Tag Archives: Design Thinking

The Best Tools and Techniques for Implementing Human-Centered Design

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, crafting solutions that genuinely meet human needs is more challenging and crucial than ever. Human-Centered Design (HCD) stands out as an approach that prioritizes human values and needs in the design process, ultimately leading to more effective and meaningful outcomes. This article explores the best tools and techniques for implementing HCD and highlights two successful case studies from real-world applications.

Understanding Human-Centered Design

Human-Centered Design is built on three core pillars: empathy, ideation, and experimentation. It is a problem-solving method that involves deeply understanding the people you’re designing for, generating ideas based on that understanding, and iteratively prototyping and testing solutions.

Tools and Techniques for Human-Centered Design

1. Empathy Mapping

Empathy maps help designers visualize their understanding of the users and organize the process of empathy collection. These maps include segments such as what users think, feel, see, and say, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of their experiences and perspectives.

Technique:

  • Observations and Interviews: Conduct in-depth interviews and observations to gather qualitative data about the user’s behaviors, goals, and pain points.
  • Persona Development: Create detailed personas based on real data to represent different user archetypes, ensuring that design decisions meet actual user needs.

2. Journey Mapping

A journey map is a visual representation of the process a user goes through to achieve a goal. This tool helps in identifying pain points and opportunities for innovation by tracing the entire user experience.

Technique:

  • Touchpoint Identification: List all the touchpoints a user interacts with, including emotional highs and lows throughout their journey.
  • Experience Mapping Workshops: Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to map the user’s journey and brainstorm potential improvements.

3. Prototyping

Prototyping transforms ideas into tangible products for testing. It can range from simple sketches to fully functioning models, allowing teams to visualize and experiment with different solutions.

Technique:

  • Low-Fidelity Prototypes: Start with sketches and paper models to iterate quickly and gather early user feedback.
  • High-Fidelity Prototypes: Develop more detailed prototypes using digital tools like Sketch or Figma for thorough testing and refinement.

4. User Testing

User testing is a critical step to validate and refine solutions. It involves observing how users interact with the prototype and collecting feedback to improve the design.

Technique:

  • Usability Testing: Have users complete tasks with the prototype while observing their behavior and noting any issues or confusion.
  • A/B Testing: Compare two versions of a prototype to determine which one performs better based on user interaction and feedback.

Case Study 1: IDEO and Bank of America – Keep the Change

Background:

IDEO partnered with Bank of America to innovate its banking services. Through extensive research, they discovered that many customers struggled with saving money.

Process:

  1. Empathy Mapping: IDEO conducted hundreds of interviews and focus groups to understand customers’ financial behaviors and pain points.
  2. Journey Mapping: They mapped out the banking experiences of various customer segments, identifying a common challenge: the difficulty of saving money.
  3. Ideation and Prototyping: The team brainstormed the “Keep the Change” program, which rounds up purchases to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference into a savings account. They created low-fidelity prototypes and iteratively refined them based on customer feedback.
  4. User Testing: After multiple iterations, they pilot-tested the concept with a small group of customers, fine-tuning the process based on real-world usage.

Outcome:

The “Keep the Change” program was wildly successful, signing up millions of users and significantly increasing Bank of America’s customer engagement and savings rates.

Case Study 2: General Electric – MRI Machines for Children

Background:

GE sought to improve the experience of children undergoing MRI scans, as many found the process frightening.

Process:

  1. Empathy Mapping: GE’s team interviewed families, pediatricians, and radiologists to understand the children’s fears and anxieties related to MRI scans.
  2. Journey Mapping: They mapped out the MRI experience from a child’s perspective, identifying moments of stress and discomfort.
  3. Ideation and Prototyping: The team brainstormed creative ideas and landed on transforming the MRI experience into an adventure. They created prototypes of various themed environments, such as pirate ships and space adventures, that integrate the MRI machine.
  4. User Testing: GE tested these environments in hospitals and gathered feedback from children, parents, and healthcare workers, iterating on the themes and improving the overall experience.

Outcome:

The revamped MRI experience significantly reduced children’s anxiety and increased the completion rate of scans. Hospitals reported less need for sedation, and the initiative was lauded as a groundbreaking approach to pediatric care.

