Design Thinking
Sumithra T.V
CourseCourse
Objective:
Objectives
1. Recognize the importance of DT
2. Explain the phases in the DT process
3. List the steps required to complete each phase in DT process
4. Apply each phase in the DT process
5. Use storytelling in presenting ideas and prototypes
6. Create value proposition statements
Course Outcome
1. Implement the Phases in the DT process
2. Identify the steps required to conduct an immersion activity
3. Design personas to create problem statements in the define phase of DT
4. Apply the steps in the ideate phase of DT
5. Design a prototype to create a value proposition statement
6. Test a prototype created through a DT process
Importance of Design Thinking
Problem
Solve
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Design Thiniking Important for Business
Empathise Define Ideate Prototype Test
[Link]
Why Innovate
The process of innovation consists of re-creating business models and building entirely
new markets to satisfy unmet human needs; above all, it aspires to select and execute
the right ideas, and bring them to market in record time.
In time, companies began to realize that it wasn’t enough simply to offer technological
superiority or performance excellence as marketing advantages,
Innovation would become an arduous and often frustrating task.
It was in this search for new paths to innovation that what is now known as “Design Thinking” was created: an approach focused on
the human being that is able to uncover through multidisciplinary, collaborative perspectives that render thoughts and processes
tangible, paths that lead to innovative business solutions.
What is Design Thinking ??
According to Plattner et al. (2009), the Design Thinking process consists of five process steps with iteration loops: Understanding, observing,
defining problems, finding ideas, developing prototypes and testing. The initial three phases, the so-called problem space
Emphatize & Define
Observe Ideate Prototype Test
In the first phase it is first about
developing an understanding for In this very important phase,
The findings In this phase the actual
the challenge/the problem/the ideas should be visualized as
brainstorming process
need or the requirement should next be quickly as possible, made
takes place. Here the
(problem understanding). It condensed to a tangible, sketched, designed,
creativity techniques In this final phase, the ideas are
must be clarified who has to be modelled/simulated, etc.
integrated into the process and, single prototypical mentioned can be used.
Following the technical field
to be further developed and
user whose Strictly separated from this, tested through further
in particular, which technical one can speak here of "Rapid
the ideas can then be experiments and customer
perspective (process problem/need is Prototyping", whereby the
analysed in a customer- feedback. In addition, important
organisation) is necessary to be summarized prototype development applies
oriented manner in order to development, production and
Finally, it must be clarified how decidedly not only to products,
the question can best be in a clearly identify weak points, and a
but also to services. A variety
market issues have to be clarified
defined question. selection decision can be
formulated so that the customer of methods for prototype
made on the basis of an
need/problem is defined in development are available for
idea evaluation
concrete
. terms. Detailed this purpose.
research and on-site
observations are carried out on
the customer's need/problem
Understand Explore Materialize
Steps in DT
Emphatise
Define Ideate
Test Prototype
Design Thinking
• Empathize with people's needs,
• Collaborate with others across disciplines, skill
sets, and perspectives,
• Include every idea in visible form for evaluation,
and
• Repeat, iterating and testing solutions to perfect
them, always with human needs at the center.
Why is Design Thinking Important for you ??
01 02 03 04
01
01 02
02 03
03
01 02 03 04
01 Empathy
Empathy actually requires perspective-taking. When you are being empathetic, you are doing more than feeling sorry for
another person; you are actually trying to imagine the situation from that person's point of view.
There are three different types of empathy, and it's possible to have more than one type at a time:
Emotional empathy - When you feel something because someone else does, this is emotional empathy. You may have
noticed this when you cried watching a very sad scene in a movie.
Cognitive empathy - Involving thinking more than feeling, cognitive empathy means putting yourself in someone else's
shoes. When you talk to a friend about something that is bothering you and feel understood by that person, it's often
because your friend was using cognitive empathy.
Compassionate empathy - This is any kind of empathy that leads to action. When you see someone in need and offer that
person some food or money, that is compassionate empathy.
Examples of Empathy in Different Situations
A Friend Fails a Test
Imagine you are a student and a friend in your class has just failed a major test or exam. Your
friend is distraught because she studied really hard and still failed. Even though you got a
good grade on this test, you remember what it is like to fail.
