Stanford | Human-Centered Change and Innovation

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