Design Thinking

Approaching the problem:

Effective Problem Solving:
 Common Barriers to Problem Solving

Keep in mind the following five common barriers to problem solving:

 Confirmation Bias – Think about unconscious or unintentional preconceptions that affect how you
receive and interpret data. Are your hypotheses or opinions limiting how you view and process the
problem?

 Mental Set – Avoid only attempting to solve problems in ways that were successful in the past. Are
you defaulting to historical experience without considering new and alternative approaches and
solutions?

 Functional Fixedness – Be careful to avoid assuming that teams, machines, or individuals can only
help in specific ways. Are you restricting the use of specific objects or resources without considering
less traditional uses or other relevant capabilities they may have to offer?

 Irrelevant Information – Filter the information that you receive; in many cases, information that is
not related to your specific problem is uncovered and can distract from your ability to focus on the root
cause and sticking to your plan. Are you spending too much time and effort considering information
that does not involve the key questions you are trying to answer?

 Unnecessary Constraints – Remove unnecessary boundaries and limits placed on your process that
might impede your ability to innovate and be efficient. Are you placing unnecessary requirements on
your solution design or documentation process that are not required and are constraining how you
solve the problem?

Problem Solving Frameworks

Before you can begin to solve a problem, you must be able to clearly articulate what it is and how it is
impacting your organization. There are many ways to define any problem you are facing. To begin:

 Review the information at hand. What impact are you seeing? Where does it seem to be
originating? How did it come to your attention?

 Next, try to distill it to one core problem. Where is the information you have leading you? Is there
a clear path to one problem? If not, how can you find one?

 Finally, determine its origin. Where does your problem originate? Is it a personnel problem? A
process problem? An organizational problem?
Taking these steps early on in the problem solving process will help you to clearly define your problem
and avoid developing an ineffective solution, wasting resources, or otherwise limiting your ability to
solve the real problem.

Defining the problem: Separating Symptom from

Problem

Your first step in tackling any challenge is to clearly and accurately define the problem you are
addressing. While this may sound straightforward, quite often symptoms can disguise or misdirect
focus away from the underlying problem.

As you problem solve, you will need to dig deep in your approach to ensure you are focusing on the
root cause and not merely the symptoms. One way to do this is to use the “Five Whys” technique. This
involves initiating your diagnosis by asking, “Why is this happening?” up to five times to ensure your
focus isn’t on symptoms but on the root cause.

To return to our earlier example, imagine Caroline asks why she’s out of cupcakes every afternoon.
Her answer: because she doesn’t have enough ingredients to make a batch of cupcakes that will be
ready in the afternoon.

Why? Because Ed isn’t making deliveries on time.

Why? Because the orders aren’t ready to be picked up.
Why? Because they’re not being filled.
Why? Because the suppliers haven’t been paid.
Why? Because received invoices are not being emailed to accounts payable

By asking “why?” and digging into her problem, Caroline has learned that her problem is not simply a
lack of ingredients, but actually a problem with her accounts payable process.

The “Five Whys” strategy can be applied to any number of problems. You will know you reached the
end of a chain when you reach a fixable item, such as a process or structural challenge. Once you
understand the root, you can define your problem statement and start working!
SMART GOALS:

Example 1: Caroline’s Cupcakes

Context: Caroline is experiencing delivery delays because she is not paying vendors on time. You have
isolated that the root cause of the issue stems from her accounts payable process.

Essential Question: “How can I ensure all supply vendors are paid within 30 days over the next two
months?”
 SMART Checklist:

 Specific -- The question is clearly focused, in this case on payments to supply vendors. You could make
this objective even more specific by changing ‘vendors are paid’ with ‘vendors receive funds’ or ‘funds
are disbursed to vendors’.

 Measurable -- The question targets achieving a defined metric, in this case days until payment -- or
Accounts Payable days. This can be easily tracked and assessed as to whether it falls within or outside
of the 30-day target.

 Action-Oriented -- The question focuses on Accounts Payable actions, specifically on the business
making payments in a timely fashion.

 Relevant -- The question is relevant to addressing the root cause issue, as paying vendors on time will
require addressing root issues with her payments process.

 Time-bound -- The question targets a time frame, specifically on achieving the desired outcome within
two months.

Example 2: Freelance Designer

Context: You are a freelance designer and operate lean. You are struggling to bring in business.

Essential Question: “How can I increase my freelance revenues by 25% within the next two months?”

In both of these examples, framing the question using the SMART framework ensures problem solving
efforts are action- and goal-oriented. With continued practice, you can overcome even the most
challenging issues.

