Design Thinking Methodologies to Create Innovative Products
Every business strives for excellence and design thinking with appropriate product innovation goals is the latest approach to achieve this. Design thinking is a non-linear innovation process used by inventive managers to create an exceptional output by building ideas for an improved future. Forbes and Harvard Business Review have talked about the need to adapt to design thinking for business as well as career advancement.
Around 69% of design-led firms believe that the innovation process becomes more efficient when combined with design thinking. Big names like Microsoft and Apple have strongly focused on creating innovative and user-friendly solutions using design thinking methodology. No wonder, professionals with design thinking skills certainly get a preference from employers these days. Doing a course in Design thinking from a reputable institute like IIM Lucknow certainly is a decision in the right direction.
How Design Thing is Implemented
5 Steps to Successful Design Thinking
Stage 1: Empathise with users
Stage 2: Define the problem
Stage 3: Evaluate and Ideate
Stage 4: Prototype to find the best solution
Stage 5: Test and gather feedback
Join Executive Program in Design Thinking
Key Highlights
As per a Harvard Business School article, Design Thinking is a powerful tool as well as a skill that helps professionals to do creative problem-solving in their respective job roles. It further states that design thinking skills empower professionals to facilitate innovation in their organisation and bring about a key transformation.
71% of companies state that design thinking has played a major rolein improving their working culture, and 69% stated that it made their innovation processes better. Also, all the popular Brands Use Design Thinking like IBM, Google, Airbnb, PepsiCo, and Nike as a key aspect of their work culture.
The IIM Lucknow’s course is ideal for professionals who want to upgrade their design thinking skills and knowledge as per the fast-changing trends to assist in design-led innovations.
5 Steps to Successful Design Thinking
The term design thinking refers to a process that designs solutions using a human-centric approach with a prime focus on what the users need. This approach is iterative and practical and based on how people interact with their surroundings. Design thinking aims at solving human problems the way they want and not how the company perceives them. This methodology tries to solve ambiguous issues. Creating innovative products is the crux of design thinking that consists of 5 stages as explained next in this write-up.
Stage 1: Empathise with users
This is the initial stage of design thinking, which is concerned with comprehending the perspective of the target customers or audience for identifying and addressing the issue at hand. The focus here is to research and gain insight into users' requirements to have an empathetic comprehension of the issue to be resolved.
The design thinkers are supposed to ignore their assumptions and understanding and try to step into consumers’ shoes and gain a viewpoint of the target customers. For this, design thinkers need to use their power of observation and conduct user interviews on the topic.
Stage 2: Define the problem
The next step of design thinking is to define the problem statement crisply and, in a human-centric way. This means that one needs to write or define the problem statement in human-centred terms and focus on what the users will gain instead of what the business will gain. For instance, the primary objective of a baby food brand should be to provide the right and healthy nutrition to babies rather than enhancing social media branding or increasing profits by targeting such a potential target audience. The outcome of this stage is defining the problem statement.
Stage 3: Evaluate and Ideate
Once the problem is known, this stage tries to look for ideas to find solutions. It is a sensible thing to gather lots of ideas initially in a free environment. In this stage clustering of ideas is done via affinity mapping where similar ideas are grouped after they are written on wallboard or pinned on a soft board. Ideas need to be written in a simple crisp manner and one must be free to present his viewpoint for a fruitful brainstorming session.
Make it a point to generate ideas quickly without emphasising the quality of the concept. Even if one’s idea is vague or too theoretical, it must be out there for everyone to evaluate and analyse. This process must be done collaboratively with a passion to gain something positive and rewarding. Various ideation techniques are used like brainstorming, brain dumping, brainwriting, brain walking, mind mapping, storyboarding and more.
Go to the evaluation phase after collecting the ideas. This is an extremely creative and fun stage for any team as they need to be as creative and innovative as they can. Once the ideas are out, grouping, discussions and evaluation is done to shortlist them and come up with action points.
Stage 4: Prototype to find the best solution
The objective of this stage is to bring the idea to life using affordable means to avoid costly mistakes. The objective is to identify the problem areas if any and understand the practical benefit of the design by gaining a perspective from a group of sample users. Sometimes new ideas are sparked from prototypes. Today 3D printing technology can play a key role in prototyping.
This stage involves experiments. Here the team will first identify the apt solution for the problem whose prototype needs to be made. The idea is to come up with the final product or solution using the trial-and-error method and via feedback from the target users, it is meant for. The prototype must offer a realistic solution. Various prototypes are made to identify the best solution for the users’ problems and requirements.
Stage 5: Test and gather feedback
Testing is the final stage of the digital thinking process. This is an interactive phase where the team wants to gather users’ feedback on the prototype. The idea is to know if the users find the product satisfactory to solve their issues.
This phase is important since the outcome is dependent on the feedback of the users involved. In this, one can again review the problem statement to ensure that the end solution satisfies the users’ requirements and expectations.
Join Executive Program in Design Thinking
Businesses in several domains are providing amazing offerings by using design thinking approaches. This is why the demand for professionals with design thinking skills is high. If you want to join the bandwagon and earn a lucrative salary, you must seriously consider joining the Executive Certificate Program in Design
Thinking and Innovation Management by IIT Lucknow.
This program focuses on the process of design thinking for developing innovative products collaboratively, empathetically, and creatively. This program is ideal for consultants facing clients who like to develop their design thinking expertise to effectively get involved with client companies. Moreover, the program is also appropriate for those managers who like to enhance their skills in business and innovation with the help of design thinking. Therefore, do not think twice and enrol in this program today.
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