Design Thinking Individual Assignment.

Design Thinking Individual Assignment

Name: Saurab Mehra

Roll No.: GM18GL046

Summary of the article: Design Thinking by Tim Brown

The article begins by talking about Thomas Edison and praising his ability to conceiving a fully developed marketplace by developing an electric bulb along with a system of electric power generation and transmission. This was possible as he gave preference to users needs. This approach is cited as an example of design thinking which cites that innovation is powered by in-depth understanding, direct observation of people’s needs and wants, their likes and dislikes as well as their perception of various aspects of a product such as packaging, marketing etc.

The article further talks about Edison’s team-based approach to innovation which included iterative rounds of trial and error. This helped learn something novel from each round. Edison further combined different streams such as art, craft, science along with a judicious understanding of customers and markets.

Then the focus is drawn towards the actual meaning of design thinking which utilizes the designer’s awareness and approaches to match people’s needs with things that are technologically achievable and a worthwhile business strategy which can be converted into a good business opportunity. The article believes design thinking has huge potential to offer opportunities to the business world and suggest business leaders incorporate it in all phases of the process.  

The article then dives into history when designers just made new products and technologies more attractive or enhanced brand perception through various means such as an advertisement. In the later half of the 20th century, the design has become more significant where companies are focused on a design which meets consumer needs. The innovation terrain is expanding to human-centered activities such as services, entertainment and collaboration and in these areas, design can make a significant difference.

The article then talks about Kaiser Permanente which administered design thinking techniques to various staff members who worked with IDEO to roll out a couple of innovations. One example is highlighted of a project to re-engineer nursing-staff shift changes at four Kaiser hospitals to illustrate results of design thinking. In this project the concerned team identified the problem, compiled the information from various means and observed the various processes to identify any leftover problems. The team discovered potential solutions through brainstorming and rapid prototyping

Importance of prototyping is discussed and illustrated through an example where a designer made a rudimentary prototype of a device which helped surgeons refine the design and get clarity. The article suggests that prototype should be developed only to evolve an idea where a person can learn the strengths and weaknesses of the idea and further refine it to achieve the desired goal. Also highlighted is the fact that Kaiser had a significant impact using design thinking. This encouraged the hospital to establish Kaiser Garfield Innovation Center which promotes design thinking among its staff