Design Thinking Blog

listening in on the conversation

Nov-9-2009

How do you teach Design Thinking?

Posted by @dTblog under Articles

Design Thinking 1Overview of Article: In this article, Vanessa Wong of BusinessWeek looks past the “idea” of Design Thinking and focuses on the discussion revolving around the ways to teach Design Thinking.

Thoughts on this Article: The more I am involved in the Design Thinking community, the less hopeful I am that an answer to this question will come from the community itself.  It looks like our community is going to be engaged in this and other discussions while a business model of Design Thinking emerges, which will ultimately dictate what is taught and how.

Original Post and comments HERE at BusinessWeek.com

How to Nurture Future Leaders

Design thinking brings creative techniques to business. The only problem? No one can agree on how to teach its methods

It’s a scary time to be a new graduate. But some seem more optimistic than others.

Around the world, graduates are emerging from interdisciplinary master’s programs that integrate design, technology, and business. These professionals are trained in “design thinking.” Sure, it’s the latest trendy term to sweep the business world, but it’s a technique that designers and executives alike hope may help to provide a solution to some of the world’s serious challenges.

The only problem? There’s no consensus on how to teach it. And there’s no agreement on where these thinkers should spring from. Read the rest of this entry »

business weekOverview of Article: Bill Buxton gives a description of the type of person that makes an effective cross-disciplinary team member, and why it matters.

Thoughts on Article: This is a really strong argument for the position Bill takes.  His take on the “T” shaped people and the “I” shaped people is very important to anyone working to assemble a Design Thinking Team.

Original Post at BusinessWeek Here

“These thinkers have their feet firmly planted in the practical world, can stretch their heads to the clouds—and simultaneously span all of the space in between”

By Bill Buxton

ipeopleIt has become almost a cliché to say that cross-disciplinary teams are a key component for successful innovation. If certain problems are beyond the scope of any individual—and most of them are—the way to address them is with a team with complementary skills and a common language in which they can all communicate. So far so good. But useful guidance starts to dry up rather quickly beyond that. Since there is no reliable secret formula that can be used by a hiring manager or someone trying to build up appropriate skill sets, I thought that I would share a way of thinking that I have found really useful.

There may be no “I” in team, but every team needs to be made up of “I-shaped” people. Read the rest of this entry »

Sep-25-2009

The Empathy Economy

Posted by @dTblog under Articles

11.BruceNussbaum007Overview of Post: This one goes back a few years and reminds us of the early understanding of what Design Thinking was all about.

Thoughts on Post: Some great  references to the early foundational works and thoughts that got this field going.  It would be good to recapture some of this clarity.

Original Post Here at BusinessWeek

By Bruce Nussbaum

“Design thinking” can create rewarding experiences for consumers — the key to earnings growth and an edge that outsourcing can’t beat.

You can’t Six Sigma your way to high-impact innovation, but you can design your company to generate products and services that provide great consumer experiences, top-line revenue growth, and fat profit margins. That’s the sometimes-painful message CEOs in America are learning today. Read the rest of this entry »

Aug-7-2009

Design Thinking Battle

Posted by @dTblog under Articles, Process

business weekOverview of this Atricle: There is an ongoing debate about exactly what “design thinking” is and specifically about the term “design thinking”.  This article brings up a few of the perspectives.

Thoughts on this Article: Bruce does a good job of getting to the point:  Stop focusing on what it is called and go do it!

Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on July 10 on BusinessWeek

Fred Collopy has a great blog item up at Fast Company on why he dislikes the “Thinking” part of the term “Design Thinking.” In essence, Fred argues that the best part of design is the “doing,” not the thinking and the focus on Design Thinking short-changes what designers can really do in education, health and other spaces outside their traditional consumer-oriented activities.

Read the rest of this entry »