Building an Issue Tree

Arjun supervises park rangers at a small historical museum in his city. Despite the museum’s size,
Arjun’s team hosts many visitors each year. His team offers visitors tours for a fee and then allows
them to peruse artifacts found in the area around the museum and from various sister museums in
other cities.
The team at the museum has noticed their tour numbers steadily declining over the past year and
have identified unsatisfied tourists as a major problem that they need to address. Arjun and a few
team members came to the museum as tourists and took the tours themselves to gain a new
understanding of areas where they need to improve.

Help Arjun and his team finish building an issue tree around tour satisfaction by dragging and dropping
the contributing factors that they have identified into place below.

Arjun and his team have determined that the tourists’ negative experiences at the museum could be
due to dissatisfaction with the tour format, the museum, or the tour guide.

Dissatisfaction with the tour format could be traced back to the price of the tour, the size of the tour
groups, or the tour options being undesirable. Some visitors may be unhappy because the tours are
only available in the languages spoken by the guides on hand, are scheduled during working hours,
and are lengthy.
 Visitors dissatisfied with the museum could be upset by the fact that the museum lacks
documentation--some artifacts are not well-labeled--and there are no maps available to help visitors
navigate the museum. They may also be dissatisfied with the number of unengaging artifacts;
between irrelevant artifacts from sister museums and old, deteriorating artifacts, the museum has a
lot of work to do to create a pool of relevant and well-maintained artifacts.

Finally, visitors may be dissatisfied with tour guides because they are not well informed or because
they poorly deliver the tours. Uninformed guides do not provide grounding details about the exhibits
and artifacts, and they are unable to answer visitors’ questions. Plus, some guides deliver the tours
poorly; they are unenthusiastic, speak too quickly, and are difficult to hear.

From this issue tree, it’s clear that Arjun and his team need to develop a new tour methodology so that
they can continue to attract history lovers of all backgrounds and promote their museum. This issue
tree is a great place for them to begin to identify problem areas and develop dynamic solutions.

Tools for Effective Problem Solving

Often, when you face a problem, it’s tempting to turn to an online search engine where you can follow
an easy, direct path to learn how to do almost anything, ranging from how to draft a memo, to where
to bring a client to dinner in a foreign city, or when to ask for a raise.

But what do you do when you encounter a bigger problem or one that is completely unique to your
organization? Several tools can help you break through mental roadblocks and keep momentum going.
Here are a few tools to get you started:

 Research – Research is often the first step in problem solving. Browsing to spark ideas and seeing
what others have done will help you determine if and how you can use existing data or if you will need
to develop your own.

 Brainstorms – Brainstorms help you team-source diverse solutions to problems you face by bringing
together individuals from different departments, backgrounds, and schools of thought. While your
initial ideas may seem quirky and unlikely to be the best solution, the creative process may very likely
lead you to one!

 Diagrams and Models – Flowcharts, fishbone diagrams, and other models or diagrams are useful
places to begin to see the structure around your problem. Visual representations of problems
sometimes help to clarify and bring the core problems or causes to the surface to provide a focus for
your problem solving.

 Divide and Conquer - Many problems require multi-pronged solutions. Dividing large problems into
smaller, conquerable problems will help you to gain perspective and make progress towards a solution
even if you don’t necessarily have all the answers yet.
 Prioritizing Your Problem Solving

Depending on the size and complexity of the problem, your issue tree may have quite a few branches.
Simply put, you should not try to investigate and solve every issue you see. Instead, prioritize where
your efforts will have the biggest impact.

You will want to create a ranked list of issues to guide your work. How should you approach this
ranking? You should begin by considering two key questions that ultimately summarize the return on
your efforts:

1. How much impact will addressing that issue have? Consider your essential question and your
targeted objective. How far will addressing this issue get you towards your goal?

2. How easy will it be to design and implement a solution? Consider the complexity of the issue,
the amount of time and resources required, and risks to success.

Ask these questions for each issue, tagging the issue with a designation of High-, Medium-, or Low-
Impact, and High-, Medium-, or Low-Ease.

To show how the different issues compare we will plot them on a 2x2 matrix, like the one shown below.
One axis will correspond to Ease of Execution; the other axis will correspond to Potential Impact. Plot
out your solutions on the matrix, and focus on those factors that fall in the upper right hand quadrant
-- those solutions that are high impact with high ease of execution.

Let’s take a look at an example of this in action: Consider a young couple looking to sell their home.
Their house has been listed for sale for three months, but they have not received offers at their
proposed price point. Their real estate agent believes there are a number of things that might be
preventing potential buyers from making an offer, including:

 The yard is poorly kept, with an overgrown lawn and shrubs

 The house requires several major repairs, including a new roof

 Chipped paint on the front door causes a bad first impression

With an open house scheduled soon, the couple needs to prioritize their changes. There are a number
of things that can be done to increase the likelihood of a higher bid, but let’s consider the three that
their realtor highlighted:

 New roof: This might raise the raise the home value significantly – having a High Impact, but also the
work required is quite costly and thus has relatively Low Ease.

