Design Thinking workshops
Design Thinking Design is no longer the sole domain of architects, artists or programmers. Today, the method of “design thinking” is used to create products and services and can also be used to find creative solutions to problems in business based on a deep understanding of problems and users’ needs..
The strength of this method is its universality. It is not just a scheme of action, it is a way of thinking that can become an element of a company’s culture! Workshops on the application of design thinking will be useful, not only in building business strategies, but can be equally effective in people management processes. HR using design thinkingenables you to focus your thinking on the employee’s experience so that it is more meaningful, engaging and productive. This method facilitates building trust, a sense of acceptance, to cross the line and make mistakes. It is great for teaching how to give as well as receive feedback!
In what situations?
- for companies that seek to innovate, not by replicating what has gone before, but by implementing original solutions based on deeply understood customer needs
- for “wicked problems”that do not have one obvious solution or rigid framework
- building an employee-friendly and creative organizational culture
- searching for new sources of income, implementing a different business model
- changing or improving processes in the organization, including HR processes
- creating abusiness strategy
- creating a communication strategy
How does it work?
The design thinking process model consists of five stages, working toward the best possible solution to a problem. However, it should not be treated linearly and many techniques support multiple permeations of successive stagesor teams working on different stages simultaneously.
Stage 1 Empathize – is the ability to perceive different experiences through the eyes of another person and to understand the motivations that influence human choices and behaviors Focusing on the human being is the essence of the innovation process.
Stage 2 Define – is the analytical stage. We recognize regularities, discover key aspects and draw conclusions from all available information. This stage requires breaking frames of thought and habits that limit the field of vision, andends with defining the right problem and formulating a design challenge.
Stage 3 Ideate – at this stage, the team focuses on generating as many possible solutions for the defined problem as possible. The principle is the “quantity begets quality” approach. It requires strong moderation, courage to create new, out-of-the-box solutions and refraining from evaluating and criticizing the ideas of other team members. The stage ends with the selection and choosing the best idea, on the basis of which, the prototype will be created.
Stage 4 Prototype – at this point a physical prototype is made from simple, available materials. The most important is the ability to visually present the idea and quickly collect feedback on the solution. Frequent construction of improved prototypes, putting them in the hands of users and listening to what they have to say reduces the risk of final failure.
Stage 5 Testing – at this stage, the chosen solution is tested in the user environment. We carefully collect feedback without defending our ideas. This model of operation accelerates the design work and significantly reduces the cost of implementation.
Design Thinking is an iterative process, we can repeat individual stages. The final goal of the process is to create a product or service that people want, that will be useful for businesses and is technologically feasible.