UNIT-II

Design thinking process:

Introduction:

Design Thinking is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to

solving problems. It8s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or
unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, by re-framing the problem in human-
centric ways, by creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on
approach in prototyping and testing. Understanding these five stages of Design Thinking will
empower anyone to apply the Design Thinking methods in order to solve complex problems that
occur around us 4 in our companies, in our countries, and even on the scale of our planet.

We will focus on the five-stage Design Thinking model proposed by the Hasso-Plattner
Institute of Design at Stanford ([Link]). [Link] is the leading university when it comes to
teaching Design Thinking. The five stages of Design Thinking, according to [Link], are as
follows: Empathise, Define (the problem), Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Let8s take a closer look at
the five different stages of Design Thinking.
 [Link]

The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to gain an empathic understanding of the
problem you are trying to solve. This involves consulting experts to find out more about the area
of concern through observing, engaging and empathizing with people to understand their
experiences and motivations, as well as immersing yourself in the physical environment so you
can gain a deeper personal understanding of the issues involved. Empathy is crucial to a human-
centered design process such as Design Thinking, and empathy allows design thinkers to set aside
their own assumptions about the world in order to gain insight into users and their needs.

Depending on time constraints, a substantial amount of information is gathered at this stage

to use during the next stage and to develop the best possible understanding of the users, their needs,
and the problems that underlie the development of that particular product.
1. Define (the Problem)

During the Define stage, you put together the information you have created and gathered
during the Empathise stage. This is where you will analyse your observations and synthesise them
in order to define the core problems that you and your team have identified up to this point. You
should seek to define the problem as a problem statement in a human-centred manner.

To illustrate, instead of defining the problem as your own wish or a need of the company
such as, ―We need to increase our food-product market share among young teenage girls by 5%,‖
a much better way to define the problem would be, ―Teenage girls need to eat nutritious food in
order to thrive, be healthy and grow.‖

The Define stage will help the designers in your team gather great ideas to establish
features, functions, and any other elements that will allow them to solve the problems or, at the
very least, allow users to resolve issues themselves with the minimum of difficulty. In the Define
stage you will start to progress to the third stage, Ideate, by asking questions which can help you
look for ideas for solutions by asking: ―How might we… encourage teenage girls to perform an
action that benefits them and also involves your company8s food-product or service?‖
2. Ideate
During the third stage of the Design Thinking process, designers are ready to start generating
ideas. You8ve grown to understand your users and their needs in the Empathise stage, and you8ve
analysed and synthesised your observations in the Define stage, and ended up with a human-
centered problem statement. With this solid background, you and your team members can start
to "think outside the box" to identify new solutions to the problem statement you8ve created, and
you can start to look for alternative ways of viewing the problem.
There are hundreds of Ideation techniques such as Brainstorm, Brainwrite, Worst Possible
Idea, and SCAMPER. Brainstorm and Worst Possible Idea sessions are typically used to stimulate
free thinking and to expand the problem space.
It is important to get as many ideas or problem solutions as possible at the beginning of
the Ideation phase. You should pick some other Ideation techniques by the end of the Ideation
phase to help you investigate and test your ideas so you can find the best way to either solve a
problem or provide the elements required to circumvent it.
 3. Prototype
The design team will now produce a number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the
product or specific features found within the product, so they can investigate the problem
solutions generated in the previous stage. Prototypes may be shared and tested within the team
itself, in other departments, or on a small group of people outside the design team. This is an
experimental phase, and the aim is to identify the best possible solution for each of the
problems identified during the first three stages.
The solutions are implemented within the prototypes, and, one by one, they are
investigated and either accepted, improved and re-examined, or rejected on the basis of the
users8 experiences. By the end of this stage, the design team will have a better idea of the
constraints inherent to the product and the problems that are present, and have a clearer view
of how real users would behave, think, and feel when interacting with the end product.

What makes up the design thinking process to help innovators?