 Mow the lawn: Spending time and effort to mow the lawn and do some minor landscaping has
relatively High Ease, and while not as impactful as the roof, may have Medium Impact in terms of
attracting solid bids.

 Paint the front door: Painting the front door is relatively inexpensive and quick, or High Ease. It will
improve the first impression of potential buyers and the real estate agent believes this will have a High
Impact.

In many cases, there are several options for which issues you should focus on. Always be sure to test
your ideas and add new information to your prioritization matrix as you learn it. Once you set your
priorities, you will want to develop a plan to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of any of these
new initiatives. Use the rule 80/20 to priorize contributing facts, that 80% of the results are driven by
20% of the factors correct.

Planning Your Analysis

 Once you understand the focus of your analysis, you can create an effective work plan. This plan
should lay out the steps in your analysis process and corresponding target deliverables. For each step,
you should identify an owner and specific timeline.

As you plan your work, keep in mind the following tips:

 Validate that each step directly maps to your objectives and desired end product

 Plan thoughtfully to balance the workload across team members and timelines

 Match resources to three work plan horizons: the overall plan; project-specific sections of work; and
deliverables by week

The goal of the Planning stage is to create a work plan that maps out the analyses you will perform to
test each hypothesis and the tangible outputs that these analyses will produce.

Armed with your workplan, you will learn in the following units the best practices for
the Analysis, Synthesisand Communication stages of the Problem Solving Process.

Analysis Best Practices

Analysis is often the most time-intensive aspect of the problem solving process. This stage focuses on
performing the critical research and data analysis to prove or disprove your hypothesis and generate
your target outputs.

Here are some key tips you should keep in mind as you approach analysis:

 Focus on answers, not analysis. Always focus on the end goals of your analysis: the answers you
are trying to obtain and the outputs you are trying to generate. Instead of blindly making calculations,
take a step back to ensure you understand your objectives, and to confirm that every analysis has
clear purpose.

 Numbers speak. Data is a powerful tool that should be leveraged heavily in your analytical process.
Where possible, use quantitative facts to drive your thinking. While qualitative research can be
compelling, its subjective nature produces findings that are more likely to be challenged, and thus
require a high burden of proof.

 Keep it simple. Your analysis should always be thoughtful and fact-based. However, this does not
mean that every analysis requires multiple, indisputable proof points. Keep the 80/20 principle in mind.
Recognize when getting a “directionally correct” solution quickly is more valuable than investing time
in a “perfect” answer.
 Avoid analysis paralysis. Data availability will guide which analyses are viable. Either too much or
too little data can block analytical progress and lead to an “analysis paralysis,” overthinking to the
point where no action can be taken. Reality-check that your analyses are reasonable given the
available data and your timelines.

Analysis can feel daunting, but is also one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of the problem
solving process. Stay focused, fact-driven, and uncomplicated and you’ll be well on your way to
compelling insights!

Analyzing and Synthesizing Your Findings

Synthesis is about translating rigorous analysis to meaningful insights. This means identifying a
compelling solution supported by analytical findings.

Synthesis can be broken down into 3 major steps:

1. Identify implications of the analysis. To begin, review the critical outputs of your analysis. Begin
by asking yourself, “So what? Why does this matter?” Does this validate or refute the hypothesis you
were testing? What else can you learn?

a. Example:

i. Data point 1: Only 40% of alumni donate; even when the number of unique campaigns increases.

ii. Data point 2: The average alumni donor contributes funds 1.1 times per year; even when the
number of unique campaigns increases.

iii. Insight 1: Donation frequency is unlikely to increase with more campaigns.

iv. Data point 3: Donations made during holiday season campaigns are 20% higher, on average,
compared to non-holiday campaigns.

v. Insight 2: The best time for campaigns is during the holiday season.

2. Establish “governing thoughts.” In the aggregate, what are your insights and hypotheses telling
you? Your findings should help you build a pyramid of insights that lead to higher-order “governing
thoughts.”

a. Example:

i. Insight 1: Donation frequency is unlikely to increase with more campaigns.

ii. Insight 2: The best time for campaigns is during the holiday season.

iii. Implied “governing thought”: Universities should reduce the number of different alumni fundraising
campaigns, and focus resources on campaigns during the holiday seasons.
 3. Frame your story. Ultimately, you will need to convey this story to your key audience. One
impactful way to do this is by using the Situation – Complication – Resolution framework to tell a
story. Outline the current Situation, the context of why the issue matters; follow with the Complication,
the major challenge being experienced; and end with the Resolution, your conclusion.

a. Example:

i. Situation – Alumni donors are a critical source of funding for university research grants and
scholarships

ii. Complication – Increasing the number of campaigns has been unsuccessful in increasing total
donation amounts.

iii. Resolution – Universities should find ways to capitalize on greater donor generosity during the
holidays, for example by extending campaign length or the donation channels used by these
campaigns.

