What is Design Thinking
Design thinking is a method that is often used in the context of innovation and digitization. Design Thinking is a mindset and a structured approach for finding answers to complex problems and questions in interdisciplinary innovation teams. Through intensive engagement with the reality of users, innovation teams build up a deep understanding of the users' lives.
At its core, it's about the Design Thinking method for understanding users' problems, challenges, and strategies. “Users” are people who come into contact with a product or service. Through intensive examination of people's problems and subsequent development of ideas including a test phase, innovative solutions are created to solve these problems.
Why us Design Thinking?
The Design Thinking method enables people from a wide range of fields to address problems from a user-centered perspective. The process is based on the way designers work. In the first phase of a design process, they deal intensively with users and their behavior. Design thinking is based on a procedural approach. The method can therefore be easily integrated into business processes.
At the same time, Design Thinking can be used as a solution strategy for a variety of problems across different industries. With Design Thinking, innovation teams question old business models, develop new business models or improve the status quo.
The Design Thinking method promotes collaborative collaboration in interdisciplinary innovation teams. Design Thinking can therefore improve collaboration across various specialist areas of a company. Design Thinking can help solve problems in an unconventional way.
What are the core aspects of the Design Thinking method?
In Design Thinking, innovations and valuable problem solutions combine three key aspects: economic viability, human desirability and technological feasibility. These innovations arise at the intersection of these three core aspects. The method presupposes that it is not enough to develop a technical solution that does not satisfy the needs of users. In the same way, solutions that address the user's problem core must be technically feasible and economically profitable.
Design Thinking approaches problem solutions from the perspective of human desirability. The aspects of economic viability and technological feasibility are usually examined in a downstream step.
How does the Design Thinking process work?
The procedural core of Design Thinking consists of two opening and closing phases, which are called problem space and solution space. Each phase is in turn divided into individual sections. When the process requires it, Design Thinking innovation teams jump back and forth from different sections to any section. Depending on the diagram, you can find the 6-stage Design Thinking process from the Hasso Plattner Institute or the 5-stage IDEO process on the Internet. No matter which image you choose, each diagram represents exactly this connection.
In the first phase, the problem space, innovation teams define the problem that is solved with the help of Design Thinking. The problem space is divided into the sections Understanding, Observing and Defining a View. When a concrete opportunity has been identified, innovation teams search for possible innovative solutions in the solution room. The solution space is divided into the following sections: finding ideas, prototyping and testing.
Understanding
If innovation teams work with Design Thinking, the first project phase is about creating common framework conditions. Examples include responsibility in the innovation team, the project budget or the project duration. The innovation team finds a uniform understanding of the problem, which is solved using the Design Thinking method. It is not necessary to find the right problem: It must be written openly enough and from the user's perspective. A precise problem statement prevents the wishes of your company or the solution from being projected into the problem. Once all important details have been clarified and the first obstacles have been identified, exploration begins.
Observation
In the second section, current problems and challenges faced by users are researched. In design thinking, users are involved from the very first minute. In practice, research is advanced to identify initial assumptions. The user research phase then begins, in which users are asked about the problem, goals and challenges through qualitative interviews.
Definition of the point of view
After intensive discussion with the user, the results are summarized in the third section. With the help of a synthesis, the core aspects of user research are identified. For this purpose, the most important problems are clustered and personas are developed that represent different user groups. All problems are placed in the business context to identify the problems that the innovation team will solve.
Identification of ideas
Based on the problems, so-called “How might we” questions (also “How can we” questions) are formed in the fourth section. These are a transformation of the problem as a question. These questions form the starting point for brainstorming. In brainstorming, innovation teams look for as many ideas as possible to solve the problem as innovatively as possible. A brainstorming session is often not enough. Innovation teams are trying out different perspectives to ideas to generate “out of the box.” In the end, the best ideas are selected from all ideas for prototyping.
Prototyping
Prototyping is used time and again in Design Thinking to make ideas tangible. Prototypes help the innovation team to develop a common understanding of the idea. They help prepare an idea for interaction with the user. Prototypes make the idea real enough to test it with a user. There are various types of prototypes. For digital products or services, we recommend wireframing first and then developing digital click dummies.
Testing
In the sixth section, the ideas are tested. Feedback is collected through testing, usually in the form of direct interaction with the user. Feedback helps the innovation team to further develop the product. Through testing, it finds out which features the user likes or dislikes about the idea. The aim is not only to verify good ideas, but also to quickly uncover not-so-good ideas. All this information is collected and processed in a structured manner. Testing forms the basis for the further development of an idea.
What are the principles of the Design Thinking method?
User-centred
The principle of user-centricity is the central point of the Design Thinking method. The methods chosen in the process help innovation teams build up a deep understanding of the living and working environment of the target groups. All methods are selected specifically for this purpose.
Iterative and agile
In design thinking, there is no such thing as the “holy grail.” Through iteration loops and constantly questioning the status quo, innovation teams are gradually approaching the solution. This mindset is an essential part of the method and is supported by an agile approach.
Co-creative
Interdisciplinary innovation teams on equal footing are a success factor in the Design Thinking method. They combine different perspectives on a question. At the same time, the various perspectives are integrated during the development process of the solution. This process is known as co-creative collaboration.
Ten rules for Design Thinking as a basis for collaboration
- Deferve criticism
- Stay on topic
- Work in a multidisciplinary way
- Quantity is more important than quality
- Think user-centred
- Encourage wild ideas
- Build on others' ideas
- Only one speaks
- Fail early and often
- Work visually
How does Zweitag work with Design Thinking?
We use the innovative method of Design Thinking to understand the problems and challenges of their users together with our customers. We identify stakeholders and investigate pain points. Before we test ideas with prototypes, we question whether your company should strategically solve this problem. We take an iterative approach and focus on the development of digital prototypes. Innovative products and services have a good user interface. They need these in order to be marketable. This is where we come in with our innovation team of consultants, designers and developers.
Design Thinking is not a religion for us. We usefully complement the Design Thinking method with Design Sprints or the Lean Startup Method. We focus on the development of Minimum Viable Products (MVP). In this way, we find out at an early stage whether there is a willingness to buy the product. This ensures the success of our customers — and therefore our success.