Design thinking is for life, not just for Christmas

Design thinking helps people understand and develop a creative, solution-driven approach to problem-solving, which puts customers first. It’s based on the principles of collaboration, working to generate lots of ideas quickly, co-designing and prototyping fast, to test solutions before they go into expensive production.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, and if you’re anything like me you’re probably regretting not being organised enough to have nabbed the bargains! Like many people there is still plenty to buy on my gift list, including finding one for a colleague for our team Secret Santa.

Although it’s a bit of fun, I do feel slightly anxious that the gift you give should either show an understanding and appreciation of your colleague – how well do you actually know this person? Or, has to be very amusing – usually utterly useless, arguably a complete waste of money, but amusing none-the-less.

Many of us spend an inordinate number of hours at this time of year searching for those special “they’ll remember the Christmas they got that” gifts. But, they’re pretty elusive. Limited by a Secret Santa budget of £10, despite being well-intentioned (one hopes!), we often resort to giving presents that are tawdry fripperies.

But, what if I could give my co-worker something more meaningful...something that won’t end up in a land fill in 6 months?

That’s where design thinking comes in!

The great thing about design thinking is it’s a one-size-fits-all kind of gift, and NOT just for designers. An out-of-the-box problem-solving technique, that’s easy to use and doesn’t require extra AAA batteries to work, just willing and open minds!

Design thinking helps people understand and develop a creative, solution-driven approach to problem-solving, which puts customers first. It’s based on the principles of collaboration, working to generate lots of ideas quickly, co-designing and prototyping fast, to test solutions before they go into expensive production.

10 design thinking principles:

1. Start, middle and end with what the customer wants

2. Adopt an outside-in approach and look at your business from the customer’s perspective

3. See the bigger picture – look at the customer in context and learn about their world

4. Collaborate – with anyone who can help you see from the outside-in

5. Empathise – put yourself in the customers shoes and feel their frustrations

6. Generate lots of unconstrained ideas – everyone involved can be a designer at this point

7. Set design rules to structure the process, but allow them to be flexible

8. Design human-centred processes, tools, and products based on what's best for, and meets the customer's practical and emotional needs.

9. Create prototypes quickly to test ideas – this often also sparks new ideas

10. Fail early and often – learn from mistakes and move on. It’s cheaper in the end because success tends to come sooner

Go on, treat yourself. Share the principles of design thinking with your colleagues and give them something that will last beyond Boxing Day!

Design thinking – the gift that will keep on giving!