By conducting thoughtful research and taking the time to consolidate, sort, summarize, and synthesize
your data, you will answer key questions and identify meaningful connections. During this step in the
process, you will refine your findings and develop your recommended solution and plan.

Recommending an Impactful Plan

Your final step in the problem solving process will be to communicate your findings and recommended
solution to key stakeholders. Ultimately, the credibility of your solution and the impact of your work
largely depend on your ability to effectively structure and deliver this message.

Consider the following as you frame your solution to stakeholders:

 Make your recommendation actionable. Simply put, a recommendation is not just an answer. For
a solution to have impact it must by accompanied by a plan that is both feasible and easily understood
by all stakeholders. Make sure that your recommendation goes beyond stating the solution; it must
also address what action is required, who must take it, and how it will work.

 Show your logic. An effective recommendation must have visible, defensible logic. It is not enough
for you to believe your assertion is true; you must convince your audience as well. Use top-down
thinking to structure and communicate a compelling argument.

 Test the solution. Your project’s stakeholders are there for a reason -- they are most often the
subject-matter experts with relevant expertise, or the individuals whom your solution will ultimately
impact. Test your solution with these stakeholders as it evolves; doing so will act as a check on your
thinking and help you gain buy-in for your recommendation.
 In all cases, the success of your problem solving effort will be judged by the results and impact of your
solution. To get there you need an actionable plan and compelling logic that generates buy-in. Invest
in making sure your communication can deliver.

Be prepared for a New Strategic Plan

Imagine that you are an executive at a technology firm, tasked with retiring a legacy hardware product
to focus on higher margin software programs and developing a new cloud-based product.

This shift will require changing the focus and priorities for your product development, customer
success, and marketing teams, as well communicating the change to current customers. The
reorganization will require some new hires, but also lay-offs.

How would you frame the strategic shift as a positive change for your company? How would you
explain it to the employees, external stakeholders, and most importantly, your customers? Post four to
five sentences about your suggested approach on the discussion board and engage in a conversation
with your peers about pros and cons of different approaches.

Inspiration: The Design Thinking Process

 Inspiration is the process of identifying and exploring any user need(s) that leave room for innovative
solutions. Empathy is key here; you will need to really listen to and observe your target user with an
open mind. It’s important to engage and communicate thoughtfully with users in order to unlock their
pain points.
 Ideation is the process of generating, developing, and testing ideas. This is the stage where you
generate as many ideas as possible, eventually identifying one or two solutions to test. Testing
involves sketching, building prototypes, or developing other ways of visualizing your ideas to gain
perspective.

 Implementation is the stage where you finally put your solution to the test by introducing it to the
market. Here you will gather feedback and use this information to evolve and refine your solution. This
allows for a continued iterative process that is ultimately driven by the experiences of users.

The design process is not linear; think of it as fluid and evolving. Returning to different spaces can help
you grow and polish your ideas. Additionally, you should not feel restricted by this framework; you can
test multiple prototypes and go back to the drawing board as many times as you like. Make the
process your own, and keep going--with practice, you can develop a more intuitive designer’s mindset!

Design Thinking in Action

What does design thinking look like in action? When should you use it?

Design thinking is a framework for innovation. You can use it whenever you face a problem that
requires a creative solution. Let’s take a look at an example that illustrates the impact of successful
design thinking.

Doug Dietz is a principal designer at GE Healthcare specializing in diagnostic imaging equipment. After
finishing up work on a new Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanner, Doug had the opportunity to observe
his device in action at a local hospital. However, the visit revealed a major problem: young patients
were terrified of the the large and noisy machine. Small children were often so anxious they had to be
sedated, which was an unpleasant experience for patients, doctors, and parents alike.

Inspired and concerned by what he saw, Doug used the principles of design thinking and put his users
—young patients—at the center of his redesign process. With the goal of making the scanner more kid-
friendly, Doug pulled together a team of experts (including staff from a children’s museum, parents,
children, doctors, and nurses) to brainstorm creative solutions. He even worked with developmental
psychologists to understand the roots of the young patients’ anxiety.

By focusing on user needs and input, the complete redesign was a huge success. The scanners have
been transformed into pirate ships, castles, and tiki-huts, complete with aromatherapy and music.
Doctors, patients and parents alike praise the “adventure series” scanners and credit Doug with
transforming a negative experience into a positive one. Tellingly, the new designs have dramatically
reduced the need for sedation, a markedly improved outcome for all involved. Doug designed with his
end users in mind and the results speak to his empathy and thoughtful process.
 What Are Needs?