Conclusion

Implementing Human-Centered Design requires a deep commitment to understanding and prioritizing user needs through empathy, ideation, and iterative testing. Tools like empathy maps, journey maps, prototypes, and user testing are indispensable in this process. The success stories of Bank of America’s “Keep the Change” and GE’s child-friendly MRI machines vividly demonstrate the power of HCD in creating innovative, effective solutions that truly resonate with users. By embracing these methods, we can drive transformative innovations that genuinely improve human experiences.

If you’re looking for someone to help you bring human-centered design to your organization, Braden Kelley is a globally-recognized thought leader in human-centered change and innovation. His work continues to inspire organizations to harness the power of HCD for meaningful, impactful design.

Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pixabay

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550 Quote Slides on Design, Innovation, and Change

550 Quote Slides on Innovation, Change and Design

Free Downloads for Keynote Speeches, Presentations and Workshops

Looking for a compelling quote for a keynote speech, workshop or presentation on any of these topics?

  • Innovation
  • Design
  • Change
  • Digital Transformation
  • Design Thinking
  • Creativity
  • Leadership

I’m flattered that people have been quoting my keynote speeches and my first two books Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire and Charting Change.

So, I’m making some of my favorite quotes available from myself and other thought leaders in a fun, visual, easily shareable format.

I’ve been publishing them on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

But now you can download ten (10) volumes of fifty (50) quote posters, for a total of 550, for FREE from my store:

You can add them all to your shopping cart at once and download them for FREE.

Print them, share them on social media, or use them in your presentations, keynote speeches or workshops.

They are all Adobe PDF’s and the best way to add them to your presentation is to:

  1. Put the PDF into FULL SCREEN MODE
  2. Take a screenshot
  3. Paste it into your presentation
  4. Crop it and adjust the size to your liking
  5. Change the background color of the slide to a suitable color (if necessary)

Contact me with your favorite innovation, design thinking, change, transformation, or design quotes and I’ll consider adding them to my library of future downloads.


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Real-World Applications of Design Thinking

Real-World Applications of Design Thinking

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Design thinking is an effective problem-solving methodology that emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and iteration to devise innovative solutions to complex challenges. Grounded in placing human at the center of solution ideation, design thinking diverges from traditional problem-solving approaches, making it an increasingly appealing method for many businesses. To illustrate this powerful approach, let’s delve into two compelling case studies where design thinking drastically redefined and optimized entire operation chains.

Case Study 1: Ford Motor Company

Until 2005, Ford was on a path of decline; dwindling market share, faced with global efforts to reduce carbon footprints, and the growing need for smarter cars, they had to reassess their strategy. The new CEO, Alan Mulally, proposed a shift from the orthodox production-focused approach to a consumer-centric perspective – utilizing design thinking as the vehicle to drive this transformation.

Rather than staying confined in boardrooms, cross-functional teams spent time with customers to understand their driving experiences, needs, and motives. The teams immersed themselves into the users’ world to identify routine problems overlooked in traditional product development processes.

Understanding user requirements, Ford developed the ‘SYNC’ technology, allowing drivers to make hands-free telephone calls and control music and other functions with simple voice commands. Immediately, Ford cars transformed from mere transportation means to personalized, digital experiences.

This move revived Ford’s dwindling market fortunes, with the company recording a profit of $6.6 billion in 2010, the highest in more than a decade and proof that, indeed, design thinking has real-world applications that can completely turn around an enterprise’s fortunes.

Case Study 2: Kaiser Permanente

A healthcare giant in the US, Kaiser Permanente (KP), provided medical services focusing primarily on efficiencies and cost savings. But the team at KP recognized a need to shift their focus from solely being operationally efficient to also improving the patient experience.

Design thinking came into play, and nurses across various KP hospitals were equipped with stopwatches and spreadsheets to note time spent on various activities. The data painted a clear picture – nurses spent a considerable amount of time not with the patients but at computer stations recording data. A nurse shift change, which ideally should take only a few minutes, took up to 40 minutes, reducing efficiency and satisfaction for both nurse and patient.

In response, KP implemented a radical solution, an innovative ‘nurse knowledge exchange’ at the patients’ bedside. Not only did this change increase face-to-face interaction between nurses and patients, but the problem of documentation was also solved in a more consumer-aligned manner. With this change, KP’s satisfaction score improved by up to 15%.

Conclusion

Both Ford and Kaiser Permanente attributed their operational improvements to design thinking methodology. The case studies provide a compelling argument that design thinking, when internalized as a part of an organization’s culture, has the potential to enhance overall performance drastically.

