To succeed with developing your ideas, it is important to work systematically and creatively. There are different tools and frameworks that can be useful in developing beneficial innovations. Using the elements of Design Thinking is one way to ensure a good innovation process.
This model emerged from the work of Herbert Alexander Simon. He was an American computer scientist, political scientist, economist and psychologist with research that encompassed computer science, cognitive psychology, administration and management, economy, philosophy of science, sociology and political science.
So, what should you do?
- First, you should decide on who you'd like to help. Within the Design Thinking model, this is called to empathize. This is all about understanding the need of the users.
- Second, it is a good idea to explore the users' problem. You should conduct interviews or other forms of systematic data collection. When you've gathered enough data, you will be able to describe the actual problem more specifically and precisely.
- Third, you ought to brainstorm different ideas on how to solve the problem. This could be done together with colleagues or other contacts. Make sure you set a shared goal, and that your partners can contribute different perspectives.
- Fourth, you should develop prototypes based on your most promising ideas. In the initial phase, these should be simple and require as few recourses as possible
- Fifth, the prototypes ought to be tested on users or other external parties that know the problem you are trying to solve.
To succeed, you should work closely with your users over an extended period. Exactly how long depends on what field you're working in. In some fields this could take several years, while in others it could be completed over the course of just a few weeks.
When your prototype has been tested sufficiently to document that it meets the users' needs, you are ready to register your work results (see link to more information below).
If you'd like to learn more about Design Thinking as a method, we recommend reading The Design Thinking Playbook written by Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link and Larrry Leifer.