 What need or needs was Doug Dietz satisfying for his users by redesigning the MR scanner?

 Why is it valuable to identify user needs?

Categorizing Needs

Rafael is the operations manager of a small hotel chain. His hotels are located around a series of lakes
and mountains and are typically booked weeks or months in advance during the summer. The winter
months are often slow, but the heavy summer tourist traffic more than makes up for the off-season
lull.

This summer, things have been different.

Despite ideal weather and clean, bright beaches and hiking trails, Rafael’s hotels have been at half-
capacity. The tourists just aren’t coming. Instead, they’re staying at newer, flashier hotels that have
more amenities.

To understand where they need to improve, Rafael and his staff have collected feedback on what
tourists need from a hotel in their area. They wrote down a few key needs on sticky notes. Review the
sticky notes and categorize them according to the type of need they represent to help Rafael better
understand his guests’ needs and more readily identify solutions that will help his team get the hotels
back to full capacity.

Remember, emotional needs stem from an individual’s feelings, for example, the need to feel
loved;functional needs stem from practical requirements, for example, the need to drive a car to
school, and social needs stem from an individual’s self-image or cultural perception, for example, the
need to win an award.
Guests’ needs to feel welcomed and included are both emotional. Rafael could help customers feel
more welcomed and included by investing in a better concierge service or on-site communal spaces
and events.

Guests’ needs to have access to sensible clothes storage and sleep well each night are both areas
where the hotels’ ability to perform fundamental functions are lacking. The hotels clearly need to
invest in some new beds and improve their clothes storage options.

Finally, guests’ needs to be perceived as elite and eat at well-regarded regional restaurants are both
social. The hotels could improve their offerings in this arena by opening a restaurant or creating
incentives for local restauranteurs to develop in their areas. Alternatively, they could start offering
perks and amenities to help guests to feel more pampered and elite during their stays.

Identifying Needs

You are an executive at a high-end retail loose-leaf tea chain. Recently, you’ve decide to tailor a new,
more impactful marketing strategy. In the initial inspiration stage, you start thinking about how your
chain can appeal to your consumers’ emotional, social, and functional needs.

In the space below, list how your product and brand might satisfy those needs. Be sure to ask yourself,
“What might a consumer want or expect from a high-end retail tea chain?”

Once you’ve thought up some initial answers, take a moment to look at your peers’ responses and try
to build upon their ideas or inquire about their lines of thinking.

Uncovering User Needs

 Think back to Doug Dietz and his mission to redesign his MR scanner. His inspiration came from asking
questions about his users, the young patients, and by observing their engagement with his product.
Doug defined his user needs by asking doctors, patients, and parents about the experience and
observing the mounting terror of young patients when they were faced with a large, scary machine.

With this process, Doug successfully uncovered his users’ needs and inspiration to improve his product
to better accommodate them. Asking and observing are two guiding tactics for need finding:

 Ask: Simply put, have a conversation. Your goal is not to interview or grill a potential user. Focus on
connecting with them: it is important to establish empathy and trust to facilitate a broad dialogue and
a comfortable, open environment for sharing information.

 Observe: Take note of behaviors, including body language and the choices users make. For best
results, try to simulate a natural environment for your user. Keeping users in a place where they are
comfortable will most closely mimic the experience that they have on their own and can help avoid
obscuring the data.

For the most powerful results, try to find your most extreme users. If you can satisfy the needs of
extreme users, you’ll be able to effectively satisfy the needs of your general audience.

Ask and Observe

Empathy is essential to the design thinking process. You must fully understand and empathize with
your users and their functional, emotional, and social needs to ensure that they are at the center of
your design. Asking and observing users will help you gather pivotal insights, helpful feedback, and
inspiration. To be thoughtful and methodical as you ask and observe, keep The Five Whys in mind.
Remember, The Five Whys will help you to delve deeper into a user’s experience by asking “Why?” or
“Why not?” until you understand a user’s point of view. As conversations evolve, go a bit further to ask
why users are sharing certain things with you. Here are some additional tips:
The goal of user interactions is not to validate your preconceived opinions; instead you should seek to
be surprised and inspired. You will leverage your learning as you enter the ideation phase.

Defining User Needs

You’ve been inspired! In sourcing information from users—and observing their behaviors, habits, and
desires—you have gleaned some impactful data. The next step is to start ideating; in other words, you
need to jumpstart the process of generating, developing, and testing possible solutions.

How do you bridge the gap between inspiration and ideation? You need to define user needs and
develop a Point of View (POV).

Your POV should be focused and actionable. The more specific, the better equipped you’ll be in
designing and implementing an impactful solution down the road. Structure your POV in the following
way:

[Your User] needs to [User’s Needs] because [Surprising Insight]

In the context above, surprising insight is the unexpected observation you make about the user and
their needs.

