Unit-2

Design Thinking Process

S.No Topics

1 Design Thinking process

2 Implementing the process in Driving Inventions

3 Design Thinking in social Innovations

4 Tools of Design Thinking

5 Product Development
Design Thinking process:
Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that focuses on the user and is solution-
based, rather than problem-based.

Steps inovoled in design thinking process:

1.Empathize:
The first stage of the design thinking process focuses on user-centric research. You want to
gain an empathic understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. Consult experts to
find out more about the area of concern and conduct observations to engage and empathize
with your users. You may also want to immerse yourself in your users’ physical environment
to gain a deeper, personal understanding of the issues involved—as well as their experiences
and motivations. Empathy is crucial to problem solving and a human-centered design process
as it allows design thinkers to set aside their own assumptions about the world and gain real
insight into users and their needs.

Depending on time constraints, you will gather a substantial amount of information to use
during the next stage. The main aim of the Empathize stage is to develop the best possible
understanding of your users, their needs and the problems that underlie the development of
the product or service you want to create.

2.Define/Analysing:

In the Define stage, you will organize the information you have gathered during the
Empathize stage. You’ll analyze your observations to define the core problems you and your
team have identified up to this point. Defining the problem and problem statement must
be done in a human-centered manner.

For example, you should not define the problem as your own wish or need of the company:
“We need to increase our food-product market share among young teenage girls by 5%.”

You should pitch the problem statement from your perception of the users’ needs: “Teenage
girls need to eat nutritious food in order to thrive, be healthy and grow.”

3. Ideate:

During the third stage of the design thinking process, designers are ready to generate ideas.
You’ve grown to understand your users and their needs in the Empathize stage, and you’ve
analyzed your observations in the Define stage to create a user centric problem statement.
With this solid background, you and your team members can start to look at the problem
from different perspectives and ideate innovative solutions to your problem statement.

4. Prototype:

The design team will now produce a number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the
product (or specific features found within the product) to investigate the key solutions
generated in the ideation phase. These prototypes can be shared and tested within the team
itself, in other departments or on a small group of people outside the design team.

This is an experimental phase, and the aim is to identify the best possible solution for each
of the problems identified during the first three stages. The solutions are implemented
within the prototypes and, one by one, they are investigated and then accepted, improved or
rejected based on the users’ experiences.

5.Testing:

Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product using the best solutions
identified in the Prototype stage. This is the final stage of the five-stage model; however, in
an iterative process such as design thinking, the results generated are often used to redefine
one or more further problems. This increased level of understanding may help you investigate
the conditions of use and how people think, behave and feel towards the product, and even
lead you to loop back to a previous stage in the design thinking process. You can then
proceed with further iterations and make alterations and refinements to rule out alternative
solutions. The ultimate goal is to get as deep an understanding of the product and its
users as possible.

Implementing the process in driving inventions:

Implementing a process to drive innovation involves creating a structured framework that

encourages the generation, development, and implementation of creative ideas. Here’s a step-by-
step guide to implementing an innovation process within an organization:
1. Establish a Culture of Innovation:
 Foster an environment that values creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking. Encourage open
communication, diverse perspectives, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
2. Define Clear Objectives and Goals:
 Determine the specific areas or aspects of the organization where innovation is most needed.
Clearly articulate the goals and outcomes you hope to achieve through the innovation process.
3. Identify Innovation Champions:
 Appoint individuals or teams responsible for driving the innovation process. These champions
should be passionate about innovation and have the skills to facilitate creative thinking.
4. Understand Customer Needs and Market Trends:
 Conduct market research and engage with customers to understand their pain points, preferences,
and emerging trends. This insight will guide the direction of your innovation efforts.
5. Idea Generation:
 Encourage employees at all levels to contribute ideas. Provide platforms for brainstorming
sessions, idea contests, suggestion boxes, and collaborative workshops. Emphasize diversity of
thought.
6. Idea Evaluation and Prioritization:
 Establish criteria for evaluating and prioritizing ideas. Consider factors such as feasibility, market
potential, alignment with organizational goals, and resource requirements.
7. Prototype and Testing:
 Develop prototypes or proofs of concept for selected ideas. This allows for practical testing and
refinement before full-scale implementation.
8. Allocate Resources:
 Provide the necessary resources, including funding, time, and expertise, to support the
development and implementation of innovative ideas.
9. Create Cross-Functional Teams:
 Form multidisciplinary teams that bring together individuals with diverse skills and expertise. This
promotes a holistic approach to problem-solving and innovation.
10. Encourage Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing:
 Foster a collaborative work environment where employees freely exchange ideas and insights.
Use platforms like intranets, team meetings, and collaboration tools to facilitate communication.
11. Pilot Projects:
 Test innovations on a small scale before full-scale implementation. This allows for adjustments
based on real-world feedback and minimizes potential risks.
12. Measure and Evaluate Progress:
  Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the impact of innovations. Monitor progress
towards achieving the defined objectives and make adjustments as needed.
13. Celebrate Success and Learn from Failures:
 Recognize and celebrate successful innovations to reinforce a culture of creativity. Additionally,
view failures as learning opportunities and use them to refine future innovation efforts.
14. Feedback and Iteration:
 Solicit feedback from stakeholders, including employees, customers, and partners. Use this
feedback to refine and improve the innovation process for ongoing success.

