What is Design Thinking? Why do you need it?

Source: Agonaut

Design thinking is a creative process to solve problem. By focusing on people you’re creating for, you can make better solutions for them through your product or service.

How is the process of Design Thinking?

1. Empathy: to fully understand user’s problem, what they want, what they need.
2. Define: to define the problem to understand the problem
3. Ideate: Brainstorm to solve problems of the target group with solutions. Create mind map. Go beyond wild and crazy ideas.
4. Create prototype: the physical form of the solution. It should be interactive product.
5. Test: if users don’t understand the prototype, something goes wrong. Write down the troubles, and then change to improve it.

Iterate process of Design Thinking

Why we need to know Design Thinking?

Having Design Thinking skill is a key of having progress. Not only for creative roles, it’s important skill for any role in any industry.

Design Thinking helps your team and even organisation to create better product as effective solution for your users’ problem. If you design or create something for people, people will buy your product.

Do you know 80-90% products are failed?

A girl wear a Google glass

1. Google glass

“Smart glass” that was able to check your messages, search on internet, take a photo and record anytime in 3–5 hours battery life. Hi-tech? Yup. But creepy! Imagine, you have a conversation with someone who wears Google glass. You won’t realize if they record you or not. That’s why it effected many concern about people’s privacy. What’s its real value and function anyway? not clear. As the result, this product was banned in many places such ATMs, banks, cinemas, sport arenas, classrooms, casinos, bars, etc.

A man and woman ride segway. Source: The New York Times

2. Segway

This innovative balance transport with electric battery was banned in some countries because it doesn’t fit on road, nor sidewalks. Too slow on the road, and too slow on sidewalk. Moreover, what’s its real function? Where to park this ?Who are the target market? Not clear. Many tragically complaints they received: users got injured after fell, some crashed, some lost their control while using segway. One of them was the owner of Segway company, James Heselde who died in segway accident. He rode his segway, fell off a cliff and into a river.

Another example. The design doesn’t fit with user’s need and want.

These products are failed because the creator expectation doesn’t fit with user’s need. Creators built solution first (designer centric), instead of identifying user’s problem (user centric) and what they need.