As humans, our problem-solving or blueprint-crafting structures are often linear and follow a structure. A structure that is practiced since the organization time and again produces favorable outcomes. However, modern problems require modern solutions!
Human-centered design is an emerging problem-solving approach that has taken over the world; having consumer interests is at heart. The evolution of consumer demands and a plethora of choices in the market today have led to the one simple question that brands continuously ask themselves – ‘What exactly does my customer want?”
While there are many approaches to devising a comprehensive answer to the above question, the concept of Design Thinking promises to delve deeply into producing an innovative and customer-centric strategy. One of the most potent and effective problem-solving tools of today is Design thinking, which brands have been adopting organization-wide for their day-to-day functions. Design Thinking incorporates aspects of universal human thinking patterns and urges brands or individuals to step into the customer’s shoes and empathize.
Design thinking factors in the valuable insights from understanding consumer empathy by studying their way of thinking, experience, and contact with external stimuli. The heart of Design Thinking, as denoted by any prominent Design Thinking Course, lies in Innovation. Further, this innovative approach to tackling problem-solving is also known as “thinking outside the box.”
MASTERING DESIGN THINKING
What Is Design Thinking | Introduction To Design Thinking | Design Thinking Training | Simplilearn
Stories bring people together – it’s a human tendency to be drawn to compelling and gripping narratives that can stir up emotions in them. Every Design Thinking course around the world stresses the same, for storytelling has the power to inspire people, detect growth opportunities, and push their boundaries.
The fundamental step to mastering Design Thinking is to research, understand your learning needs, and finally pick up a suitable Design Thinking Course. A well-structured, planned, and systematic Design Thinking course, as a first measure, helps you to streamline your thoughts and push you to deal with challenges via an interactive and innovative framework. Did you know the biggest of multinational companies, ranging from Apple, IBM, and Google intensively practice this innovation-centric approach to derive day-to-day solutions?
THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS
Design thinking courses mostly help an individual gain a glimpse of devising real-world solutions for real-world problems. The first step in overcoming challenges in this approach is to take a prescriptive analytics route. By prescriptive analytics, Design thinking directs you to make an empathic and perceptual approach to redefine existing customer problems, identify various alternatives, and all-in-all, a hands-on collective effort.
Broadly, as suggested by popular Design Thinking courses, the following is the standard system adopted at the forefront of the process –
1. Discovery
Learn, understand, and empathize with the consumer. What exactly are their core needs? Do they know their exact requirements? Why do they feel how they feel?
Asking the right questions from multiple perspectives enables a broad outlook to come up with various alternatives to deal with a unique challenge.
2. Establishing an expert Framework
As suggested by almost every Design Thinking Course, identifying various alternatives in the first phase of the journey facilitates establishing a framework or a structure. In simple words, a framework helps to define consumer needs with the insights derived from stage 1 of this process. This multi-faceted approach is often perceived to have a complex structure, which is a myth! Many Design Thinking Courses nudge the learner to think on their feet and devise both rational and emotional assumptions to tackle day-to-day business challenges.
3. Ideation
Time to put on your thinking hats! How do you solve a problem? Both innovatively and effectively all at once, while following a flexible structure as well? Ideation, as you may know, focuses on coming up with a conceptual layout, backed with creative design, as a method of devising innovative solutions to challenges. Ideation essentially forms the central and probably one of the most integral parts of the design thinking process, making it all the more essential for the people involved to be meticulous, perceptive, and creative.
4. Developing a Prototype
Adopting a mere one-dimensional approach does not bode well for this human-centric process, as denoted by any elaborate Design Thinking Course. Incorporating the concepts and innovative solutions derived from the ideation phase makes it easy to build a prototype to cater to solution delivery.
For example, let us map the design thinking process of the popular delivery app, Dunzo:
While the insight might have been that people are forgetful, people are lazy, and people need their requirements delivered at the click of a button. By identifying this pain point, Dunzo came up with the solution that pretty much caters to their needs, by a long, long mile! Pick up and Drop services, Grocery delivery—medicines, essentials, and much more form the core service of Dunzo. Not only did Dunzo’s services act as a solution to people’s requirements, but they truly harnessed the consumer insight mentioned above, leading to customer delight!
The development of a Prototype with the consumer insights at hand is a beautiful way to judge if the process was worth it. Further, this also acts as a guide to ascertain if the final product may work and emerge successfully.
5. Pilot-run!
Before going for a full-fledged launch of the product or service of your product, running a tester or a pilot-run is essential to check its market feasibility. It is relatively similar to sample testing, where a small group of participants/regions is selected, that meets the audience persona criterion of the developer. The success or failure of the soft launch acts as a barometer to judge if the solution has been a massive hit or further research and development.
CONCLUSION
While the above phases map the Design Thinking Process on a holistic level, enrolling yourself in a Design Thinking course from a reputed online education platform will help you master this art. This course is universally applicable across levels, roles, and profiles! Enroll today to become a professional, as Design thinking begins with you. It comes down to whether you would want to tap your grey cells, question yourself, and explore the rich possibilities that this world offers to you!