Design thinking trains creativity

“Design thinking” is a process for the practice-oriented, creative solution of problems which is used in the context of innovation management for the generation and verification of innovative ideas. In contrast to conventional innovation processes which are heavily dependent on analysis, design thinking is characterized by a creative process. Ideas are never rejected during the early phase; instead, the attempt is made from the beginning to try out as many of the proposed ideas by supplying experimental prototypes to future users. Both the implementation of prototypes and their immediate use by future users promotes thinking outside the box and frequently leads to astonishingly creative solutions and ideas leading to the next level.

The general procedure for design thinking is comprised of three phases (see Figure 2). The designer begins by evaluating the future use context of the innovation (inspiration). This is followed by the generation of ideas in interaction with users and the testing of the ideas using prototypes (ideation). After ­various product ideas have been assessed, the most promising approaches are commercialized on the market (implementa­tion).

The inclusion of the users in the process goes far beyond the simple conduct of surveys or market studies. The observation and analysis of user behavior makes it possible to understand and ­anticipate requirements in detail. It is important here to ­perceive as well customer needs which are still latent and of which the users themselves are not even cognizant. Products ­developed in accordance with this paradigm do not as a rule have a clearly defined group of buyers, but they awaken needs which already exist and thereby successively generate demand. In the ideal case, users are included throughout the entire ­innovation process ­during design thinking. So users can contribute to the generation of ideas at the beginning (co-creation) or ­provide support at a later date in the drafting and evaluation of the ­product design (co-design). Understanding users’ needs is a great advantage especially in the ICT industry because the ­in­fluence of the products on people’s daily lives is increasing steadily in this ­sector. If only the example of cell phones is ­considered, it quickly becomes apparent just how much these devices have ­affected the way we plan our appointments, communicate with other people, and structure our private and professional lives.