Managing New Product Development (NPD) can be a daunting challenge and so it is

critical to focus on what is important. Design thinking becomes a highly useful and effective
collaborative strategy to identify and solve problems creatively. As it is a non-linear, iterative
approach that focuses on user needs, articulating frameworks, and formulating a strategy its
constantly addressing the direction, design, and development and encourages a ―fast acting-
learning‖ cycle.
Recognizing that the direction, design, and development needs are constantly looping back
to validate against the user needs is central to design thinking. The earlier you involve design
thinkers, and specifically in contributing to any product brief, the more you can provide valuable
support in the NPD process.
 A series of excellent posts by Peterson, such as ―Design Thinking - What Is It in Practice,‖ Or
―How to Manage Innovation With Design Thinking,‖ raise the importance of the value of design
thinking within the innovation development process.

The value of design thinking hinges on how involved it becomes within any newdevelopment
thinking
Establishing an inspirational design brief early on can help guide the process. Having part of any
brief include the design strategy can assist in facilitating innovation strategy, diagnosis,
formulation, and implementation.

Design thinking does have its limitations applied to innovation work.

Design thinking8s primary use, to date, has been in developing incremental innovation or
help resolve specific problems or challenges. There are often recognized needs established or can
be quickly found out, but if the requirement has a more open brief then design thinking needs to
shift from a tactical part to play into a more strategically designed one, where problem definition,
placing it in the appropriate context sometimes becomes as complex to understand as the thinking
that goes into achieving the potential solutions. There can be a lot of ‗push back8 if the problem
has not been fully framed, as the solution might only have many unintended consequences.
The critical point is that design thinking is human-centered

It stands in service of creating positive outcomes for people, then its value is through a
series of activities to inspire the essential elements of creativity, to be able to take an abstract idea
and create something with it. It helps you to actualize your concepts and results, to drive increased
adoption, help design the behavioral change and ease in ongoing use. So, it becomes the tool to
engage with people, find the purpose that ‗it8 is meaningful and as a result, it should generate
positive cash flow. Value, meaning, and profit.
The five phases of design thinking, according to [Link], are as follows:
 Empathize 3 with your users

 Define 3 your users8 needs, their problem, and your insights

 Ideate 3 by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions

 Prototype 3 to start creating solutions

 Test 3 solutions

It is important to note that the five phases, stages, or modes are not always sequential.

Design thinking with services in mind

Design thinking is not just for products; it can help across services, and in designing new
business models. As we combine product and service far more then design thinking is focusing
even further on meeting the user8s and customer8s needs for that service. Service design needs to
‗feed8 into creating those great customer experiences.
Today many organizations, capitalizing on technology are looking to build a
comprehensive customer journey map, covering all the touch-points that a customer has with the
organization. Each of these becomes a potential engagement point, but so often organizations
struggle as they lack a complete understanding.
Design thinking can help and become as valuable to be part of any process, organizational
information, and technology (re-)design. One of its critical roles to play is to keep the organization
clear it is not internal design needs; it is customer needs as central. Often customer journey
understandings become component-by-component built by the specific team engaged in that
touch-point (customer service, spare or replacement part, billing) but the total delivery of any
service-oriented solution needs a holistic approach, and design thinking can greatly help in this.
Service design tends to have a higher planning and organizing level. The focus is on
understanding infrastructure, communications, and material components increases. The service
design has a higher ―quality, time, and interaction‖ emphasis for the response outcomes.
A constant questioning with any design thinking process revolves around ―is it useful, usable,
desirable, efficient, and effective?‖ The more you involve the customer, the more you design the
solutions to match these requirements.
Frame work of Design Thinking:
 1. Discovery
Choose a strategic topic to focus on and learn about. Design thinking starts with an end goal, a
desired future, and approaches to how you can make it happen. The topic should be one you find

compelling and motivating. Research your topic for insights. What do you need to understand?
What are the opportunities embedded in problems? Ask ―why‖ questions to dig deeper.
Leverage stories to discover insights. What stories are your customers telling about their
experiences? What are the hopes, fears, and goals that motivate them? What insights can you draw
from their problems and aspirations?

2. Frame and reframe

Framing the right problem is the only way to create the right solution. Make sense of research by
seeing patterns, themes, and larger relationships between the pieces of information. Uncover
customer insights to reframe problem areas into opportunities.

3. Incubate
Creativity comes from a blend of individual and group ideation. Give people time to reflect on
ideas and incubate on their own before running a group ideation session.