You don't try to fix things for your friend. Instead, you make an empathetic statement like, "I'm
so, so sorry about your grade. I know how hard you studied and how disappointed you must
feel."
A Student Gets Bullied
In the restroom at school, one student gets teased and pushed into a stall by other kids.
Imagine you're a kid watching this interaction. How do you demonstrate empathy?
First, you remember what it is like to be picked on. You may wait until the bullies have
left and help the kid out of the stall. You could also show compassionate empathy and
take action by reporting the bullying to an adult.
Overwhelmed Co-Worker
Your co-worker has a mountain of work to do and will need to come in over the weekend to
finish. You don't do the same kind of work, and there's no way for you to offer practical help.
Still, you know what it's like to lose a weekend to work, and you feel really bad for your
colleague. On Saturday, you show empathy by stopping by the office with some coffee and
donuts for him, along with a few encouraging words.
Client Struggling With Loss
Imagine you are a therapist or counselor. You are working with a widower who can't seem to
get past his grief over the loss of his wife. You listen carefully as he explains the way the grief
keeps coming back, even though it's been several months. You know what it's like to feel loss.
Your empathetic response could be comforting words like, "It's really hard to feel grief like this.
It follows no rules, and it can be unpredictable. Some days are just really difficult."
Patient in Pain
You work at a clinic and an older woman comes in complaining of knee pain. She has arthritis in
both knees. There are many practical solutions you can offer to help, but you also choose to show
empathy.
You can do this by reflecting her situation in your tone and words, such as, "I know it must be
really difficult to go about your normal life with this pain. Let's see what we can do to help."
Let us see some more examples – Sympathy v/s Empathy
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Seven ways to Improve Empathy
1. Listen
2. Use empathetic Language
3. Don’t be Judgemental
4. Practice Curiosity
5. Challenge your own Prejudices
6. Look for commonalities instead of differences
7. Avoid Labelling People
By Don Crawley -- [Link]
Search for rich stories – Find some love
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Example- Empathy Map - [Link]
Persona Map - [Link]
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Empathise Video Links
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Revisit – Design Thiniking
Design Thinking is a methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solve problems. It focuses on
understanding the user perspective, with a human-centered point of view. The power of this methodology is the possibility
to test quickly if an idea, solution or enhancement can bring real results to our customers. Integrating different
methodologies, tools, and techniques coming from different fields (marketing, psychology, design, business), the purpose
of Design Thinking is to put the user on the very center of the problem we have to solve.
The goal of the methodology is to “find the user itself and define its needs” and by finding those needs, create a solution
or a product that can be really useful. To achieve this goal, the whole concept is split into six design thinking phases.
02 Define
In the Define stage you synthesize your observations about your users from the first stage, the
Empathise stage. A great definition of your problem statement will guide you and your team’s work
and kick start the ideation process (third stage) in the right direction.
Analyse
Analysis is about breaking down complex concepts and problems into smaller, easier-to-
understand constituents. We do that, for instance, during the first stage of the Design
Thinking process, the Empathise stage, when we observe and document details that relate
to our users.
Synthesis
Synthesis, on the other hand, involves creatively piecing the puzzle together to form
whole ideas. This happens during the Define stage when we organise, interpret, and
make sense of the data we have gathered to create a problem statement.
What Makes a Good Problem Statement?
A problem statement is important to a Design Thinking project, because it will guide you and your
team and provides a focus on the specific needs that you have uncovered. It also creates a sense of
possibility and optimism that allows team members to spark off ideas in the Ideation stage, which is
the third and following stage in the Design Thinking process. A good problem statement should thus
have the following traits.
•Human-centered
•Broad enough for creative freedom.
•Narrow enough to make it manageable
Human-centered
Human-centered. This requires you to frame your problem statement according to specific users,
their needs and the insights that your team has gained in the Empathise phase. The problem
statement should be about the people the team is trying to help, rather than focusing on
technology, monetary returns or product specifications.
Broad enough for creative freedom
Broad enough for creative freedom. This means that the problem statement should not focus too
narrowly on a specific method regarding the implementation of the solution. The problem statement
should also not list technical requirements, as this would unnecessarily restrict the team and prevent
them from exploring areas that might bring unexpected value and insight to the project.