Design thinking methodology reminds us that solutions should be designed around people, not processes. By understanding and empathizing with end-users, businesses can create innovative solutions that not only solve the problem but improve the overall user experience. With the help of design thinking, new horizons of innovation and problem-solving could be on the horizon for any industry willing to embrace it.

Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Design Thinking in Product Development

Driving Success through User-centric Design

Design Thinking in Product Development: Driving Success through User-centric Design

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive market, businesses can no longer solely rely on creating products based on assumptions or mere technical feasibility. Instead, they need to embrace a user-centric approach that prioritizes the needs and desires of their target audience. This is where design thinking comes into play. Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that emphasizes empathy, ideation, prototyping, and continuous iteration. By incorporating design thinking principles into product development, businesses can drive success by delivering products that truly resonate with their users. In this article, we will explore the concept of design thinking and present two case studies that exemplify its effectiveness in creating successful products.

Case Study 1: Apple iPhone – Revolutionizing the Smartphone Industry

The Apple iPhone serves as a remarkable example of how design thinking can drive success in product development. Before the iPhone was introduced in 2007, smartphones were typically bulky, complicated, and lacked an intuitive user interface. Apple understood the need for a revolutionary design that prioritized the user experience. By immersing themselves in the lives of potential users and empathizing with their frustrations, Apple’s team of designers identified key pain points such as complex navigation, limited functionality, and lack of touch-based interaction.

Applying the principles of design thinking, Apple ideated and prototyped various concepts until they arrived at the iconic iPhone design. They focused on simplicity, ease of use, and intuitive gestures, leading to the creation of a touchscreen interface that eliminated the need for physical keyboards. The iPhone’s user-centric design not only won over millions of users but also disrupted the entire smartphone industry. By prioritizing the needs and desires of users, Apple achieved unprecedented success and set new standards for smartphone design.

Case Study 2: Airbnb – Revolutionizing the Hospitality Industry

Airbnb, the popular accommodation platform, utilized design thinking to redefine the hospitality industry. The founders of Airbnb recognized that travelers were seeking unique, affordable, and personalized experiences rather than sterile hotel rooms. By observing potential users and conducting in-depth interviews, they empathized with the pain points of both guests and hosts, including lack of trust, limited options, and cumbersome booking processes.

Applying design thinking principles, Airbnb ideated innovative solutions that addressed these pain points. They created a platform that connected hosts and guests, allowing users to personalize their travel experiences. To instill trust, Airbnb introduced user profiles, reviews, and secure payment systems.

Furthermore, Airbnb continuously iterated its platform based on user feedback, driving greater success. This user-centric approach revolutionized the hospitality industry, empowering individuals to monetize their spaces and providing travelers with unique, affordable, and authentic accommodations.

Conclusion

Design thinking offers a powerful framework for businesses to optimize product development processes. The case studies of Apple iPhone and Airbnb demonstrate how incorporating the principles of design thinking leads to successful, user-centric products. By empathizing with users, identifying pain points, and continuously iterating, businesses can deliver products that not only meet but exceed user expectations. As the market becomes increasingly user-driven, organizations that embrace design thinking have a competitive edge in driving success through user-centric design.

SPECIAL BONUS: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Unsplash

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Implementing Design Thinking in Your Organization

Implementing Design Thinking in Your Organization

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. It’s a mindset that helps organizations to think more creatively and to behave in a more user-centric way. Below, we explore two case studies that demonstrate the successful implementation of Design Thinking in organizations.

Case Study 1: The Guardian Newspaper

The Challenge: The Guardian faced the challenge of adapting to the digital age, needing to change their funding model, boost revenue, and engage with their readers on an emotional level.

The Design Thinking Approach: The Guardian implemented Design Thinking to overhaul their approach to reader engagement and revenue generation. They focused on understanding their readers’ needs and desires, which led to the development of new user-centric products and services.

The Outcome: By applying Design Thinking, The Guardian was able to create a more sustainable business model. They increased reader engagement and revenue by introducing new digital products that were closely aligned with their readers’ expectations¹.

Case Study 2: Lummi Tribal Clinic – Tackling the Opioid Crisis

The Challenge: The Lummi Tribal clinic was grappling with the devastating effects of the opioid crisis on its community.

The Design Thinking Approach: The clinic used Design Thinking to address the crisis at both human and systemic levels. They empathized with affected individuals to understand the root causes and developed solutions that were culturally sensitive and community-focused.

The Outcome: The clinic’s Design Thinking approach led to the creation of programs that significantly reduced opioid overdoses in the community. Their solutions were not only effective but also respectful of the community’s cultural values¹.