4. Ideate
Now that you have some deep insights about your customers or users, generate ideas for offerings
that will deliver value to your customers. Build on ideas by asking ―What else?‖ The goal is to
push beyond the obvious and generate a set of really good options for consideration.

5. Decide
Display your ideas on a wall and look for ideas that have "wow" power. This will save you from
draining everyone8s energy by debating every single idea. Vote for the best options based on
criteria such as desirability, technical feasibility, and business viability. The team can then choose
one to three ideas to prototype and test.

6. Prototype
Combine, expand, and refine ideas in the form of rough models or sketches. Invite users to test out
and respond to your prototype. How do they feel about your ideas? What feedback do they have?
Their responses will inform whether you move forward or kill your idea before investing additional
resources.

7. Deliver
The prototypes you have tested, built and launched will have a better chance of succeeding in the
marketplace.

8. Iterate
Design is not a linear. It is an iterative process. Use feedback to improve on your ideas and keep
iterating until there is nothing more to add or subtract.
9. Frame and reframe
Framing the right problem is the only way to create the right solution. Make sense of research by
seeing patterns, themes, and larger relationships between the pieces of information. Uncover
customer insights to reframe problem areas into opportunities.

[Link]
Creativity comes from a blend of individual and group ideation. Give people time to reflect on
ideas and incubate on their own before running a group ideation session.

[Link]
Now that you have some deep insights about your customers or users, generate ideas for offerings
that will deliver value to your customers. Build on ideas by asking ―What else?‖ The goal is to
push beyond the obvious and generate a set of really good options for consideration.

[Link]
Display your ideas on a wall and look for ideas that have "wow" power. This will save you from
draining everyone8s energy by debating every single idea. Vote for the best options based on
criteria such as desirability, technical feasibility, and business viability. The team can then choose
one to three ideas to prototype and test.

[Link]
Combine, expand, and refine ideas in the form of rough models or sketches. Invite users to test out
and respond to your prototype. How do they feel about your ideas? What feedback do they have?
Their responses will inform whether you move forward or kill your idea before investing additional
resources.

[Link]
The prototypes you have tested, built and launched will have a better chance of succeeding in the
marketplace.

[Link]
Design is not a linear. It is an iterative process. Use feedback to improve on your ideas and keep
iterating until there is nothing more to add or subtract.

Distinctions Between Design and Design Thinking:

Steve Jobs famously said, ―Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it
looks like. People think it8s this veneer 3 that the designers are handed this box and told, ‗Make
it look good!8 That8s not what we think design is. It8s not just what it looks like and feels like.
Design is how it works.‖5

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, the design company that popularised the term design thinking,
says ―Design thinking can be described as a discipline that uses the designer8s sensibility
and methods to match people8s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable
business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity.‖6
 Thinking like a designer brings together what is desirable from a human point of view with what is
technologically feasible and economically viable. It also allows people who aren8t trained as designers to use
creative tools to address a vast range of challenges.

Design thinking draws on logic, imagination, intuition and systemic reasoning to explore the
possibilities of what could be and to create desired outcomes that benefit the end user (the customer).
Design thinking is our best tool for sense-making, meaning making, simplifying processes, and
improving customer experiences. Additionally, design thinking minimises risk, reduces costs, improves speed,
and energises employees. Design thinking provides leaders with a framework for addressing complex human-
centred challenges and making the best possible decisions concerning:

• Redefining value
• Re-inventing business models
• Shifting markets and behaviours
• Organisational culture change
• Complex societal challenges such as health, education, food, water and climate change
Problems affecting diverse stakeholders and multiple systems