Think in terms of GE Healthcare designer Doug Dietz. His POV might look like this:

Young patients need a less frightening alternative to standard MR scanners because it produces
anxiety and fear in those seeking treatment.

Once you have established your point of view, you are ready to start ideating and brainstorming
solutions. In this fun phase of the design thinking process, you will generate as many ideas as possible;
ideas both feasible and completely wild, in the hope of honing in on the optimal solution to address
your user need.
 Ideation: The Ideation Space

The inspiration space of design thinking provides you with “surprising insights,” or information on your
user needs. In the ideation space, you begin to strategize on how to meet these needs. In this pre-
project space, you determine the project’s details, including what the project will do, what resources
you will need to complete it, and the potential risks and return on investment.

In design thinking, ideation is where the magic happens. In this space, be careful about focusing on
any one idea, and prioritize weighing many diverse ideas against each other to find the best solution
for your users.

A common question to encourage creative thinking is: “what are ten things you can do with a pencil,
other than write?” Take that question a step further, and ask yourself, “what needs can be satisfied
with a redesigned writing instrument?” What could a reimagined pencil do that it typically doesn’t
already?

Be creative and wild in your ideas! This is good exercise.

Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Imagine yourself in a successful brainstorm session. You’ve followed the essential best practices to
ensure that unusual ideas have been heard, developed, and respected. A once blank slate is now
brilliant with color and possibilities.

Divergent thinking, otherwise known as out-of-the-box thinking, got you where you are now.
Confronted with a particularly challenging problem, the divergent approach helped you identify and
explore the myriad solutions available. But what next? You can’t very well implement every single
idea. To make your proposed solutions meaningful, you need to adapt a convergent
thinking approach; in other words, take the best ideas—sometimes even the crazy ones—and
materialize them with a logical plan of action.

As you use convergent thinking to select the top solution, think back and ask yourself if the solution
satisfies the key components of innovation:

 Feasibility. Does the technology exist to support the solution?

 Viability. Is the solution marketable/revenue-generating?

 Desirability. Does it appeal to essential human values and needs?

If you answered “yes” to the above questions, you have identified an innovative solution. As you strive
to put it into action, think about the ease of implementation, and try to measure how it correlates with
impact – even revisit the matrix in Section 1 to help guide you. Remember that a solution is ineffective
without application; to really make a mark, you need a mix of creativity and logic.

Divergent thinking, otherwise known as out-of-the-box thinking, explores several

uncommon possible solutions to a problem--even if the problem itself is a common one.
This is an imperative way to spearhead innovative, industry-changing ideas. It should be
noted, however, that divergent thinking requires a convergent approach to remain
purposeful and grounded.

In the ideation space, you explore the different--occasionally unexpected--strategies that

you can use to satisfy a user need. Additionally, you determine the project’s details,
including what the project will do, what resources you will need to complete it, and the
potential risks and return on investment.

Journey Maps in Design Thinking

Now you will get the chance to practice your design thinking skills by rethinking a commonplace
experience. You will use a journey map to help guide your thinking.

A journey map is a visualization of a person’s experience as they interact with a product or service. It
is a helpful way to break down individual steps in user experiences and can help to identify potential
pain points. A journey map is typically created after the process of asking and observing.

How do you create a journey map?

First, identify all of the steps in the process. For example, you can use a journey map to trace the
process of ordering delivery pizza for a 20 year-old college student. The steps on the journey map
might include:
 A. Feeling hungry
B. Deciding which pizza restaurant to order from
C. Evaluating cost of pizza options
D. Choosing pizza toppings or a specialty pizza
E. Finding out that the type of pizza crust you wanted is not available
F. Finalizing the order
G. Waiting for the pizza
H. Paying for the pizza
I. Calculating tip
J. Eating the pizza
K. Finding a place in the fridge for leftovers

Next, you will identify the emotional highs and lows. Take a look at all the steps you identified and
evaluate the most satisfying and dissatisfying parts of the process.

 Consider the pizza order example: you might assess that feeling hungry and discovering your pizza
crust is not available are two emotional lows or points of dissatisfaction. You might also include
paying or evaluating the prices as dissatisfying pain-points for a college student.

 Similarly, you would determine that choosing the toppings and eating the pizza are the emotional
highs.

With these insights, you could develop a more pleasant and efficient pizza-ordering experience for
college students, which would encourage them to continue to do business with you. The better your
user experience, the more return customers; the more return customers, the more success!

A journey map is one more tool for your design thinking toolbox. It can be applied in a variety of
contexts, so use your imagination.

Building Your Own Journey Map

Imagine that you work at a company that produces packaged foods. You are constantly looking for
healthy meals and snacks that can not only fit into consumers’ busy schedules, but also require
minimal expertise, equipment, or fresh ingredients.