Conclusion

Design Thinking is not just a process; it’s a way of thinking that can transform organizations. It encourages empathy, fosters creativity, and drives innovation. As seen in the case studies of The Guardian and the Lummi Tribal clinic, Design Thinking can lead to profound changes in organizational culture and outcomes. It’s a powerful tool for any organization looking to stay relevant and responsive in today’s fast-paced world.

For those interested in exploring more about Design Thinking and its impact, the Design Thinking Association offers a wealth of resources and case studies that delve deeper into this transformative approach¹.

References:
(1) Explore: Design Thinking Case Studies | The Design Thinking Association. https://www.design-thinking-association.org/explore-design-thinking-topics/design-thinking-case-studies.
(2) Explore 10 Great Design Thinking Case studies – The Knowledge Academy. https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/blog/design-thinking-case-study/.
(3) Implementing Design Thinking: Understanding Organizational Conditions …. https://cmr.berkeley.edu/2020/02/62-2-wrigley/.
(4) Can Design Thinking Succeed in Your Organization?. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/can-design-thinking-succeed-in-your-organization/.
(5) Implementing Design Thinking: Understanding Organizational Conditions …. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/CMR729-PDF-ENG.

SPECIAL BONUS: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pexels

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Design Thinking vs. Human-Centered Design

Understanding the Difference

Design Thinking vs. Human-Centered Design

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

In the dynamic world of design and innovation, two methodologies stand out for their impact and popularity: Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design (HCD). While they share similarities, such as a focus on understanding users and solving problems creatively, they are distinct in their approach and application. This article will delve into the nuances of each methodology, underscore their differences, and illustrate their unique value through two compelling case studies.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is an iterative problem-solving process that seeks to understand the user, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. It involves five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This approach encourages diverse thoughts to generate new ideas and challenge traditional assumptions in a creative manner[^10^].

What is Human-Centered Design?

Human-Centered Design, on the other hand, is a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions tailored to suit their needs. It’s a framework that develops solutions by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process¹¹.

Key Differences

The main difference lies in their scope and focus. Design Thinking is broader, applicable to a wide range of problems beyond just product or service design. It’s a general approach to problem-solving. HCD, however, is more focused on creating solutions that are specifically tailored to improve the user experience and usability of products and services.

Case Study 1: Airbnb’s Turnaround with Design Thinking

Airbnb is a classic example of Design Thinking in action. When the company was struggling to gain traction, the founders decided to employ Design Thinking. They empathized with users by actually staying in the rented spaces themselves. This led to a redefinition of their problem and ideation that focused on improving the quality of listings. By prototyping changes and testing them, they enhanced the user experience, which significantly increased bookings and helped turn the company around⁵.

Case Study 2: Asili – Human-Centered Design for Community Health

Asili is a sustainable community-owned health, agricultural, and water business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project utilized Human-Centered Design to understand the community’s needs deeply. By involving the community in every design phase, from ideation to implementation, Asili created services that were not only desired by the community but also supported their long-term goals and values³.

Conclusion

Both Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design offer valuable frameworks for innovation. Design Thinking provides a broad, flexible problem-solving approach, while Human-Centered Design ensures that solutions are deeply empathetic and tailored to the users’ needs. By understanding their differences and applications, designers and innovators can choose the right approach for their specific challenges.

This exploration into Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design reveals that while they overlap, each has its strengths and ideal scenarios for application. The case studies of Airbnb and Asili demonstrate how these methodologies can lead to successful outcomes when applied thoughtfully. As we continue to innovate and design solutions for complex problems, understanding and utilizing these frameworks can be the key to creating impactful and lasting change.

References:

