

A complete definition requires an understanding of both.ĭefinition: The design thinking ideology asserts that a hands-on, user-centric approach to problem solving can lead to innovation, and innovation can lead to differentiation and a competitive advantage. What - Definition of Design Thinkingĭesign thinking is an ideology supported by an accompanying process. The specific term "design thinking" was coined in the 1990's by David Kelley and Tim Brown of IDEO, with Roger Martin, and encapsulated methods and ideas that have been brewing for years into a single unified concept. Cue design thinking, a formalized framework of applying the creative design process to traditional business problems. In order for this approach to be adopted across large organizations, it needed to be standardized. Their human-centric design approach proved to be a differentiator: those companies that used it have reaped the financial benefits of creating products shaped by human needs.

Consequently, some of these companies moved their designers from the end of the product-development process, where their contribution is limited, to the beginning. This topical design application has resulted in corporations creating solutions which fail to meet their customers’ real needs. Milton Glaser, the designer behind the famous I ♥ NY logo, describes this notion well: “We’re always looking, but we never really see…it’s the act of attention that allows you to really grasp something, to become fully conscious of it.”ĭespite these (and other) early examples of human-centric products, design has historically been an afterthought in the business world, applied only to touch up a product’s aesthetics. Their approaches can be viewed as early examples of design thinking - as they each developed a deep understanding of their users’ lives and unmet needs. These designers were innovators of their time. 1960's dressmaker Jean Muir was well known for her “common sense” approach to clothing design, placing as much emphasis on how her clothes felt to wear as they looked to others. In the early 1900's husband and wife designers Charles and Ray Eames practiced “learning by doing,” exploring a range of needs and constraints before designing their Eames chairs, which continue to be in production even now, seventy years later. Throughout history, good designers have applied a human-centric creative process to build meaningful and effective solutions. Design has been practiced for ages: monuments, bridges, automobiles, subway systems are all end-products of design processes. It is a common misconception that design thinking is new.
