Design Thinking: Principles, Tools, And Methods For Innovation

Principles of Design Thinking

Questions:

1.How the tools, Methods and Theories you have learned and applied in this unit could be relevant to this case study.

2.How do they apply?

3.Would they affect the outcome stated in the Case Study?

4.What were the Opportunities to Implement them?

5.How could they be applied in moving beyond the Case?

6.Provide a summary of your understanding of design-led innovation including design thinking and other Methodologies for Opportunity Discovery and Creativity.

7.Briefly reflect on your Initial Creativity Presentation. What can you observe about your approach to Creativity and Design now that you have completed this unit? How does this impact on you?

1.The design thinking industry has been extended beyond the common practice of including the design for and of hospitals, healthcare, government policies and organizations. The tools, theories and methods applied in this unit are relevant to the case study. Recent trends of utilizing the approach of design thinking are a crucial shift towards design for the complex projects as well as their environments. It is an approach of problem solving fundamental to the design practice, which emphasizes on the user, collaborative methods and visuals through an iterative, multidisciplinary and adaptive process. Recent design thinking draws examples from the highly complex and large scale practices of the organization. One could preserve the design thinking approach for a new context (Oppezzo and Schwartz 2014).

2.The principles of design are the objectives and overarching philosophies which are outlined as building a distributed understanding of the intent, taking the approach which is user centered, making an emerging design which is visible early, working collaboratively in terms of interdisciplinary, creating a logical blueprint for any changes and following a flexible yet disciplined process. The application of the methods, tools and theories is done to solve the highly complex situations. Organizations have adopted innovative methods of implementing the methods wherever accessible. Practitioners and scholars have turner to the design thinking for an innovative advantage, in this competitive environment of policy design and public service. The methodology of design thinking is rigid; however, with certain innovative measures it can be adaptive as well as fluid (Amadeu 2012).

3.The most crucial point of the creative decision analysis and making an innovative decision is achieving the desired outcome. The decision making quality can be only evaluated in the situation, when the ideas are creative and innovative. Firstly, the design development stages, blueprinting, intent and emphasizing on the idealistic and intangible design goals, which affects the outcome. Secondly, the facilitators of design take a passive role for getting the desired results. Thirdly, the design thinking emphasizes on the collaboration, which in turn encourages the co responsibility on the outcome of the design. The design thinking approach is not only gained as designers, rather it can be enabled through multidisciplinary collaboration via design methodology. Therefore, the design thinking helps in providing more innovative and modern solutions (Budge, Beale and Lynas 2013).

Creative Decision Making and Getting Desired Outcome

4.Design thinking is successful in the complex environments only if it is successfully implemented outside the system. The design systems, services and products must be integrated within the organizational tax system which exists. Effective implementation of the organizational design system relies on the integration. Strategic and systematic thinking requires full alignment with the design thinking, to gain a clear understanding of how to implement the design outcomes, in the existing organizational systems. Designing at the complexity levels is not only about handling the problems but also using an approach of unique and creative designing. Integration is regarding compromise and negotiation as it involves swapping between the competitive requirements of user’s experience and maintaining a consistency with recent revenue system (Burleson and Tripathi 2013).

5.They could be applied in moving beyond the case as designs are being evaluated before implementation. They are examined as well based on the meeting of original intent. This proves to be a crucial factor in the whole design process, as the whole intent serves as an important measure of evaluating the investment returns as well as adopting a design process. When the final outcome is user tested as well as approved, they are passed for implementation. Therefore, at this juncture the project passes from the designers’ hands to the business team. A review of post implementation is undertaken after all the designs are implemented. This method of reviewing post implementation is being conducted by the business department and usually doesn’t involve core design department, who was responsible for designing the solution (Oppezzo and Schwartz 2014).

6.Design thinking helps in drawing imagination, systematic reasoning, intuition and logic for exploring the possibilities. It helps in creating the desired outcomes for the benefit of the end user or customer. A creative mind set is solution focused as well as action oriented. It includes both imagination and analysis. It is linked to the improved future as it seeks in generating new ideas, unlike the critical thinking which shatters them. It helps in providing information to the human centered innovation, as it begins by creating an understanding of the users’ or customers’ unsatisfied needs or desires. Design thinking is effective and efficient as it promotes a collaborative approach. It helps in bringing in people from various parts of the company together, because of their different knowledge, expertise, experiences and solves a problem (Designthinkingmovie 2017).