Implementing the process in driving inventions

Implementing a process to drive innovation involves creating a structured framework that encourages the
generation, development, and implementation of creative ideas. Here9s a step-by-step guide to implementing an
innovation process within an organization:
1. Establish a Culture of Innovation:
 Foster an environment that values creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking. Encourage open
communication, diverse perspectives, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
2. Define Clear Objectives and Goals:
 Determine the specific areas or aspects of the organization where innovation is most needed.
Clearly articulate the goals and outcomes you hope to achieve through the innovation process.
3. Identify Innovation Champions:
 Appoint individuals or teams responsible for driving the innovation process. These champions
should be passionate about innovation and have the skills to facilitate creative thinking.
4. Understand Customer Needs and Market Trends:
 Conduct market research and engage with customers to understand their pain points, preferences,
and emerging trends. This insight will guide the direction of your innovation efforts.
5. Idea Generation:
 Encourage employees at all levels to contribute ideas. Provide platforms for brainstorming
sessions, idea contests, suggestion boxes, and collaborative workshops. Emphasize diversity of
thought.
6. Idea Evaluation and Prioritization:
 Establish criteria for evaluating and prioritizing ideas. Consider factors such as feasibility, market
potential, alignment with organizational goals, and resource requirements.
7. Prototype and Testing:
 Develop prototypes or proofs of concept for selected ideas. This allows for practical testing and
refinement before full-scale implementation.
8. Allocate Resources:
 Provide the necessary resources, including funding, time, and expertise, to support the
development and implementation of innovative ideas.
9. Create Cross-Functional Teams:
 Form multidisciplinary teams that bring together individuals with diverse skills and expertise. This
promotes a holistic approach to problem-solving and innovation.
10. Encourage Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing:
 Foster a collaborative work environment where employees freely exchange ideas and insights. Use
platforms like intranets, team meetings, and collaboration tools to facilitate communication.
11. Pilot Projects:
 Test innovations on a small scale before full-scale implementation. This allows for adjustments
based on real-world feedback and minimizes potential risks.
12. Measure and Evaluate Progress:
 Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the impact of innovations. Monitor progress
towards achieving the defined objectives and make adjustments as needed.
13. Celebrate Success and Learn from Failures:
 Recognize and celebrate successful innovations to reinforce a culture of creativity. Additionally,
view failures as learning opportunities and use them to refine future innovation efforts.
14. Feedback and Iteration:
 Solicit feedback from stakeholders, including employees, customers, and partners. Use this
feedback to refine and improve the innovation process for ongoing success.
15. Institutionalize Innovation:
 Integrate innovation into the organization9s core values, strategic plans, and day-to-day operations.
Ensure that it becomes a natural part of how the organization operates.
Design thinking in social innovations:

[Link] and co-creation

2Systems thinking and impact measurement

3Diversity and inclusion

4Ethics and responsibility

5Learning and adaptation

[Link] and co-creation

One of the key principles of design thinking is empathy, which means

understanding the needs, emotions, and perspectives of the users and
stakeholders. Empathy helps to identify the root causes of the problem and the
opportunities for improvement. Co-creation is another important aspect of
design thinking, which means involving the users and stakeholders in the design
process and empowering them to contribute their ideas, feedback, and insights.
Co-creation fosters trust, ownership, and participation, and leads to more
relevant and sustainable solutions.

[Link] thinking and impact measurement

Another trend in design thinking for social innovation is systems thinking, which
means looking at the problem and the solution in the context of the larger
system and the interrelated factors that influence it. Systems thinking helps to
avoid unintended consequences, identify leverage points, and create systemic
change. Impact measurement is also crucial for design thinking for social
innovation, as it helps to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability of
the solution, and to learn from the results and improve the design. Impact
measurement can be done using various methods and tools, such as logic
models, theory of change, indicators, surveys, interviews, and stories.
[Link] and inclusion
A challenge for design thinking for social innovation is diversity and inclusion,
which means ensuring that the design process and the solution are respectful,
accessible, and beneficial for all the users and stakeholders, especially those who
are marginalized, excluded, or vulnerable. Diversity and inclusion require
awareness, sensitivity, and action, and can be fostered by engaging diverse
voices, perspectives, and experiences, addressing biases and stereotypes, and
designing for equity and justice.

[Link] and responsibility

Another challenge for design thinking for social innovation is ethics and
responsibility, which means considering the ethical implications, risks, and trade-
offs of the problem and the solution, and taking responsibility for the impact and
consequences of the design. Ethics and responsibility require reflection, dialogue,
and accountability, and can be guided by ethical principles, frameworks, and
codes of conduct, such as human rights, social justice, and sustainability.
Tools of design thinking - person, costumer, journey map, brain
storming, product development

Journey Maps

In recent years empathy maps and journey maps have gained popularity due to the fact they are an upgrade and

extension of personas. Personas are too empathy maps, what the internet is to our intellect. We have a base set of

knowledge that we can store by default, but with the advent of the internet 4 and smartphones 4 we now treat

the internet as a more detailed extension of our intellect. We may not know the exact answer, but we know how

to find it, yet the intellect would be rendered useless without our intellect as we would no longer be able to use it

in the slightest. That is the relationship personas have with empathy and journey maps. They are not a

replacement and they serve no purpose without the personas in place.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a process where you want to make sure that no idea is off-limits. Perhaps you9re thinking, <This

idea can9t be executed, the technology just isn9t there yet!= or <We definitely don9t have the budget for this=.

