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“Design thinking is an approach that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods for problem solving to meet people’s needs in a technologically feasible and commercially viable way. In other words, design thinking is human-centered innovation.” —Tim Brown

Design Thinking

Design challenges are inherently complex and deserving of more than a step-by-step plan in order to resolve emerging nuances and provide pathways to implementation.

Because design is messy and non-linear, each project we do is bespoke. We customize it for the challenge at hand. The scoping of the project plan is when our approach starts to take shape, and where our partnership with you begins.

We refer to our overall approach as "design thinking": a means of problem solving that uses design methodologies to tap into a deep reservoir of opportunity. These methods include observation, prototyping, building, and storytelling, and can be applied by a wide range of people to a breadth of organizational challenges.

An inherently shared approach, design thinking brings together people from different disciplines to effectively explore new ideas—ideas that are more human-centered, that are better able to be executed, and that generate valuable new outcomes.

Design thinking also enables us to collectively tackle problems and ideas that are more complex than the lone designer can imagine: inaccessible healthcare, billions of people living on a few dollars a day, energy usage outpacing the planet's ability to support it, education systems that fail students, and beyond. These problems all have people at their heart. They require a collaborative, human-centered, iterative, and practical approach to finding the best ideas and ultimate solutions. Design thinking is just such an approach to innovation.

CEO Tim Brown is using his blog to share ideas about design thinking.

Inspiration

Think of any big, disruptive offering that has come to market and chances are its success stems from an ability to satisfy a latent human need, behavior, or desire. At IDEO, our designers are seasoned observers of people and how they interact with the world, with Human Factors specialists leading the effort. We engage end users throughout the design process to evaluate the desirability of new ideas and possible solutions.

Related article: Informing our Intuition

Iteration

Prototypes are used to push toward tangible evidence at every stage of the innovation journey. At IDEO, we use prototypes to provide stakeholders with the ability to evaluate an idea through direct and experiential learning, and to create a common vision that informs everyone involved. Prototyping is increasingly valuable as we tackle more abstract design concepts, from business ecosystems to large-scale space plans.

Related article: Prototyping is the Shorthand of Design (Download PDF)

Storytelling

With effective storytelling, ideas are embraced, adopted, and fostered faster and more efficiently. At IDEO, we use whatever storytelling medium best fits the message—videos, skits, immersive environments, narratives, animations, even comic strips—to convey to clients and stakeholders the intent, potential, and emotional experience of an idea or product.

Related article: Time for some buzzkill on businessweek.com