Take It Home: Apply Design Thinking

Yoni Dayan

Step 1 - Observe and Reflect: three key takeways/learnings- I have usually taken into consideration the stakeholder needs when I tried to find solutions for them, but not to the extent taught by this course. Now, I am reinforced in the conviction that the question “for whom I will solve this problem” is essential, and must remain essential throughout the design. However, I will also continue my efforts to be ahead of stakeholder issues, and try to create new demand by proposing them innovative, breakthrough products, services, etc. This is one of my goal, one of my skill and intent in life, to be a pioneer, and I would like further courses on this aspect, in other word, apply design thinking where there isn’t a stakeholder problem to solve (reactive approach) but instead creating a new need (pro-active), that wasn’t existing before. Nevertheless, what I’ve learned during this course will be useful even for this, as with roleplaying techniques and exchanges with future users, I could have valuable feedback and evaluate their potential appreciation/how the will employ the never-seen-before product.

- I was used to go toward solution rather quickly, moderating myself on all the possible ideas i have generated to select only the best. This course taught me to put on paper all my ideas, even those that I find highly unlikely to develop, as it’s an important part of the design thinking progression. This way, the process of selecting the best idea is clearer, more justified/rooted (as I compare the idea with all the others), and I can make corrections more easily by modifying the chosen idea through the incorporation of some elements of other listed ideas, or even switching ideas.

- Until now, the prototype phase in my projects was very short, as my workspace is limited as well as the materials at my disposal. So I’ve somehow neglected this step, and this course taught me no to, and gave me confidence that even if I don’t have the rubber bands and post-its and the room to use them, I am indeed capable of doing rather elaborate prototyping with other means like software and computer presentations.

Prototype and Test

I have liked making my idea more tangible, by building a prototype. I have also

appreciated the Test step, which was stimulating as we did some roleplaying with

the stakeholder to act as all the potential users. Those phases were a temporary low for me as my ideas were mostly services,

structures to build within schools (to facilitate the transition between video

game school > job market) that weren’t really prototype-able with post-its or plastic and not easily testable too as it would have

required a proper real world condition implementation. But it was also a high

thereafter as I was able, I think, to describe my solutions through computer

presentation and prototypes of their structures. It definitively reinforced my will to further improve my skills in photoshop, powerpoint, and other software that could help me graphically represent my ideas and

prototypes.

Empathize and Define

The most important steps in the challenge

context as it’s from where the ideas, the

solutions, and the prototypes, are derived, but these were also the

most challenging as they require method to

interview the stakeholder and capture its feedback. The tools

provided by the course, in the form of the SAY,

DO, THINK, FEEL map as well as the formalized

problem statement gave me a methodology to structure these stages and make them easier,

more efficient.

Ideate

The phase that was the most interesting for me,

as I have always liked brainstorming novel ideas, think of new

solutions, try to find original answers through

my imagination, my inspiration, and of course by reviewing the problem and users’ needs involved. The course taught me to

further unleash my productivity through this phase, by avoiding self-

censoring and not hesitating to materialize at least in words, every

idea that comes to mind.

Graphic representation of the design thinking process experienced during the challenge

Step 2 - Ideate and prototype ways to apply design thinking to my context

A) Design thinking in my context, start small

What pleased me the most throughout the course is the idea generation, presentation, and subsequent consolidating (choosing the “best” and then start prototyping them) phases. In my career, I am passionate by innovation, especially in new technology like computers, networks, interactive entertainment, human/machine interface, robotics, green tech, etc. I am wearing many hats from analyst/consultant to producer and editor for these domains. I would definitively use the aforementioned phase more often when I will build innovative websites or games, when i will advise a start-up and try to “accelerate” it (through accelerator companies, venture capital firms, etc.), and in any other activity. Concretely, I will further strengthen the ideation process that I was already using, by generating the maximum of ideas that I can and putting them on paper without any self-hindering through conscious (or not) moderation. For example, if I have to advise a company on cloud computing/cloud gaming solutions, instead of being driven by the intent to find the best idea straightaway by filtering the creative process occurring in my mind, I will materialize it on a support (likely in computer documents), for me to better compare all the solutions raised and find even more efficiently the most suited ones to my stakeholder needs.

B) Design thinking in my field, and the problems I care about

In my fields (innovation, new technology, international affairs centered on high-tech, etc.), the creativity and design thinking are already present. But what I regret is that the process is mostly hidden and we are often presented with the solution once it’s finished or in the final stage before launch (with the feedback from beta-testers occurring near the end). The considerations of rights are preventing the companies and authors behind the concepts to really share the whole route from the beginning, to avoid seeing their ideas stolen. We usually have to wait for post-launch interviews to have a glimpse of this development, from the idea sparked to the release. New trends like kickstarting/crowdsourcing are involving the users earlier, but it’s still not satisfying enough. I would like a system where the tech-enthusiasts could share their ideas, their creative processes, more freely, with for example automated electronic legislation allowing an idea, a concept, to be protected more conveniently, or also crowdcontributing platforms pushing a certain level of collaboration very early during these stages, with all the legal and right matters fairly covered. >>>>>>

On another note, in the innovative industries, design thinking is commonly the prerogative of the CEOs and founders of start-ups and companies, or the creative directors and producers for videogames, while the other type of jobs (programmers, gamedesigners, level designers, etc.) are mostly following big bullet-point plans. I think that every position could benefit from applying design thinking, every employee, irrelevant of its function, can have valuable feedback and ideas on the general project and not only for his specific field, that should be gathered, acknowledged, and used. Internal platforms, where a project could be presented from its inception to every member involved, and where the feedback and ideas can be exchanged, could be an asset, rather than only relying on a few “creatives”.

More generally, I really care about innovation and invention, and my opinion is that our education system (especially in Europe), isn’t teaching us to be creative. Design thinking classes should be taken from an early age, to empower every individual through mindset and methods with the capacity to create, to gain a confidence in tackling problems, generate and implement solutions. Design thinking is giving its adopters a sense of entrepreneurship and a pro-active attitude. Instead of being overwhelmed by a difficulty, discouraged by the apparent complexity of an issue, this method provide us the confidence to rise to the challenge, not lose our motivation after failures, and on the contrary integrate the iteration concept consisting of attempts and subsequent fails or wins. It’s a key skill, often considered as “natural”, meaning either you are creative and know how to leverage it to produce solutions, either you aren’t and become dependent of the former, whereas on the contrary, with the right spirit, inspirations, environment, and methods, everyone can be creative. This is a huge flaw, detrimental to the pace at which our civilization is progressing. To correct that, creative design shouldn’t be firstly formally acquired in a specialized University program or in a MOOC, but from the junior school.