The creative design thinking approach minimizes the uncertainty or risk of the innovative measures. It develops the collective thinking approach via series of frames in order to gain an understanding of the consumer desires or needs. Through engaging with the users or the customers actively, it helps in understanding the growing intimacy and uncovering the needs and requirements. Design thinkers totally rely on the customer insights which are gained from the real world experiments as well as directly engaging market research. On considering the case study of Apple, the company can use its strengths of creative designing in order to expand its network of distribution. The company can even use its strong brand image for the rapid processes of innovation. It can successfully launch and develop its new lines of products as it has strong brand recognition. Threats from aggressive competitors are the major issues, which affects the players of the industry. Therefore, a strong agenda must be set up and suitable actions are to be taken in order to address the existing threats of the market. Continuous innovation and launching new products will also help the company to tackle the competitors. New marketing techniques must be employed in order to gain more consumers’ appreciation and attain their loyalty (Cup.columbia.edu 2017).

Successful Implementation Outside the System

The company has an opportunity in expanding their networking unit of distribution. The company has a very limited network distribution; therefore, it should work and take the opportunity in consideration. It needs to change the entire strategy of distribution and implement new ones, which will in turn prove the company’s efficiency and effectiveness. This will be very beneficial for the company’s growth and progress. Expanded network distribution can help the company reach new customers in this globalised world. Moreover, they should also focus on the new lines of products, as its existing product lines are greatly successful. Hence, further innovation should include launching of new products, which in turn will help in supporting the growth and progress of the industry. The company has opportunities in this field for their further growth, despite of the increasing competition in the global market (Gielnik et al. 2012).

Apple’s supply chain management has provided the company with flexibility for meeting the fluctuating demand, as ninety percent parts of Apple’s iphone were being manufactured overseas. Offshore outsourcing however, helped in reducing operation costs of Apple, but it decreased the company’s control as well as monitoring over the manufacturing practices and processes. Due to the absence of monitoring, the work procedures of suppliers and employees were very difficult to look after. It also hampered the corporate social responsibilities of the company. With different stakeholders and expectations, it became difficult to manage the consumers’ demands and satisfaction. It also became hard to manage the buyer and supplier relationship which hampered the company’s progress. Moreover, challenges arose when differences in the organization’s procedures, questioned its objectives. Therefore, the company needs to set a perfect business agenda, in order to manage its supply chain management system (Howe, Davies and Ritchie 2013).

Apple can also take some major steps regarding its corporate social responsibility challenges, which are being faced in the company’s supply chain. The company is even working on their issues in order to improve their working conditions and procedures. It is engaging more in monitoring and tracking activities, in order to keep a track on the offshore operations. To regain the control, the company is focusing more on bringing its manufacturing units back to United States. Furthermore, they are trying to stress on robotization and automation in future. They would like to engage in more CSR activities in order to improve their customer base and attain their loyalty (Jenkin et al. 2013).

Evaluation and Post-Implementation of the Design

In order to succeed in harnessing the power of thinking regarding the creative design, one should try out new tools for design thinking. One needs to manage the project’s growth itself. One is gathering huge amounts of information and deals with uncertainty and ambiguity, working with the internal as well as internal partners. With these new and innovative tools as well as data, any company can flourish. Effective and efficient implementation of the organizational design system relies on the integration. Strategic and systematic thinking requires full alignment with the design thinking, to gain a clear understanding of how to implement the design outcomes, in the existing organizational systems. Designing at the complexity levels is not only about handling the problems but also using an approach of unique and creative designing. Integration is regarding compromise and negotiation as it involves swapping between the competitive requirements or needs of user’s experience and maintaining a consistency with recent revenue system (Le Masson, Hatchuel and Wei 2012).

Incorporating the design thinking methodologies into the search for the growth is a time consuming process and going to take some time and patience on the individual’s part. Majority of the companies, however, well excited and intentioned about innovation, aren’t Google or P&G. Any company will be able to change or innovate their strategies and policies if they have creative employees (Youtube.com 2017). All sorts of hindrances will be probably thrown to the creative person who is responsible for finding new and modern growth opportunities. In addition to this, moving a project through any company is a big challenge and managers try to grow or innovate their new businesses by using creative design approach (Moneta 2012).

7.Design thinking is effective and efficient as it promotes a collaborative approach. It helps in bringing in people from various parts of the company together, because of their different knowledge, expertise, experiences and solves a problem. All these ingredients are combined together and help an organization come up with creative and innovative ways of solving a problem. Great and Innovative ideas helps in solving the organizational problems in unique ways. Great ideas are the combination of the existing ideas. Brainstorming is very powerful as it helps in bringing all the people together, with various experiences in order to merge all together (Oman et al. 2013).

