Design Thinking Blog

Overview of this Article: This is an overview of the author’s take on Tim Brown and Change by Design

Thoughts on this Article: Pretty good. It’s like reading an executive summary of the book.  You still should read the book.

What is Design Thinking, Really?

Original Article HERE at Emergent By Design

by Venessa Miemis

If you’re a businessperson or someone interested in understanding how to facilitate innovation, you’ve probably heard of “design thinking” by now. Coined by IDEO’s David Kelley, the term refers to a set of principles, from mindset to process, that can be applied to solve complex problems. I’ve seen articles lately ranging from those that highlight its potential, [Design Thinking for Social Innovation, How does design thinking give companies a competitive advantage?] to those that warn of it’s impending failure as a practice [Why Design Thinking Won't Save You , The Coming Boom and Bust of Design Thinking]. I’ve been eager to enter into the conversation, especially because some of the arguments around the topic don’t make sense to me and I wanted to know why. Change by Design, written by IDEO’s CEO Tim Brown, was on my winter reading list anyway, so I decided to finish it before bringing in my own perspectives.

I just got through the book a few days ago, and feel like I “get it.” So I’ve spent a few days reflecting on it and rereading some innovation articles, and think there is a bigger picture at the essence of design thinking that is being lost on some. I’m going to provide a brief summary of the book (from my interpretation), and tie in some other areas that brought me insights into these ideas.

Read the rest of this entry »

Overview of Review: Morgen Witzel of the London Financial Times read and reviewed the book “The Design of Business”.  The original article was picked up by the LA Times and reprinted.

Thoughts on this Review: It seems a bit odd to review a  book review, but it seemed important to offer an opinion in this case..  Overall, Witzel seems to give a pretty solid overview of the book. However, in what seems to be an attempt to belittle the Design Thinking process that the book outlines, Witzel says that this is a rehash of old concepts that date back to the 1800′s.  I assume (maybe incorrectly) that Morgen Witzel has read the book that he references, but I do not agree with the comparison and conclusion.  I have included a link to the book in the article below for those of you who have A LOT of time to read pages of very detailed manufacturing issues.  The concept that Babbage introduced in that book was one of strict and detailed systematic analysis – not design as Martin makes the case for in his book. While Morgan Witzel is a very respected historian and business author, I think the “added” information in the review takes away from his credibility as a reviewer on this topic.

Original Article HERE (via) LA Times

What makes innovation work isn’t really a mystery…

The idea that a systematic approach to design is key to success isn’t as novel as ‘The Design of Business’ may make it seem — the concept was introduced in the 1800s. Still, the book is worth a read.

How McDonald’s Corp. got its start is discussed in “The Design of Business.” In the 1950s, the McDonald brothers figured out what American families wanted to eat when they went out for the evening: a simple, quick and tasty meal. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times / March 12, 2009)

By Morgen Witzel November 9, 2009

What distinguishes truly innovative businesses?

Over the years, we have been told that innovative companies master the art of knowledge management; focus on their core competencies; get close to and listen to customers; have a long-term strategy for innovation and invest in the future; or are superior in identifying disruptive technologies.

Now, in “The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage” comes a new idea, or what purports to be one. Roger L. Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, argues that the key to success is design, or what he calls “design thinking.”

This attempts to harness the creative talents within a business and give them a focus toward a goal. Traditionally, says Martin, businesses have relied on one of two models of creative thinking. Read the rest of this entry »

Overview of Article: This is a summery/review of Tim Brown’s new book “Change By Design” from the NY Times.

Redefining a Profession

LONDON — The bet was for $50,000. It was offered by George Washington Hill, president of the American Tobacco Company, to the designer Raymond Loewy, in 1940. The challenge was to spruce up the packaging of Lucky Strike cigarettes. Loewy accepted the wager, and Hill asked when he expected to finish. “Oh, I don’t know,” drawled the designer. “Some nice spring morning I will feel like designing the Lucky package… I’ll call you then.”

Loewy won the bet, and claimed the credit for the subsequent increase in Lucky Strike’s sales. That was nearly 70 years ago, and design has changed dramatically since then, as the designer Tim Brown relates in his new book, “Change by Design.” “Few designers today would even touch this type of project,” he writes of Loewy’s assignment. “What excites the best (design) thinkers today is the challenge of applying their skills to problems that matter.”

He’s kind of right and kind of wrong. Much as I’d like to believe that designers are too altruistic to bother fiddling with the graphics on cigarette packets, many still do. But it is true that more and more designers are devoting their time to serious stuff, like repairing environmental damage or kindling economic recovery, and it is their work that concerns Mr. Brown. Read the rest of this entry »

Overview of Article: Matthew E. May (In Pursuit of Elegance) proposes his “must” reading list for those who are students and practitioners of Design Thinking.

Thoughts on this Article: Matthew is one of the important voices in the Design Thinking community.  His views and recommendations are worth listening to.

Original Post HERE: From Open Forum/ Idea Hub

This is the year that Design Thinking tipped as a full-fledged management approach. The wave has been building for a few years and now seems to be cresting, as indicated by the spate of new books on the subject. Of the many books coming out, here’s my list of picks to round out your D-Think library. (While all are new this year, not all are out yet.) Read the rest of this entry »