Narrow enough to make it manageable
Narrow enough to make it manageable. On the other hand, a problem statement such as ,
“Improve the human condition,” is too broad and will likely cause team members to easily feel
daunted. Problem statements should have sufficient constraints to make the project manageable.
How to define a problem
Space saturate and group, designers collate their
observations and findings into one place, to create a
collage of experiences, thoughts, insights, and stories. The
term 'saturate' describes the way in which the entire team
covers or saturates the display with their collective images,
notes, observations, data, experiences, interviews,
thoughts, insights, and stories in order to create a wall of
information to inform the problem-defining process. It will
then be possible to draw connections between these
individual elements, or nodes, to connect the dots, and to
develop new and deeper insights, which help define the
problem(s) and develop potential solutions. In other words:
go from analysis to synthesis.
Empathy Mapping
Empathy Map- consists of four quadrants laid out on a board, paper or
table, which reflect the four key traits that the users
demonstrated/possessed during the observation stage.
The four quadrants refer to what the users: Said, Did, Thought,
and Felt. Determining what the users said and did are relatively easy;
however, determining what they thought and felt is based on careful
observation of how they behaved and responded to certain activities,
suggestions, conversations etc. (including subtle cues such as body
language displayed and the tone of voice used).
Point of View
A POV is a meaningful and actionable problem statement, which will
allow you to ideate in a goal-oriented manner. Your POV captures your
design vision by defining the RIGHT challenge to address in the ideation
sessions.
A POV involves reframing a design challenge into an actionable problem
statement.
You articulate a POV by combining your knowledge about the user you are
designing for, his or her needs and the insights which you’ve come to know
in your research or Empathise mode. Your POV should be an actionable
problem statement that will drive the rest of your design work.
POV
You articulate a POV by combining these three elements – user, need, and insight. You
can articulate your POV by inserting your information about your user, the needs and your
insights in the following sentence:
[User . . . (descriptive)] needs [need . . . (verb)] because [insight. . . (compelling)]
Why-How Laddering
"As a general rule, asking 'why’ yields more abstract statements and asking 'how’
yields specific statements. Often times abstract statements are more meaningful but
not as directly actionable, and the opposite is true of more specific statements."
Ask Why??
For this reason, during the Define stage designers seek to define the problem, and will generally ask why.
Designers will use why to progress to the top of the so-called Why-How Ladder where the ultimate aim
is to find out how you can solve one or more problems.
Your How Might We questions will help you move from the Define stage and into the next stage in
Design Thinking, the Ideation stage, where you start looking for specific innovative solutions. In other
words you could say that the Why-How Laddering starts with asking Why to work out How they can solve
the specific problem or design challenge.
Summarize – Define stage
The second stage in a typical Design Thinking process is called the Define phase. It involves collating data
from the observation stage (first stage called Empathise) to define the design problems and challenges.
By using methods for synthesizing raw data into a meaningful and usable body of knowledge — such
as empathy mapping and space saturate and group — we will be able to create an actionable design
problem statement or Point of View that inspire the generation of ideas to solve it.
The How Might We questions open up to Ideation sessions where you explore ideas, which can help you
solve your design challenge in an innovative way.
Define Step - in a Nutshell
The goal of the Define mode is to craft a meaningful and actionable problem statement.
The Define mode of the design process is all about bringing clarity and focus to the design space.
It is your chance, and responsibility, as a design thinker to define the challenge you are taking on, based on what you have
learned about your user and about the context.
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03 Ideate
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Ideate
When facilitated in a successful way, Ideation is an exciting process. The goal is to generate a large
number of ideas — ideas that potentially inspire newer, better ideas — that the team can then cut down into
the best, most practical and innovative ones.
“Ideation is the mode of the design process in which you concentrate on idea generation.
Mentally it represents a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes.
Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative
solutions into the hands of your users.”
Aim
The main aim of the Ideation stage is to use creativity and innovation in order
to develop solutions.
By expanding the solution space, the design team will be able to look beyond
the usual methods of solving problems in order to find better, more elegant,
and satisfying solutions to problems that affect a user's experience of a
product.
Overlap between design and Ideate
There is a significant overlap between the Define and Ideation stages of a typical Design Thinking
process.
Interpreting information and defining the problem(s) and ideation both drive the generation of problem
solutions.
This overlap is represented in the types of methods design teams employ during these two stages.
For example, “How Might We” questions are often used in both of these stages.
