Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that is based on the idea of human-centered design. It can be used to create innovative solutions to problems in various fields, including business, engineering, and design. At its core, design thinking is about understanding the needs and wants of your customers and creating products or services that meet those needs.
Companies that do not use design thinking risk falling behind their competitors who do. This is because design thinking leads to a more user-friendly, innovative and efficient product or service.
69 percent of companies that employ design thinking say that it has enhanced their innovation processes. Additionally, 41 percent report an improved market share.
This article will discuss what design thinking is and how you can use it to improve your company’s bottom line. We’ll give you tips on finding an excellent design thinking service.
What is design thinking?
Design thinking is a process of coming up with new ideas or solutions to problems. It begins with a focus on the customer.
You need to understand your customer’s needs and wants before you can create a product or service that meets those needs. This means talking to your customers, observing their behavior, and doing research.
Once you understand your customer’s needs, you can begin to generate ideas for products or services that meet those needs.
How to define your company’s design thinking strategy?
A design thinking strategy is a must-have for all companies today as it allows for creativity, innovation, and efficiency.
If you already do not have one in place, start working on one to differentiate your products and services from those of your competitors. Be sure to involve your team in this process, as they will be able to provide valuable insights. Brainstorming sessions are a great way to generate ideas.
The design thinking framework consists of the following five stages that you should follow to create your company’s design thinking strategy:
- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
Let’s look at each stage in detail.
- Empathize
During this stage, you need to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. You need to understand their needs, wants, and pain points. This can be done through interviews, surveys, and observation.
For best results, ensure that you set aside any assumptions that you might have about users. Everything that you find out in this stage should be based on evidence. Once you observe something, do not forget to question and analyze it before making conclusions.
- Define
Once you have empathy for your customer, you can start to define the problem you are trying to solve. This is important because it will help you focus your team’s efforts on the right things. When defining problems, make sure that you look at them broadly. Being narrow and obscure can lead to solutions that do not address the root cause of the problem.
During this stage, you should seek to answer the following questions:
- Which user is having a problem?
- What problem does the user have?
- Where is the problem occurring?
- Why is the problem occurring, and how will solving it help the user?
- Ideate
This is the stage where you develop potential solutions to the problem you defined in the previous stage. This is usually done through brainstorming sessions. Remember to encourage your team to think outside of the box. Also, be open to a variety of ideas without judgment. The goal here is to generate as many as possible new angels to handle a problem.
Do not worry about whether or not the ideas are good at this point; that will be sorted out later. Aside from brainstorming, your team can use these other methods to come up with new ideas:
Crowdstorming: This is when you reach out to people outside of your team for ideas. This could be done through social media, forums, or online surveys.
Mind mapping: This visual technique can help you come up with new ideas. It involves writing down a central idea and then brainstorming related ideas. Though these related ideas branch off from the central idea, they are then written down as well.
Brainwriting: This is similar to brainstorming, but each team member writes down their ideas separately before sharing them with the group. This can help to encourage introverted team members to share their ideas.
Worst possible idea: This is when you come up with the absolute worst possible solution to a problem. This might sound counter intuitive, but it can help to generate new ideas.
- Prototype
A prototype is a model of your proposed solution. It can be a physical model or a digital mock-up.
This is important because it allows you to test your idea before investing too much time and resources into it.
Each model should be based on everything you’ve mapped out in previous stages. Creating excellent prototypes will help you understand how users interact with your products and allow you to make informed decisions. Prototypes can vary in terms of life cycle, form, interactivity, and fidelity.
- Test
The last stage is to test your prototype with your target customer. This will help you validate your solution and make sure it meets your customer’s needs. It is common to run this stage concurrently with the prototype stage. You’ll gather feedback from users on the prototypes you’ve created during this stage.
The testing stage helps companies to understand their users more. Ensure that you observe and talk to your customers to learn if your prototypes meet their needs. Remember to remain open to negative feedback as it can help you uncover new problems.
Creating a design thinking strategy on your own can be a daunting task. It’s crucial to use an expert service to succeed in the design thinking process. Read on to find out how to find the best design thinking service.
Finding a design thinking service
If you’re looking for a design thinking service, you ought to find a service committed to promoting business transformation. The said company should be able to improve your existing design or create a new one if need be.
Mphasis is an excellent design thinking service that can help you create simple and innovative solutions. One thing that differentiates their services from the rest is that they apply governance and consistency to improve brand value. Their design foundation uses common design languages that can be adopted across the organization. Additionally, they support a collaborative mindset, which deters siloed design.
The most essential characteristics of an excellent design thinking service include an excellent grasp of the purpose of the service they offer:
- Ability to create designs that focus on the needs of the consumers rather than those of the organization
- Ability to create value for every consumer base
- Ability to minimize dependencies
- Creating channels and design life cycles that co-exist and guide all design elements
- The ability to think outside the box
- A collaborative mindset
- The ability to communicate effectively
All companies and freelancers can apply design thinking to create human-centered products and services. If consumers are not responding to your products as you’d hoped they would, design thinking will help you create innovative solutions to this problem. When defining your company’s design thinking strategy, it’s essential always to put the needs of your consumers above your organizational needs. Your main goal should be to create value for your consumers. Remember to look for a design thinking service with the characteristics listed above.
Mphasis 