Design Thinking is a methodology used to identify problems and, in turn, innovative and creative ideas that can solve them.
Since its invention in the 1970s, this creative tool has played a strong role in product design teams, training spaces for entrepreneurs and marketing departments.
Below, we will explain in greater detail what this methodology refers to and, of course, what are the pillars and stages that comprise it.
Design Thinking is a methodology for generating innovative ideas. It focuses on understanding and providing solutions to the real needs of a previously identified group of users.
It comes from the way in which product, software and architectural project designers work, hence its name, which in Spanish literally translates as “Design Thinking”.
However, it is preferable to understand the term as “The way designers think.”
Tim Brown (CEO of IDEO: a pioneering company of this methodology) defines Design Thinking as:
“A discipline that uses the sensibility and methods of designers to match the needs of people with what is technologically feasible and with what a viable business strategy can translate into value for the customer as well as a major opportunity for the market.”
In this sense, Design Thinking consists of transferring strategic and practical elements of the methodologies used by designers of architectural products and projects to the world of entrepreneurship and innovation to solve problems and satisfy the needs of target audiences or market segments.
Successful businesses are precisely those that have teams that have the ability to understand customer needs and create appropriate solutions and tools to help them perform their daily tasks.
This is why one of the most important characteristics of the Design Thinking methodology is that it is focused on the user and on solving the problems that they have in their environment, starting from innovative ideas.
How does Design Thinking work?
Design Thinking works through a methodology that is mainly composed of five stages.
It is worth noting that you can move forward or backward through these stages as many times as you consider necessary, until you can achieve the results you want.
The stages of this methodology for entrepreneurs are:
metodologia-design-thinking.
1. Empathy
The Design Thinking methodology begins with a deep understanding of user needs.
In this first stage, you must put yourself in the shoes of your prospects and , through empathy, understand their environment and problems with the aim of finding an appropriate solution consistent with their realities.
Starting from empathy is one of the most important qualities of this methodology , because this way you guarantee the usefulness and impact of the idea you want to materialize.
It is very common for problems to be thought of from a technical perspective, so Design Thinking helps you put people at the center and start from a more human perspective.
In this sense, we recommend that you create the following empathy map:
empathy-map
2. Definition
In the definition stage you must write and express with greater s telegram free number philippines pecificity all the information you collected in the previous stage.
You must put the answers from the empathy map on the table, analyze the results and identify the problems and latent needs in the lives of your prospects. Above all, those problems that you consider that, from the creation of your product, you can contribute to solving.
It is important that your choice depends on understanding those solutions that really provide value to the user.
3. Ideation
Within the Design Thinking methodology , the Ideation stage aims to generate multiple options and solutions to the problems that you already defined in the previous stage.
It's about brainstorming ideas that act as feasible solutions to your users' needs.
At this stage, you can incorporate creative games and brainstorming dynamics with your collaborators to build an innovative idea through participation and teamwork.
Focus on generating as many ideas with as much help as possible, because the more options you have, the more chances you have of finding a good result.
Finally, the ideation stage must end with the selection of concrete ideas that can be prototyped. These ideas must go through a voting process by the entire team of Design Thinkers and their selection revolves around the following criteria:
Technical feasibility
Utility and value for users
Economic viability
Read also: Rules for brainstorming in the marketing department
4. Prototyping
In the prototyping stage, the objective is to represent the idea that, together with your team, you chose as the best for your users or clients.
A prototype is a first example of a product and/or service that you want to bring to market. Therefore, it is a first visual approximation of what you really want, in which you express what you want to improve or refine before reaching the final result.
This prototype can be a drawing, an illustration, a 3D design, a model, among others, that is, something that can make the idea more visible and palpable.
5. Testing
Finally, in the testing stage , the way in which users interact with the designed product and/or service is studied, that is, the created prototype is tested by knowing the perception of the users involved in the solution being developed.
This phase is crucial, since it helps you to:
Identify flaws in the application of Design Thinking .
Problems in user experience.
Identify new ideas to improve the product or service to be offered.
That is why it is said that the Design Thinking methodology is not linear precisely because at this stage you can realize the elements that need to be changed, and this will force you to go back and execute some actions from the previous stages again.
In this sense, testing can open doors to delve deeper into the first stage, which is empathy, redefine the identified problem, look for other solutions in the ideation phase, and even revisit prototypes that were left behind.
Implementing good Design Thinking involves going back and forth between its stages to materialize a successful entrepreneurial idea .
In conclusion, to implement Design Thinking in your company you must:
Identify a problem and empathize with your customers.