If we want to the wicked problems in our current relationship with nature, we first need to look at ourselves, our human nature. By improving ourselves and our problem-solving capacity, we have a better chance of solving the environmental problems we are facing today. In this talk, I illustrate how designers solve problems and why the current way businesses and organizations solve problems does not work anymore and how design can boost or problem-solving capacity.

1. INCREASING HUMAN
PROBLEM-SOLVING
CAPACITY THROUGH
DESIGN
DENNIS HAMBEUKERS
STRATEGIC DESIGN CONSULTANT @ZUIDERLICHT
NADC19
JUNE 22ND 2019

3. I AM AN ENGINEER ON A
JOURNEY THROUGH DESIGN

4. NEVER ON TIME
OR BUDGET
NO ROOM FOR
CREATIVITY
NO VALUE
FOR USERS
NO FUN

5. SCIENTIFIC
MANAGEMENT
SOLVE PROBLEMS BY CUTTING
THEM INTO PIECES AND STICKING
THEM BACK TOGETHER
FACTORY
THE WAY OF
THE DESIGNER
SOLVE PROBLEMS BY
ATTACKING THE WHOLE
ATELIER

6. PROBLEM-SOLVINGPERFORMANCE
PROBLEM COMPLEXITY
THE WAY OF
THE DESIGNER
SCIENTIFIC
MANAGEMENT
SIMPLE
PROBLEMS
COMPLICATED
PROBLEMS
COMPLEX
PROBLEMS

7. + + + +BUDGET
HAPPINESS
SPACE FOR
CREATIVITY
VALUE FOR
USERS
ENGAGING
PROJECTS

8. WHY IS THAT?
WHY DOES THE WAY OF THE DESIGNER WORK
BETTER IN COMPLEX SITUATIONS?

9. … AND WHAT DOES THAT
TELL US ABOUT COMPLEX
PROBLEM SOLVING?

10. 10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM DESIGN
THAT APPARENTLY ARE IMPORTANT FOR COMPLEX
PROBLEM SOLVING

11. 1. SYSTEMS THINKING
DESIGNERS ARE BETTER
AT SEEING THE BIG
PICTURE, THE SMALL
DETAILS, AND
CONNECTING THEM

12. ZOOM IN ZOOM OUT
CONSTANTLY SOLVING PROBLEMS ON DIFFERENT LEVELS
WHILE TRYING TO GET THE WHOLE AND THE PARTS TO
WORK TOGETHER.

13. 2. SEEING OBJECTIVELY
DESIGNERS SEE BETTER

14. 95% OF WHAT WE SEE,
IS WHAT WE THINK WE SEE
OUR BRAIN USES MODELS AND ASSUMPTIONS FOR SPEED

15. DRAWING IS A REALLY GOOD
EXERCISE FOR SEEING
LEARN TO TURN OFF YOU ASSUMPTIONS

16. 3. OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING
DESIGNERS ARE LESS
AFRAID TO SUGGEST
SOMETHING CRAZY

17. SEEING DIFFERENT
REQUIRES COURAGE
YOU NEED TO FEEL SAFE TO SEE DIFFERENT

18. BEING DIFFERENT
IS EXPECTED FROM A
DESIGNER
THIS ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR COURAGE

19. 4. PERONAL RESPONSIBILITY
DESIGNERS CARE MORE
ABOUT THEIR WORK

20. DESIGNERS HAVE MORE
SKIN IN THE GAME
CARING AND OWNERSHIP LEADS TO BETTER SOLUTIONS

21. 5. ALIGN WITH HUMAN NATURE
DESIGNERS WORK MORE
ATTUNED TO HUMAN
NATURE

22. THE WAY
HUMANS ARE
WIRED
SCIENTIFIC
MANAGEMENT
WAY

23. DESIGNERS ACCEPT THAT
HUMAN CREATIVITY IS
MESSY
THEY USE PROCESSES AND TOOLS ONLY TO
ENHANCE CREATIVITY NOT LIMIT IT

24. 6. PLATFORM FOR COCREATION
DESIGN IS A COMMON
LANGUAGE THAT CAN
BRING PEOPLE
TOGETHER

25. TODAY EACH DISCIPLINE
SPEAKS A DIFFERENT
LANGUAGE
TO ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS WE MUST ALL SPEAK THE
SAME LANGUAGE