Subcultures flourish as because individuals are contributing their ideas, production and funding. This results in the resurgence of creativity, community and craftsmanship. There are many problems which cannot be solved. One may not find technologies for solving any particular problem, but it should be discovered very quickly. Therefore, the methodology of design thinking is not necessarily responsible for generating better and innovative ideas for the competitive methodologies. It is that these methodologies allow one to test the ideas very quickly on order to observe the creative designing approach of one self. If an individual is a good solver of problems, he/she can be regarded as creative (Page 2012).

Benefits of Design Thinking

Creativity and designing is a powerful strategy or tool which is an impactful one. In my opinion, creating a strategy needs deciphering the patterns, presenting innovative solutions as well as insightful ideas. Creative designing is a very powerful tool for all organizations. When organizations bring in design thinking in the processes, the strategic insights are made in easier ways. The evolving of the whole strategy becomes faster and stronger, throughout the entire process. Developing strategies is not just hard, but the results can also be complex. Extracting it into digestible, simpler and impactful story becomes important and crucial. Creative designing is a particular way of emotionally and visually bringing in the strategic stories to life (Navarrete 2013).

In addition to this, creative designing helps in making people view a clear narrative, which takes people on to a journey and also makes solutions seem expected in the end. It is a particular way of making and simplifying the whole strategies into more grounded and human. It is very easy for the strategies to go over the head of the people, especially when they are not a part of the journey. Organizations have this tendency of running into the road blocks as the audiences seem unable to grasp the strategies. This becomes a problem which needs to be sorted out. Therefore, creative designing helps in bringing in several innovative strategies to life and gain an impactful position in the business for its growth and progress (Shai et al. 2013).

References

Amadeu, F., 2012. Creativity and emerging knowledge: Intuitive practice in design and crafts. Trans-techresearch. net.

Budge, K., Beale, C. and Lynas, E., 2013. A chaotic intervention: Creativity and peer learning in design education. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 32(2), pp.146-156.

Burleson, W. and Tripathi, P., 2013. Mining Creativity Research to Inform Design Rationale in Open Source Communities. In Creativity and Rationale (pp. 353-376). Springer London.

Cup.columbia.edu 2017. Designing for Growth – A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers | Columbia University Press. [online] Columbia University Press. Available at: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/designing-for-growth/9780231158381 [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017].

Designthinkingmovie 2017. Design & Thinking – a documentary on design thinking. [online] Designthinkingmovie.com. Available at: https://www.designthinkingmovie.com/ [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017].

Gielnik, M.M., Frese, M., Graf, J.M. and Kampschulte, A., 2012. Creativity in the opportunity identification process and the moderating effect of diversity of information. Journal of Business Venturing, 27(5), pp.559-576.

Howe, A., Davies, D. and Ritchie, R., 2013. Primary design and technology for the future: Creativity, culture and citizenship. Routledge.

Jenkin, T.A., Chan, Y.E., Skillicorn, D.B. and Rogers, K.W., 2013. Individual exploration, sensemaking, and innovation: A design for the discovery of novel information. Decision Sciences, 44(6), pp.1021-1057.

Le Masson, P., Hatchuel, A. and Wei, B., 2012. How design theories support creativity–an historical perspective. In DS 73-1 Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Design Creativity Volume 1.

Moneta, G.B., 2012. Opportunity for creativity in the job as a moderator of the relation between trait intrinsic motivation and flow in work. Motivation and Emotion, 36(4), pp.491-503.

Navarrete, C.C., 2013. Creative thinking in digital game design and development: A case study. Computers & Education, 69, pp.320-331.

Oman, S.K., Tumer, I.Y., Wood, K. and Seepersad, C., 2013. A comparison of creativity and innovation metrics and sample validation through in-class design projects. Research in Engineering Design, 24(1), pp.65-92.

Oppezzo, M. and Schwartz, D.L., 2014. Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of experimental psychology: learning, memory, and cognition, 40(4), p.1142.

Page, T., 2012. A shared place of discovery and creativity: Practices of contemporary art and design pedagogy. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 31(1), pp.67-77.

Shai, O., Reich, Y., Hatchuel, A. and Subrahmanian, E., 2013. Creativity and scientific discovery with infused design and its analysis with C–K theory. Research in Engineering Design, 24(2), pp.201-214.

Youtube.com 2017. “A New Approach to Design Thinking” – Doug Powell. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0el19EKXYU [Accessed 30 Oct. 2017].