For the next few months, your team will be working on developing options for a working parent who
prepares dinner for their family each evening. To jump-start a big brainstorm, your boss has asked you
to develop a journey map for this consumer.

Write the journey map in the space below, taking inspiration from your own experience and
observations. The map should include numbered and detailed steps as well as highs and lows to call
attention to your consumer’s needs and facilitate a fluid and productive brainstorm.
 Now that you have created the journey map and identified your consumer’s highs and lows, try to
identify two to three user needs. From the needs that you have identified, develop a few ideas that
your company could pursue.

With these ideas, you are ready to move into the ideation phase, where you will build prototypes and
test out possible solutions. Remember, as you iterate on your designs, you can always go back to the
journey map to identify additional insights into user needs. Keep exploring new possibilities, and you
can uncover unique solutions for your users!

IMPLEMENTATION

Prototyping and Getting Feedback

Following ideation is implementation – the space in which you introduce possible solutions into the
market. Once you have identified a few viable solutions, you can bring them to life to see how they'd
look, feel, and work in the real world. This is known as prototyping.

Prototyping is the creation of mock-ups, or low-resolution models of the solution. You can use
prototypes to test your ideas and get early rounds of feedback.

Some things to keep in mind when crafting a prototype:

 Keep it Simple: Prototypes don’t need to be expensive and elaborate, as long as they're good
enough to generate meaningful feedback from the user. They can be as simple as sketches on paper
or simple models made of cardboard. For example, mobile app designers will create sketches known
as wireframes and ask users to give feedback on these non-functional drawings.
 Keep Tweaking: Prototyping and user testing is a continuous process – you will likely make multiple
prototypes and elicit feedback that will help refine the ideas and guide you to your next iteration.

With prototyping, you want to get feedback early and often. Failure will be a part of this process, so
don't waste time making something perfect. Often, you’ll learn a lot more from what did not work or
what did not resonate with users. Missteps can open new doors and help you find the right design
direction.

1. The final step in the design thinking process is implementation, where you’ll test out your prototypes with users. By

observing how users interact and engage with your design, you can see what you did well and where you can make

improvements. When you’re testing your solution, remember to:

2. Stay Quiet: You don’t need to provide too much context for your design. Let the user interact with the prototype

and observe them in action. You’ll learn a lot from how they naturally interact with the model.

3. Keep it Real: Try to create a realistic scenario for your users to test your prototype. For example, you won’t get

accurate feedback if you ask users to test a pair of swim goggles on dry land.

4. Test Multiple Models: If you can, give your testers more than one prototype to test, this will allow them to compare

and share their preferences. Again, empathy is key here; you want to stay focused on understanding and meeting

user needs. Don’t let your ego interfere. While it’s natural to be passionate about your work, you need to be as

neutral as possible in order to evaluate what works and what doesn’t.

5. Iteration is a necessary part of the design process; you may have to go back to the drawing board

many times before creating the right solution. The design process should be a fun one! If and when

your prototype fails, try not to worry. Step back, laugh at your mistakes, and keep learning.

Continuing To Evolve

Design thinking is an iterative process and a frame of mind. Just because you’ve found a solution
doesn’t mean that you’re finished. So-called solutions are more than finish lines; they’re also new
beginnings - opportunities to begin the process anew, potentially even to redefine your initial problem
with the insight that you have gained through your iteration(s).

Truly innovative individuals are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves, their work, and
their communities. Consider Jonah Peretti, founder of The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. Peretti
started out as an academic who observed a shift in how information was being shared online and
disrupted the online news landscape by founding The Huffington Post. Later, when he saw potential for
another shift, Peretti founded BuzzFeed.

BuzzFeed, one of the most popular websites in the world, would never have happened if Peretti didn’t
constantly think about digital information-sharing. If he had been content with The Huffington Post’s
incredible popularity and success, he would have settled for less knowledge, less sharing, and less
innovation.
Innovation is a continuous process. Never consider a thought, an idea, or a solution complete. Always
try to build upon it or take it in new directions - you never know what you may find.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Shira is a town administrator. She helps residents of his town register their vehicles, obtain permits,
pay taxes and fees, and process their community concerns.

Shira is frustrated with a few of the processes her town uses. Specifically, she hates processing sign
permits. She spends an inordinate amount of time processing them and she doesn’t even think they’re
necessary.

Recently, Shira started practicing design thinking and decided that her town could entirely do away
with sign permits. Individuals could use their best judgment and only post signs that they felt were
necessary and inoffensive. Shira spoke to the board of selectmen and they approved her decision, so
she implemented the change. In a monthly newsletter, she announced that it was no longer necessary
to get a permit in order to post signs.