(1) Human centered design vs. Design thinking: an overview | Mural. https://www.mural.co/blog/design-thinking-vs-human-centered-design.
(2) Human-Centered Design vs. Design-Thinking: How They’re Different…. https://blog.movingworlds.org/human-centered-design-vs-design-thinking-how-theyre-different-and-how-to-use-them-together-to-create-lasting-change/.
(3) Explore 10 Great Design Thinking Case studies – The Knowledge Academy. https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/blog/design-thinking-case-study/.
(4) Case Studies using Human Centered Design – The Compass for SBC. https://thecompassforsbc.org/project-examples/case-studies-using-human-centered-design.
(5) Human-centred design in industry 4.0: case study review and …. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10845-021-01796-x.
(6) Case Studies – Design Kit. https://www.designkit.org/case-studies.html.
(7) Human-Centered Design in Action: #LearnHCD Case Studies 3 & 4 From…. https://blog.movingworlds.org/human-centered-design-in-action-learnhcd-case-studies-3-4-from-the-field/.
(8) Explore: Design Thinking Case Studies | The Design Thinking Association. https://www.design-thinking-association.org/explore-design-thinking-topics/design-thinking-case-studies.
(9) 8 Great Design Thinking Examples – Voltage Control. https://voltagecontrol.com/blog/8-great-design-thinking-examples/.
(10) Design Thinking Case Studies – Innovation Training. https://www.innovationtraining.org/design-thinking-case-studies/.
(11) 7 Real-Life Design Thinking Examples | AND Academy. https://www.andacademy.com/resources/blog/ui-ux-design/7-design-thinking-examples/.
(12) What is Human Centered Design (HCD)? (vs Design Thinking) – Hotjar. https://www.hotjar.com/design-thinking/vs-human-centered-design/.
(13) Design Thinking Vs Human-Centred Design: What’s the difference?. https://medium.com/snapout/design-thinking-vs-human-centred-design-whats-the-difference-9ef855f55223.
(14) Design Thinking Frequently Asked Questions… | IDEO | Design Thinking. https://designthinking.ideo.com/faq/whats-the-difference-between-human-centered-design-and-design-thinking.
(15) Human Centered Design vs. Design Thinking – The UX Studio. https://theuxstudio.com/ux-articles/human-centered-design-vs-design-thinking/.

SPECIAL BONUS: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Unsplash

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The Importance of Empathy in Design Thinking

The Importance of Empathy in Design Thinking

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Empathy is at the core of design thinking, the innovative problem-solving approach that puts human needs and experiences at the forefront of the design process. It is the ability to truly understand and share in the feelings and experiences of others, and it is a critical element in creating products, services, and experiences that resonate with users on a deep and meaningful level.

Empathy allows designers to put themselves in the shoes of their users, to see the world from their perspective, and to uncover insights that can inform the design process. By empathizing with users, designers can better understand their needs, desires, and pain points, and create solutions that truly meet their needs.

Case Study 1: OXO Good Grips

One powerful example of the importance of empathy in design thinking is the story of the OXO Good Grips kitchen tools. In the 1980s, Sam Farber noticed that his wife, who was struggling with arthritis, had difficulty using traditional kitchen tools. He realized that there was a need for kitchen tools that were both functional and comfortable to use for people with limited dexterity. Farber and his team at OXO set out to design a line of kitchen tools that were easy to grip and use, with soft, comfortable handles that were easy on the hands. The result was a line of tools that were not only popular among people with arthritis but also became a bestseller among all consumers, demonstrating the power of empathetic design in creating products that meet the needs of a diverse range of users.

Case Study 2: Airbnb

Another compelling case study that illustrates the importance of empathy in design thinking is Airbnb. When the founders of Airbnb, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, were struggling to pay rent, they decided to rent out air mattresses in their living room as a way to make some extra money. They quickly realized that there was a need for affordable, unique, and authentic accommodations for travelers, and they set out to create a platform that connected hosts with travelers looking for a more personalized and local experience. By empathizing with both hosts and travelers, Airbnb was able to create a platform that has revolutionized the travel industry and disrupted traditional hotel accommodations, showing the power of designing with empathy for the needs and experiences of users.

Conclusion

Empathy is a crucial element in design thinking that allows designers to create products, services, and experiences that truly resonate with users. By putting themselves in the shoes of their users and truly understanding their needs and experiences, designers can create solutions that address real-world problems and connect with users on a deeper level. The case studies of OXO Good Grips and Airbnb are just two examples of how empathy in design thinking can lead to innovative and successful products that have a real impact on people’s lives.

Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pixabay

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What is design thinking? – EPISODE FIVE – Ask the Consultant

Live from the Innovation Studio comes EPISODE FIVE of a new ‘Ask the Consultant’ series of short form videos. EPISODE FIVE aims to answer a question that many people struggle to answer or accurately discuss:

“What is design thinking?”

Design Thinking is often misunderstood and sometimes even maligned because too many people think it is a process. It doesn’t help when visuals like this one from the Stanford d.School label it as such:

Stanford d.School Design Thinking Process

Instead design thinking should be thought of as a mindset, or a collection of mindsets, including the novice mindset.