Ideation Will Help You:
•Ask the right questions and innovate.
•Step beyond the obvious solutions and therefore increase the innovation
potential of your solution.
•Bring together perspectives and strengths of team members.
•Uncover unexpected areas of innovation.
•Create volume and variety in your innovation options.
•Get obvious solutions out of your heads, and drive your team beyond them.
Ideation Methods to Spark Innovative Ideas
There are hundreds of ideation methods. Some methods are merely renamed or slightly adapted versions of more
foundational techniques. Here you’ll get brief overview of some of the best methods:
•Brainstorm
•Braindump
•Brainwrite
•Brainwalk
•Challenge Assumptions
•SCAMPER
•Mindmap
•Sketch or Sketchstorm
•Storyboard
•Analogies
Most Important
Although many of us may have previously participated in a Brainstorm session, it is not always easy to
facilitate a truly fruitful ideation session, which may be the reason why many of us have had negative
experiences in the past.
However, Ideation sessions can indeed be fun and exciting, but they demand a lot of preparation and team
member concentration in order to be fruitful.
To sit the team down with a blank piece of paper and ask them to come up with ideas will likely result in failure.
Likewise, to have everyone shout out their own ideas is likely to result in failure.
What is required ?
•People need guidance, inspiration and activities, in a physical and cognitive manner, in order to get
the process started.
•Ideation is a creative and concentrated process; those involved should be provided with an
environment that facilitates free, open, and the non-judgemental sharing of ideas.
How to set up the environment
In Ideation sessions, it’s important to create the right type of
environment to help create a creative work culture with a curious,
courageous, and concentrated atmosphere.
Instead of using a boardroom with the CEO sitting at the head of the
table, Design Thinking and Ideation sessions require a space in which
everyone is equal.
The Ideation room must have sufficient space for people to feel
comfortable, but the atmosphere shouldn't be sterile, and team
members shouldn't have to shout in order to be heard.
You should also designate someone to take down contributors' ideas
and draw/write them on the whiteboard/wall/poster
Facilitate an Ideation Session
If the process begins to slow down and people seem to be running into a dead-end, the facilitator should impose
constraints, such as: "what if there was no top-level navigation bar?" or "How-might-we go about the task if we were
8 years old?"
Alternatively, you might want to set targets, such as filling a brainstorming sheet within ten minutes.
To start understanding what it takes to facilitate a successful Ideation session, we’ll take a closer look at the best
Brainstorming rules.
Brainstorming Rules
At its most basic level, a Brainstorm session involves sprouting related points from a central idea. Brainstorming is
one of the primary methods employed during the Ideation stage of a typical Design Thinking process.
Brainstorming is a great way to generate many ideas by leveraging the collective thinking of the group, engaging with
each other, listening, and building on other ideas.
This method involves focusing on one problem or challenge at a time, while team members build on each other’s
responses and ideas with the aim of generating as many potential solutions as possible.
These can then be refined and narrowed down to the best solution(s). Participants must then select the best, the
most practical, or the most innovative ideas from the options they’ve come up with.
Best Practice
The best practices and brainstorming rules from the Institute of Design at Stanford ([Link]) and the
successful design company, IDEO who celebrates Design Thinking.
1. Set a time limit
Best Practice
2. Start with a problem statement, point of view, possible questions, a plan, or a goal and stay focused on the
topic: Identify the core subject or the main aim of the exercise.
For example, what are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to improve a certain feature? Are you focusing on ways
to improve the overall experience? Condense the main issue into a problem statement and condense it into a short
“How Might We” sentence.
You may even be able to synthesise this into single word.
Your ideas should always branch off from this central headline.
Best Practice
3. Stay on Topic: It is easy to veer off and take lots of different directions during brainstorming sessions,
especially when you are trying to be open-minded and unconstrained in your efforts to come up with ideas.
It is important that members stay on topic.
Focus is essential; otherwise, the process can become confusing, or ideas can become muddled and cross
between solutions for other problems.
Every effort should be made by the facilitator to keep members on the central theme and goal.
You might even want to designate a particular brainstormer to maintain the thread and prevent team members
veering off course.
Best Practice
4. Defer judgement or criticism, including non-verbal: The brainstorming environment is not the time to argue or for
questioning other members’ ideas; each member has a responsibility to foster relations that advance the session.
