What is Design Thinking?

I did a self-research for Design Thinking, but to make it short.

💡 “Design thinking is an iterative, non-linear process in which you seek to understand your users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions which you can prototype and test.”

Design, as a way of thinking

I myself consider that Design Thinking isn’t just a process - it’s a mindset that encourages innovation by focusing on the people who will ultimately use the products or services we create.

Mr.Don Norman called it Human-centered Design, which has 4 important components:

• People-centered: Focus on people and their context in order to create things that are appropriate for them. Participatory design ensures user involvement in the process.

• Solve the Right Problem: Understand and solve the right problem, the root causes, the underlying fundamental issues. Otherwise, the symptoms will just keep returning.

• Everything is a System: Think of everything as a system of interconnected parts.

• Small & Simple Interventions: Do iterative work and don't rush to a solution. Try small, simple interventions and learn from them one by one, and slowly your results will get bigger and better.

When to use Design Thinking and when NOT to?

When to use Design Thinking?

• When facing a complex challenge: complex problems are ideally tackled using an explorative process such as Design Thinking. However, do not mistake complicated problems for complex ones!

• When facing a human centered challenge: At best, we are able to create a solution that builds on the user’s current behavior, needs, wishes and habits and this way allowing for easy adaptation.

When not to use Design Thinking?

This answer is actually quite simple: Design Thinking is best suited for open-ended processes and complex problems. It’s not necessary for straightforward issues that don’t require its exploratory approach.

🍚 As Hieu mentioned, we don’t need Design Thinking for straightforward decisions like choosing between chopsticks or a spoon to eat. When the problem is simple, simple solutions are all that's needed.

💡 A complex problem required complex solutions.

How do we recognize when a problem is complex enough to require Design Thinking?

Hieu shared a fascinating insight about the concept of "Wicked Problems". As designers, we often dive straight into solving issues, sometimes overlooking the underlying problems. So when we're asked to explain our process, we might struggle to articulate the 'how' and 'what' behind our solutions.

So what are Wicked Problems?

Acording to Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, June 4). What are Wicked Problems?, Wicked problems are problems with many interdependent factors making them seem impossible to solve. Because the factors are often incomplete, in flux, and difficult to define, solving wicked problems requires a deep understanding of the stakeholders involved, and an innovative approach provided by design thinking.