Design thinking in social innovation :

Social Innovation:

Social innovation in design thinking is a creative, collaborative approach to solving social

and environmental challenges. It involves using design thinking to create products and
services that address the needs of people and communities.
Here are some key aspects of social innovation in design thinking:
 Human-centered
Design thinking is based on the idea that products, services, and processes should be rooted
in the needs of people.
 Collaborative
Design thinking involves working closely with clients and consumers to create solutions
that come from the bottom up.
 Creative
Design thinking uses creativity-supporting methods to generate new approaches and
perspectives.
 Multidimensional
Design thinking considers what is desirable from a human point of view, what is
technologically feasible, and what is economically viable.

Social innovation is the process of developing and deploying solutions to pressing global
issues. It aims to create social and environmental value, and to strengthen civil society. Some
examples of social innovation include: Sustainable energy projects, Clean water projects, and
Digital education projects.
 Importances of Design thinking in social innovation:

Design thinking is a valuable approach to social innovation because it can help address
complex problems and improve the lives of communities and individuals. Design thinking is
important for social innovation because it:
 Prioritizes the user
Design thinking focuses on the end user, which can help ensure that solutions are rooted in
the community's needs.
 Emphasizes empathy
Design thinking encourages in-the-field research to build empathy for people and
understand their unmet needs.
 Provides a defined process
Design thinking offers a clear, defined process for innovation that can be more efficient
than trial and error.
 Bridges sectors
Design thinking can bridge the gap between the business, social, and nonprofit sectors.
 Involves stakeholders
Design thinking involves key stakeholders from the beginning, which is crucial for the
success of the following stages.
 Promotes co-creation
 Co-creation can lead to more relevant and sustainable solutions.
 Can be accessible
Design thinking can be applied by people from a broad range of backgrounds.

Objectives of Design thinking in social innovation:

The objectives of design thinking in social innovation are to:

 Prioritize people
Put the needs of people, communities, and end users at the center of the process
 Be creative
Use a human-centered approach to solve problems
 Consider feasibility
Ensure that the solution is technologically possible and economically viable
 Be iterative
Use rapid prototyping, testing, and learning from failures to improve ideas
 Be inclusive
Ensure that the design process and solution are respectful, accessible, and beneficial for all
users and stakeholders
 Be responsible
Consider the ethical implications, risks, and trade-offs of the problem and the solution
 Create prototypes
Create a low-stakes manifestation of an idea to share with others for feedback
Design thinking can be used to:
 Address the needs of people who will consume a product or service
 Develop better solutions to social problems
 Explore how to respond to the growth of technology and globalization
 Pivot in response to rapid change
 Support individuals while catering to larger organizations

Tools of Design Thinking:

This note profiles 10 design tools managers can use to identify and execute
opportunities for growth and innovation. They include the following:

1. Visualization is about using images. It’s not about drawing; it’s about visual thinking.
It pushes us beyond using words or language alone. It is a way of unlocking a different
part of our brains that allows us to think nonverbally and that managers might not
normally use.
2.Journey mapping (or experience mapping) is an ethnographic research method that
focuses on tracing the customer’s “journey” as he or she interacts with an organization
while in the process of receiving a service, with special attention to emotional highs
and lows. Experience mapping is used with the objective of identifying needs that
customers are often unable to articulate.
3.Value chain analysis examines how an organization interacts with value chain
partners to produce, market and distribute new offerings. Analysis of the value chain
offers ways to create better value for customers along the chain and uncovers important
clues about partners’ capabilities and intentions.
4.Mind mapping is used to represent how ideas or other items are linked to a central
idea and to each other. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure and
classify ideas to look for patterns and insights that provide key design criteria. We do
this by displaying the data and asking people to cluster them in ways that allow themes
and patterns to emerge. To succeed, mind mapping must be a team sport .
5.Rapid concept development assists us in generating hypotheses about potential new
business opportunities.