26. VISUALS ARE A GREAT
COMMON LANGUAGE
USE IT TO CONNECT DISCIPLINES AND LEVELS

27. 7. LEARNING ABILITY
DESIGNERS ARE BETTER
LEARNERS THAN OTHER
PEOPLE

28. RESULTSSTRATEGY
MENTAL
MODEL
SINGLE-LOOP
LEARNING
DOUBLE-LOOP LEARNING
>
>
>
>

29. “IN THE BEGINNER’S MIND
THERE ARE MANY
POSSIBILITIES, IN THE
EXPERT’S MIND
THERE ARE FEW.”
- SUZUKI SHUNRYŪ

30. 8. TRUST
DESIGNERS ARE MORE
COMFORTABLE WITH
UNCERTAINTY

31. DESIGNERS WALLOW IN A
STATE OF UNCERTAINTY
THEY ARE USED TO IT AND
KNOW THEY CAN FIND A WAY OUT

32. 9. DIALOGUE WITH MATTER
DESIGNERS TALK TO
OBJECTS TO FIND
SOLUTIONS

33. EVERY MATTER HAS A GRAIN
LET IT GUIDE YOU

34. “THE SCULPTURE IS ALREADY
COMPLETE WITHIN THE
MARBLE BLOCK. I JUST HAVE
TO CHISEL AWAY THE
SUPERFLUOUS MATERIAL.”
- MICHELANGELO

35. THIS GOES FOR ANY
MEDIUM
CODE, THE INTERNET, ORGANIZATIONS, YOUTUBE, CARS

36. “WE SHAPE OUR TOOLS,
AND OUR TOOLS SHAPE US.”
- MARSHALL MCLUHAN

37. 10. QUESTION FINDING
DESIGNERS USE DESIGNS
AS A WAY TO GET TO THE
RIGHT QUESTIONS

38. NAVIGATE THE
PROBLEM-SOLUTION SPACE
USE SOLUTIONS TO FIND PROBLEMS

39. PROBLEM
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
SOLUTION
SOLUTION

40. DESIGNERS COME UP WITH
SOLUTIONS TO FIND RIGHT
QUESTIONS
A DESIGN IS NOT A GOAL IN ITSELF, BUT A MEANS

41. “ONCE YOU FIGURE OUT THE
QUESTION, THEN THE ANSWER
IS RELATIVELY EASY.”
- ELON MUSK

42. THIS IS HOW DESIGN BOOSTS
COMPLEX PROBLEM
SOLVING CAPACITY
SYSTEMS THINKING, SEEING OBJECTIVELY, OUTSIDE THE
BOX THINKING, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, ALIGN TO
HUMAN NATURE, PLATFORM FOR COCREATION, LEARNING
ABILITY, TRUST, DIALOGUE WITH MATTER, QUESTION
FINDING

43. THE CHALLENGE IS THE
TRANSFER
HOW CAN WE USE THE SKILLS DESIGNERS HAVE
DEVELOPED ON NON-DESIGN PROBLEMS?

44. PROBLEM-SOLVINGPERFORMANCE
COMPLEXITY
THE WAY OF
THE DESIGNER
SCIENTIFIC
MANAGEMENT
SIMPLE
PROBLEMS
COMPLICATED
PROBLEMS
COMPLEX
PROBLEMS

45. THAT IS WHAT DESIGN
THINKING IS ALL ABOUT
TRANSFERRING THE SKILLS OF DESIGNERS TO
COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING

46. WHAT CAN YOU DO?
HOW CAN YOU TAP INTO THE WAY OF THE DESIGNER?

47. RESULTS
DESIGN
WORKSHOPS
MENTAL
MODEL
SINGLE-LOOP
LEARNING
DOUBLE-LOOP LEARNING
>
>
>
>

48. “THE GREATEST
UNEXPLORED TERRITORY IN
THE WORLD IS THE SPACE
BETWEEN OUR EARS.”
BILL O’BRIEN

49. IF WE WANT HALF A CHANCE, WE NEED TO UP OUR
PROBLEM-SOLVING GAME.

50. THANK YOU!
DENNIS@ZUIDERLICHT.NL
WWW.ZUIDERLICHT.NL
MEDIUM.COM/DESIGN-LEADERSHIP-NOTEBOOK
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/DENNISHAMBEUKERS