Design Thinking

Design Thinking.

Tim Brown, CEO and President of IDEO, an innovation and design firm and whose designs have won numerous awards and exhibitions, introduces us to the “Design Thinking” concept. To do so, he explains how Thomas Edison’s signature invention, the lightbulb, was more than a simple device. Indeed, Edison's vision of how people would want to use what he made, is what makes him a genius and is an early example of what is called now “design thinking.”

The author in a personal tone uses his company’s consulting experiences to exemplify different scenarios and areas where design thinking can and should be applied. He describes the design process as a system, a loop back of spaces where a project should pass through. The spaces he considers, are inspiration, ideation and implementation. He details the spaces and how to work with them through a series of examples related to the work his consulting firm did with companies in many areas of the industry.

Mr. Brown’s primary argument is that design thinking leads to innovation and he considers it as the principal source of differentiation and competitive advantage, which he believes is what leaders now are looking for. However, he is clear when stays that innovation does not exclude the aesthetics of products and services. In fact, he mixes both concepts when he notes “Design Thinking is a tool for imagining these experiences as well as giving them a desirable form.”

Finally, the fundamental goal of design thinking, its process and the innovation as a result of this process, is to fulfill the need for transformation. Precisely, transformation of many aspects of our lives, developing the best ideas and ultimate solutions to many problems that afflict us today.