For this reason, judgement comes later so rather than blocking an idea, you and your other team members are
encouraged to come up with your own ideas that sprout off from those provided by the other members of your team.
Best Practice
5. Encourage weird, wacky and wild ideas: Once again, as brainstorming is a creative activity, each
member should try to encourage other members and create an environment in which they feel comfortable
verbalising their ideas.
Free thinking may produce some ideas that are wide off the mark, but brainstorming is about drawing up as
many ideas as possible which are then whittled down until the best possible option remains.
Best Practice
6. Aim for quantity: Brainstorming is effectively a creative exercise, in which design thinkers are encouraged to let
their imaginations run wild. The emphasis is on quantity, rather than quality at this stage.
7. Build on each others' ideas: One idea typically leads on from another; by considering the thoughts, opinions,
and ideas of other team members during the brainstorming session, new insights and perspectives can be
achieved, which then inform one's own ideas.
Thus, the team will continue to build ideas which hopefully become progressively more refined and targeted
towards the central issue.
Best Practice
8. Be visual: The physical act of writing something down or drawing an image in order to bring an
idea to life can help people think up new ideas or view the same ideas in a different way. The
brainstorming session is more likely to evolve if team members visualize and bring ideas to life rather
than rely on discussion alone.
9. One conversation at a time: Design thinkers (or brainstormers) should focus on one point or
conversation at a time so as not to muddy their thinking and lose sight of the thread or current
objective.
Ideation Methods to Select Ideas
Once the Ideation session is complete, the ideas must be collected, categorized, refined, and narrowed down, so
the team is able to select the best solutions, ideas, and strategies from a shortlist. These methods can help you
select the best idea at the end of an Ideation session:
Post-it Voting or Dot Voting.
Four Categories Method
Bingo Selection
Idea Affinity Maps
Now Wow How Matrix
Six Thinking Hats
Lean Startup Machine Idea Validation Board
Idea Selection Criteria
Take Away
Ideation is often the most exciting stage in a Design Thinking project because almost unrestrained free
thinking can occur within the given field.
In the Ideation stage, the aim is to generate a large number of ideas — ideas that potentially inspire newer,
better ideas — which the team can then filter and narrow down into the best, most practical, or most
innovative ones.
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Webinar on Ideation
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Six Hats
The six thinking hats is a method used to amplify creative conversations, by making sure that a broad variety
of viewpoints and thinking styles are represented. Using six roles (or "hats"), the framework — developed by
Dr. Edward de Bono — allows teams to more easily structure abstract thinking for productive results.
The six hats are:
The white hat: This is the objective hat, which focuses on facts and logic
The red hat: This is the intuitive hat, focusing on emotion and instinct
The black hat: This is the cautious hat, used to predict negative outcomes
The yellow hat: This is the optimistic hat, used to look for positive outcomes
The green hat: This is the creative hat, where ideas are abundant and criticism spare
The blue hat: This is the hat of control, used for management and organization
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Doodling
Story Telling
Activity- Research to find out about people who have used DT in providing solutions. Present their findings in forms of stories.
MILLION DOLLAR IDEA
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04 Prototype
Low fidelity and High Fidelity Prototypes
Paper Prototype-Story board Figma tool
Paper Wireframes Marvel tools
Digital wireframes
Value Proposition Statement
A value proposition is a simple statement that summarizes why a customer would choose your product
or service.
It communicates the clearest benefit that customers receive by giving you their business.
Every value proposition should speak to a customer’s challenge and make the case for your company
as the problem-solver.
Value Proposition Statement
A great value proposition may highlight what makes you different from competitors, but it should always
focus on how customers define your value.
Likewise, conversations around brand strategy and taglines should stem from a value proposition, but
they aren’t one and the same.
seven of the best
unique value [Link]
proposition examples
-proposition-examples
Value Proposition Statement
Why bother learning how to write a value proposition? It’s like investing in the foundation of a house.
You may not see the foundation, but everything you do see — and the long-term safety and security of
your home — rest on it having a strong place to start from.
Video Link
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How to write a value proposition: 3 options
1. Map out a value proposition canvas
2. Ask Harvard Business School’s essential questions
Reading
Link 3. Try the Steve Blank formula to distill your insights
[Link]
Thank You