In the first stage, we take the design criteria, the customer personas and their pain
points and the value chain insights we have unearthed in our research and use all of it
to generate new ideas — lots of them. In the second stage, we assemble the ideas into a
manageable number of interesting concepts. Finally, in stage three, we elaborate on the
business design behind that handful of concepts. We want to generate ideas quickly
and get them out to customers to have a look at them as soon as possible.

6.Assumption testing focuses on identifying assumptions underlying the attractiveness

of a new business idea and using available data to assess the likelihood that these
assumptions will turn out to be true. These assumptions are then tested through thought
experiments, followed by field experiments.

7.Rapid prototyping techniques allow us to make abstract new ideas tangible to

potential partners and customers. These include storyboarding, user scenarios,
experience journeys and business concept illustrations — all of which encourage deep
involvement by important stakeholders to provide feedback.

8.Customer co-creation incorporates techniques that allow managers to engage a

customer while in the process of generating and developing new business ideas of
mutual interest. They are among the most value-enhancing, risk-reducing approaches to
growth and innovation.

9.Customer co-creation incorporates techniques that allow managers to engage a

customer while in the process of generating and developing new business ideas of
mutual interest. They are among the most value-enhancing, risk-reducing approaches to
growth and innovation.

10.Storytelling is exactly how it sounds: weaving together a story rather than just
making a series of points. It is a close relative of visualization — another way to make
new ideas feel real and compelling. Visual storytelling is actually the most compelling
 type of story. All good presentations — whether analytical or design-oriented — tell a
persuasive story.

Product Development:
Product development is the process of creating and launching products to meet customer
needs. It involves a series of steps, including:
 Ideation: Brainstorming for new product ideas or ways to improve existing products
 Marketing strategy: Developing a marketing strategy for the product
 Commercialization: Launching the product to market
 Measuring success: Evaluating the product's success after it's launched

Product development can be used for new product development (NPD) or to improve existing
products. The goal of NPD is to satisfy consumer demand and increase a company's market
share.
The product development process can vary from company to company, but it typically
involves collaboration between cross-functional teams. These teams may include product
management, engineering, innovation, marketing, and operations.
Some best practices for product development include:
 Identifying potential risks early on
 Prioritizing risks based on their potential impact
 Understanding how risks will happen and how they'll impact the project
 Building a plan to mitigate risks

Process of a New product development:

A product road map is a high-level visual overview that depicts the vision and direction of
your product offering over time. Building the first product road map is a multi-step process
that starts with identifying your product vision and strategic objectives.

Step 1: Idea Generation:- Brainstorming and coming up with fresh, interesting ideas is the
first step. Typically, an organisation produces hundreds, if not thousands, of proposals before
settling on a few decent ones.

Step 2: Idea Screening:- Idea screening basically refers to the method of selecting ideas in
order to choose the best ones. To put it another way, all of the ideas produced are screened to
recognize the good ones and delete the bad ones as quickly as possible.

Step 3: Concept Development & Testing:- A community of target audiences is used to test
emerging product ideas to see whether they have broad market appeal. Some people use
pictures, words, virtual reality etc. for concept testing.

Step 4: Market Strategy:- After a promising idea has been developed and tested, it's time to
create an initial marketing plan for the new product based on the product concept in order to
bring it to market. The company performs research to assess the product's future prices, sales,
and income. The company performs a SWOT review to determine its strengths, weaknesses,
and opportunities and threats existing in the market.

Step 5: Product Development:- One or more physical prototypes of the product design will
be developed and tested by the R&D department. However, depending on the product and
prototype methods, creating a good prototype can take days, weeks, months, or even years.

Step 6: Product Development:- Adapting the product or service in response to input from
customers, manufacturers, and support organisations. Until going full size, the product is
tested on a carefully selected sample of the population, known as the test market. If the
product is found to be acceptable in the test market, it is ready for launch in the target market.

Step 7: Commercialisation & Product Launch:- Commercialisation means nothing else

than introducing a new product into the market.

In the first year, this entails significant investments in production facilities, product
promotion, and other marketing activities. A business that is introducing a new product must
first assess when it will be launched. The business would then assess where it will start,
whether it will be in a single city, an area, a national market, or an international market. They
could formulate a timetable for launching the market.