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Design thinking isn't a replacement for other problem-solving models, but a distinct approach with its own set of principles. 1. Human-Centricity Over Everything Else Design thinking prioritizes the human over the product, profit, or market. This contrasts wi...

Being a design thinker is less about having the right tools or skills and more about possessing the correct mindset. The mindset is what brings the tools and skills together to create something valuable. The Three Attributes of a Design Thinker's Mindset A de...

Honing a Clear Mind: A Design Thinker's Perspective A clear mind is a crucial part of a design thinker's mindset. It involves consciously managing your mental energy by focusing on what you can control rather than getting bogged down by external events. This c...

The first step of the design thinking process is "Inspire". This stage is crucial because it forces you to ask the question, "Why" a problem needs to be solved, rather than immediately jumping to "How" to solve it. This is a vital but often overlooked step, es...

Prioritizing Problems: The Design Thinking Approach Design thinking should be reserved for problems that are truly worth the effort, specifically those with an audacious goal. Not all problems are created equal; some are minor "bruises," while others are more ...

The "Inspire" stage of design thinking is about setting a clear, compelling context for why a problem is worth solving. A great way to do this is by creating a design brief—a statement of intent that inspires both you and your team. A well-crafted design brief...

Empathy in Design Thinking Empathy is a core skill in design thinking, defined not just as understanding someone's problems, but as a more profound ability to feel and act on their behalf. Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence model helps break down empathy ...

Engineering Empathy in Design Thinking Empathy is not an art, but a science that can be engineered, measured, and developed at any stage of life. For example, a new parent develops empathy overnight to understand their child's needs without verbal communicatio...

The "Define" Stage in Design Thinking The "Define" stage of design thinking is the process of moving from a broad understanding of a problem to a focused and actionable problem statement. It helps in selecting which problems are truly worth solving. Bounded E...

What is Creativity? Creativity is an idea that is both novel and useful. Without both of these conditions, an idea is not considered creative. An idea might be novel but not useful (e.g., a phone charged by body heat), or useful but not novel (e.g., using a s...

Tests for Measuring Creativity Yes, creativity can be measured, and several psychological tests have been developed to do so since the 1960s. These tests focus on divergent thinking—the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem, as opposed to converg...

Creativity, an idea that is both novel and useful, can be honed through deliberate practices and a change in mindset. This is particularly important because while intelligence can get you into the game, creativity and emotional intelligence are what help you w...

Ideation: Rules and Techniques Ideation is the process of generating ideas, and in design thinking, it is a creative and systematic process. The goal is to move beyond conventional methods like traditional brainstorming, which often fail due to various psychol...

The process of ideation in design thinking is about generating a high quantity of ideas, not just a few good ones. This is because quality often emerges from quantity. Several methods can be used to systematically generate creative and novel ideas. 1. Challen...

After generating a large quantity of ideas, the next step in design thinking is to filter and prioritize them to find the most powerful ones to pursue. Two primary frameworks are used for this: the Desirability, Feasibility, Viability (DFV) matrix and the Impa...

The Power of Prototyping Prototyping is a critical stage in design thinking, often described as being "worth a thousand meetings" because it provides a tangible way to communicate and test an idea. A prototyping mentality means being comfortable with imperfect...

Prototyping is a critical phase of design thinking where ideas are tested and refined. It's a mentality of provisional attachment to ideas, where you are willing to let go of a "darling" idea if it doesn't perform well. Prototyping is about learning as much as...

Prototyping Methods Prototyping is not just for physical products; it's a powerful tool for testing ideas related to services and human emotions as well. The goal is to create a low-fidelity model using readily available materials to quickly gain clarity, gath...

The final stage of the design thinking process is Scale. This is a crucial step that is often overlooked in traditional models, which tend to stop at prototyping. Scaling involves transforming a validated idea into a sustainable and measurable business. Two ke...