPECTIVES.
OBSERVE, ENGAGE, WATCH, LISTEN.

6. DEFINE
GATHER ALL THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE
DISCOVERED AND FRAME THE PROBLEM.
BRING CLARITY, FOCUS AND REDEFINE
YOUR DIRECTION.

8. IDEATE
From Wikipedia: Herbert Simon, in the “Sciences of the Artificial” (MIT Press, 1969) has defined “design” as the “transformation of existing conditions into preferred ones” (p. 55).
GENERATE IDEAS. “THERE ARE NO JUDGMENTS IN DESIGN THINKING. THIS ELIMINATES
THE FEAR OF FAILURE AND ENCOURAGES MAXIMUM INPUT AND PARTICIPATION. WILD
IDEAS ARE WELCOME, SINCE THESE OFTEN LEAD TO THE MOST CREATIVE SOLUTIONS.
EVERYONE IS A DESIGNER, AND DESIGN THINKING IS A WAY TO APPLY DESIGN
METHODOLOGIES TO ANY OF LIFE’S SITUATIONS.”
Herbert Simon

10. PROTOTYPE
PROTOTYPES OF THE SOLUTIONS ARE BUILT.
PROTOTYPING ALLOWS US TO MOVE IDEAS
FORWARD QUICKLY.

12. TESTING
USER TESTING ALLOWS
FEEDBACK TO REDEFINE
THE SOLUTIONS.

14. Conclusion
If we focus more on design thinking as an
approach, we might see the results have a bigger
impact. Design is human-centered, how easy
it is to forget the very people we are solving
the problem for, when we get caught up in the
logistics and clash of interests that take place in
the real world. This is an important reminder of
the human-centered approach that the
design-thinking process emphasizes.
We need to start asking questions like what
makes life easier, more enjoyable? What makes
technology useful and usable? It is more than
good ergonomics, it’s often about understanding
culture and context before we even know where to
start to have ideas.
Design thinking gives us a new way of
tackling problems instead of resolving them with
what is available. It encourages us to look from
several perspectives by focusing on the needs of
the human.
http://hbr.org/2008/06/design-thinking/
http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_urges_designers_to_think_big

15. Entropii is a Design Consultancy in London.
You can find more information about us here:
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Hilda Allen
Lead Designer @ Entropii