While these are both valid concerns, write it down anyway. You never know what it may inspire. Perhaps after

hearing your idea someone thinks of a way to tweak it so that it is feasible. Maybe someone is able to think of a
way to water down the solution and make it executable. Never discount what human creativity and ingenuity can

accomplish. Just share it.

Product Development:

Product development is a process of developing new product or service to market, from idea generation to
launch. It constitute various activities, market research, product design, development, testing and launch. The
primary objective of the Product Development is to create a product that meets customer needs and business
objective.
Key Principles of Product Development:

To ensure a successful product development process, several key principles should be followed:

1. Customer-Centric Approach:

It9s critical to understand and satisfy customer needs and wants. Regular customer feedback and market

research are essential for creating products that resonate with the target audience.

2. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Effective product development involves close collaboration between various departments, including

marketing, engineering, design, and quality assurance. A multidisciplinary team can bring diverse

perspectives and skills to the project.

3. Agile Methodology:

Using agile development methodologies can help adapt to changing market conditions and customer

feedback. Agile emphasizes flexibility, iterative development, and rapid response to change.
4. Risk Management:

Identifying and mitigating risks at each stage is crucial. This includes technical, market, and financial risks.

Effective risk management helps prevent costly setbacks.

5. Continuous Improvement:

Product development is an ongoing process. Regularly revisiting and improving products is essential for

staying competitive and addressing changing customer needs.

Steps involve in Product Development

Some of the major steps that are involved in product development are as follows:

1. Idea: This is where you come up with the concept for your new product. It9s the initial spark of

creativity.

2. Plan: After you have an idea, you need a detailed plan that outlines how you9ll create the product.

This includes design, materials, and how to put it together.

3. Build: Creating a prototype, which is like a test version of the product, helps you see if your idea

can work in the real world.

4. Test: This step involves checking if the product functions as expected. Any issues or problems are

identified and fixed.

5. Make: Once you9re sure the product works well, you can start producing it on a larger scale.

6. Sell: Finally, you introduce the product to the market so that people can buy and use it.

The Stages of Product Development

Product development typically involves a series of stages, each with its own set of tasks and challenges.

While these stages can vary in complexity and duration, they generally include:
 Stages of Product Development

1. Idea Generation:
This is the first phase in which concepts for fresh products are created. Ideas can come from various sources,
including customer feedback, market research, internal brainstorming, or industry trends.
2. Conceptualization:
After being chosen, an idea is developed into a concept. This stage involves defining the product9s purpose,
target market, and unique selling points. It helps shape the product9s initial vision.
3. Design and Planning:
This phase involves creating detailed product specifications, design blueprints, and project plans. It also
includes selecting materials, technology, and manufacturing methods.
4. Prototype Development:
A prototype or a minimum viable product (MVP) is created to test the concept9s feasibility. This stage helps
identify potential issues, refine the design, and make necessary adjustments.
5. Testing and Evaluation:
The product is rigorously tested for performance, safety, quality, and user satisfaction. Feedback from testing
is used to make further improvements.
6. Manufacturing or Development:
The product design enters the production stage when it is complete. For software or digital products, this
stage involves coding and development.
7. Marketing and Commercialization:
Preparing the product for market launch involves developing marketing strategies, setting pricing, and
creating promotional materials. It also includes planning the distribution and sales channels.
8. Launch:
The product is introduced to the market. A successful launch involves managing supply chains, monitoring
customer feedback, and addressing any post-launch issues.
9. Post-launch Support:
Product development doesn9t end at the launch. Ongoing support, updates, and improvements are critical to
maintaining the product9s competitiveness and customer satisfaction.