Anyone who wants to work with innovation – or at least become a more innovative person – needs to know the concept of design thinking . In general terms, we can say that it is a creative approach to solving complex problems, in which people are central.
Fundamental to unlocking thinking “outside the box”, this way of acting and analyzing situations is gaining more and more followers. But does it work? It is worth it? Follow the post to find out!
What is design thinking
Despite what the name suggests, it’s not just designers who benefit from this practice, which puts the user at the center of everything. This is an approach that aims to understand the consumer and, after this in-depth analysis (and a lot of questioning), propose solutions.
The concept, therefore, refers to a way of acting, which involves professionals with different backgrounds to evaluate and test the effectiveness of proposed solutions – – and how they truly impact the people for whom they are intended. Therefore, as we will see further below, several areas benefit from this methodology.
How it came about
Although the notion of design as a “way of thinking” was outlined by Herbert A. Simon, in the 1969 book The Science of the Artificial, the process gained greater notoriety by two well-known figures from Silicon Valley. One of them is Professor David Kelley, from Stanford University and the other is Tim Brown, who founded the innovation consultancy IDEO with Kelley. At the company, in the early 1990s, they began to solve customer problems by adopting a “360° view” to promote a positive experience.
Brown is the author of the book “Design Thinking – A powerful methodology to decree the end of old ideas”, which popularized the approach. The method was presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2006 and, two years later, it graced one of the covers of the Harvard Business Review .
Pillars of design thinking
Well, now that we’ve talked about the definition itself, let’s look a little deeper into design thinking. Its “way of doing things” consists of five phases, which are, in this order: empathize, define, idealize, prototype and test. The first stage is based on putting yourself in the user’s shoes, understanding their needs.
Next, the consumer’s problems must be informed. The third phase requires proposing ideas on how to solve. The next stage gives vent to these ideas and, finally, the fifth stage tests them.
Is it worth studying design thinking?
There are those who argue that design thinking draws on scientific methodology, because it not only brings assumptions, but empiricism. The methodology is even taught at renowned universities, such as Stanford, Harvard and Imperial College London. Bringing it to the professional field, the approach is adopted in the daily lives of companies that have innovation in their DNA, such as Apple and Sony.
In Brazil, Itaú Unibanco used design thinking to create a culture of innovation for its wealth management area. Nubank is another example of a large company that puts the approach at the center of its business strategy. In the corporate world, the great advantage of design thinking is to help optimize time and increase the chances of creating something that perfectly suits what the client is looking for. Or, better yet, anticipate consumer needs.
With a booming market due to the versatility of applications in different areas, it is possible to say that, yes, it is worth studying (and wanting to build a career in) design thinking!