At the start of the next work week, Shira received two complaints about a large sign promoting a
political candidate in a residential neighborhood. She moved on; there was sure to be some resistance
to change. Later that week, she received a number of complaints about a business’ new billboard lit
with floodlights in an area that wasn’t zoned for a sign of that scale. The illegal signs (and the
complaints) kept rolling in. At this point, Shira is spending almost half of each day responding to angry
townspeople and calling irresponsible sign owners.

Explanation

Design thinking is never a complete process. Shira should return to the design thinking process to
continue trying to find an effective solution--this time, with the benefit of the information that she has
learned from her failed solution. Essentially, she now knows that there needs to be a process in place
that involves the town, but how can she better refine it?

Shira should try to streamline the permitting process by putting it online and suggesting that any
townspeople without computers use the ones at the town library. It would be unreasonable to ask
townspeople to vote on each proposed sign and would likely result in a less efficient process. Shifting
the responsibility to Shira’s boss is unlikely to make any impact.

Going forward, Shira should solicit feedback from townspeople and sign-posters and otherwise
continue to think critically about other potential solutions, especially models that she can test on a
smaller, less-risky scale; perhaps in a pilot program!

RESEARCH METHODS

Research types
Any of these answers could be correct depending on your research objectives and the type of data you
are looking for. Interviews, Market Research, Surveys and Focus group.

The word “research” may conjure up images of academics digging through books in a library or
scientists running experiments in a laboratory, but research is an important skill across contexts and
industries. Regardless of your role, you will be asked to execute a research project at some point. You
could be asked to research something small, such as selecting the best restaurant for a dinner with
clients, but you also might also use research for larger-scale projects like identifying competitors in a
market or projecting fundraising targets.

Different functions within an organization will use research towards different goals. The list below
highlights the ways different departments use research to inform business decisions.
It’s important to note that research isn’t limited to corporate business roles. Small business owners,
artists, and professionals in sectors such as medicine, engineering, education, or
biotechnology execute and share research to improve upon existing knowledge and stay competitive
in their fields. In today's fast-changing work environment, the ability to use research quickly, credibly,
and effectively to stay informed is becoming increasingly valuable across industries.

Planning Your Research

Effective research begins with thoughtful planning. Before you begin scouring the Internet or designing
a survey, you need to develop a targeted approach to focus your search on the relevant data. You can
do this through a simplified three-step process: identifying key questions, mapping them to data
points, and determining potential sources.
You can use a data map to outline your key questions, data needs, and hypotheses on sources. It's
important to recognize that this map is an organic document that will change over time.

Quantitative versus Qualitative Data

There are several common misconceptions around the differences between quantitative and
qualitative data. Many wrongfully assume that quantitative data is objective and qualitative data is
subjective. Some even assume that one is somehow more credible than the other.

In fact, both types of data can be highly rigorous and credible. Further, qualitative and quantitative data
can both be applied to a variety of business subjects, ranging from marketing to employee satisfaction.
The table below illustrates a few examples of the types of qualitative and quantitative data you would
look for across various areas of business research.
 Remember that, as you conduct research, you should find and use both qualitative and quantitative
data when possible. Qualitative information often adds enriching detail and depth to the story you are
trying to tell. Quantitative information brings concrete metrics to your analysis and adds credibility to
your argument.

Secondary Research: Common Uses and Sources

After developing your detailed data map and supporting research plan, you can begin moving forward
with research. You may have a research plan that demands both primary and secondary research.
Most researchers will start their efforts by first examining secondary sources. Effectively executing a
representative, statistically significant, primary research effort is both time- and resource-intensive. If
there is relevant, credible data already available from another source, you should consider that option
first.

There are a number of sources you can use to perform secondary research, including magazines,
academic studies, trade publications, and newspapers. Effectively, any individual or organization that
has done research can be considered a secondary source. As a result, it is critical is to vet the
credibility of these sources; quality sources should be widely recognized as topical authorities.

There are many types of secondary research, varying significantly in format and purpose. The
following is a partial list of commonly-used types secondary sources, their core focus areas, and
providers.

 Analyst Reports (e.g., Thomson Reuters, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs). Provide information about a
target company’s financial performance; typically used to inform investment decisions

 Global Databases (e.g., U.N. Statistics Division; World Health Organization) Provide demographic
information regarding the world population

 Government Websites (e.g., Census or Labor Bureaus). Provide demographic information regarding
a country’s population and economy

 Market Research (e.g., Forrester, Gartner). Provides information about a specific market and
consumer behavior

 Proprietary Databases (e.g., Pitchbook). Provides information about operations, investments and
other areas across companies; extremely varied in purpose

 Trade Publications (e.g. Advertising Age; Human Resource Executive). Describes recent industry
news and trends

While many government and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) make their data freely available
to the public, many private research organizations will require a fee or subscription to access their
research reports. Some sources may be accessible through a university or public library for personal
use.