There is a big difference between knowing the design thinking components and being a design thinker. Design Thinking is not a technical skill, it is a collection of soft skills, so buyer beware.

One of the key things to remember about design thinking (or human-centered design) is that it is a highly iterative process intended to leverage extensive prototyping and testing.

Another important thing to remember is that unlike other problem solving methods, good design thinking professionals will spend as much, if not more, time and energy on the problems(s) than on the solution(s).

Preparing to Solve the Right Problem

To help with this I’ve created a Problem Finding Canvas to help you identify all of the potential problems in a particular search area.

It’s available for only $9.99 here in the shop.

}} Click here to watch the video {{

Help Shape the Next ‘Ask the Consultant’ Episode

  1. Grab a great deal on Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire on Amazon while they last!
  2. Get a copy of my latest book Charting Change on Amazon
  3. Contact me with your question for the next video episode of “Ask the Consultant” live from my innovation studio

Below are the previous episodes of ‘Ask the Consultant’:

  1. EPISODE ONE – What is innovation?
  2. EPISODE TWO – How do I create continuous innovation in my organization?
  3. EPISODE THREE – What is digital transformation?
  4. EPISODE FOUR – What is the best way to create successful change?
  5. All other episodes of Ask the Consultant


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Design Thinking in Action

Case Studies of Companies that Thrive on Innovation

Design Thinking in Action

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s fast-paced and rapidly changing business landscape, companies are constantly seeking new innovative solutions to stay ahead of the competition. One approach that has gained traction in recent years is design thinking. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and iterative problem-solving. In this article, we will explore how two companies – Apple and IDEO – have successfully implemented design thinking principles to drive innovation and achieve business success.

Apple: Designing for Delight

Apple is synonymous with innovation and design excellence, and much of its success can be attributed to its design thinking approach. From the sleek and intuitive design of the iPhone to the user-friendly interface of the iPad, Apple’s products are known for their attention to detail and focus on user experience. One key aspect of Apple’s design thinking process is its emphasis on empathy – understanding the needs and desires of its customers to create products that truly delight and inspire.

A prime example of this is the development of the iPod. In the early 2000s, Apple recognized the growing demand for portable music players but saw that existing products were cumbersome and hard to use. By conducting in-depth user research and observing how people interacted with music on a daily basis, Apple was able to design a product that revolutionized the music industry. The result was the iPod – a sleek and intuitive device that made it easy for users to access and enjoy their music on the go.

IDEO: Empowering Creativity Through Collaboration

IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy known for its human-centered approach to solving complex problems. Founded in 1991, IDEO has worked with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies to create innovative products and services that have a lasting impact on society. At the core of IDEO’s design thinking process is its emphasis on collaboration and iteration – bringing together diverse perspectives and ideas to create truly groundbreaking solutions.

One of IDEO’s most famous projects is the redesign of the shopping cart for a major retail chain. By engaging with customers and employees to understand their pain points and frustrations with the existing shopping cart, IDEO was able to develop a new cart design that improved the shopping experience for everyone involved. The new design featured ergonomic handles, self-checkout capabilities, and modular components that made it easy to customize based on individual needs. The result was a shopping cart that not only enhanced the customer experience but also increased efficiency and profitability for the retailer.

Conclusion

Design thinking is a powerful tool for companies looking to drive innovation and achieve business success. By focusing on empathy, creativity, and collaboration, companies like Apple and IDEO have been able to create products and services that truly resonate with their customers and set them apart from the competition. As technology continues to evolve and consumer expectations continue to rise, design thinking will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of business and driving growth and success for companies around the world.

Bottom line: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Unsplash

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50 Cognitive Biases Reference – Free Download

by Braden Kelley

I came across this cognitive biases infographic from TitleMax and it has a lot of great information in it, but…

The problem with long, information-rich infographics like this is that they’re hard to consume on the screen in their entirety, you can’t print them in a legible way, and they’re hard to leverage in your work. The creators of this infographic did a nice job of capturing a wide range of cognitive biases, which makes this a quite useful tool for design thinking, but not in this format.

To help everyone out, I’ve taken the original infographic and reformatted it into a five page PDF for easy reading and printing on 8.5″ x 11″ letter size paper.

Click here to download the 50 Cognitive Biases PDF (8.5″x11″)

See the original infographic below (click to access the source image):

Cognitive Biases Infographic

Click here to download the 50 Cognitive Biases PDF (8.5″x11″)

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