Why is Design Thinking even more important now?

What is Design Thinking? Why is it so important in the current day and age? In this article, you'll find out what Design Thinking is, what it can do for your organizations and why it's important now.

Let's start at the beginning: Design Thinking asks you to think differently. It's not just a tool you implement - it's a mindset you have to adopt. Design Thinking requires you to think as the customer. So it's not about what you want to design, but about what the customer wants to have and how you'll bring that product to him or her.

Think like a designer

Design Thinking is called Design Thinking because it requires you to think like a designer. The designer wonders how the customers thinks about the product he or she delivers. This is what you'll do when you start with Design Thinking: you discover how the customer thinks about your product, what he or she needs and how your product can fulfill these needs.

A great Design Thinker doesn't come up with their products behind a desk. To discover what the customer wants, he or she talks to them. Showing empathy is the first step in Design Thinking. There are five in total. Read what the five steps are below.

• 1. Empathy
  It all starts with sympathizing with the customer. Which product does he or she want to have? Why does it have to look a certain way? What don't they like about their current solution? How can your team help to improve the situation? In short: what does the customer feel when it comes down to your product and why? In this step, you collect information about the customer
• 2. What's the issue?
  In the first step you've collected information that will guide you towards the product the customer wants and needs. In step 2, you define what the issue is. You do this by using the information you've collected in the previous step.
• 3. Brainstorm, but filter
  After step 2, you collected as many ideas based on the previous information as you can. How can you help the customer? After you've done so, it's time to filter. Which ideas are good and which aren't?
• 4. Design a first version
  From all these ideas, you've formed one you can get to work on. You turn this idea into a prototype.
• 5. Time to test your product!
  Done? Test your product

You keep repeating these five steps until you've designed a product the customer is satisfied with.

Agile/Scrum

Design Thinking might remind you of Agile or Scrum The customer gives feedback during the development cycle, and because of that, they will receive the product they want at the end of the cycle. Because you've sympathized with the customer, you know what this product needs to be exactly.

Why is Design Thinking important now?

In the past, the editors of the paper would decide which news you'd get. The DJ's at the radio station decided which song would be a hit, and which wouldn't be. This has all changed since the internet came along: the customer knows which product he or she wants and if you can't deliver - they'll just go elsewhere. More than ever before, the customer decides what we make.

It's important to be flexible now. The customer demand changes constantly and you have to be ready to jump on their demands.

What now?

You've read this article and it's given you an idea of what Design Thinking is. Are you ready to practice what you've learnt and ready to learn more about Design Thinking? On the 18th and 19th of June, Global Knowledge organizes a Design Thinking workshop guided by Rody Vonk in the Global Knowledge Virtual Classroom. Vonk is an expert on innovation and creativity - so you'll be in excellent hands with him. Need more information on this training course?

^{The following sources were used in the process of writing this article: Makingdesignwork, SixSigma}