Design Thinking

“Design thinking” is a term used to denote the adaptation of processes and methodologies used by designers to a business context. The idea behind “design thinking” is to follow certain steps used by designers to tap into similar creativity and insight in your own organization. “Design in its most effective form is a process, an action … a protocol for solving problems and discovering new opportunities,” according to a 2006 Fast Company article.

Design, in these terms, is not limited to physical objects or even things that can be perceived visually like a website; anything can be designed, including the membership experience, a conference registration line, and other typical association offerings.

There is no final consensus around the steps involved in design thinking, but the Fast Company article cited above suggests the following four:

1. Define the problem
2. Create and consider many options
3. Refine selected options
4. Select final solution and implement

Resources

“Design Thinking … What Is That?” Mark Dziersk, Fast Company, March 2006. Describes four steps involved in design thinking.

Bloomberg Business Week Special Report: Design Thinking.

The Rotman School (Toronto), List of Articles on Business Design.

Stanford Institute of Design, d.school Bootcamp Bootleg (PDF). Includes seven “design mindsets” analogous to the steps of design thinking listed in Fast Company, above.

IDEO CEO Tim Brown lecture on innovation through design thinking (video).

"Design Thinking for Social Innovation," Stanford Social Innovation Review, Tim Brown and Jocelyn Wyatt.

“Why Design Thinking Won’t Save Us,” Harvard Business Review blog post by Peter Merholz.

"The Four Phases of Design Thinking," Harvard Business Review blog post by Warren Berger.

“How to Think Like a Designer,” Scott Steen, CAE, Associations Now, August 2010.

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