Develop new ways of thinking

Einstein was certainly right — we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

In addition, with the rapid changes in society, the methods we have previously used to solve many of the problems we face are no longer effective. We need to develop new ways of thinking in order to design better solutions, services and experiences that solve our current problems.

Design thinking steps in with a bold newly systematized and non-linear human-centred approach. This will help designers radically change how we go about exploring problems and creating solutions to those problems.

The problems designers, business owners, and engineers face today are in a whole new level of scale compared to the challenges we’ve faced in the past few decades.

In a largely globalized world, where the changes in economic and natural resources can be felt halfway around the globe, our challenges are becoming more intertwined with the systems that connect us all.

“A purely technocentric view of innovation is less sustainable now than ever, and a management philosophy based only on selecting from existing strategies is likely to be overwhelmed by new developments at home or abroad. What we need are new choices—new products that balance the needs of individuals and of society as a whole; new ideas that tackle the global challenges of health, poverty, and education;

new strategies that result in differences that matter and a sense of purpose that engages everyone affected by them. It is hard to imagine a time when the challenges we faced so vastly exceeded the creative resources we have brought to bear on them.” – Tim Brown

Which Problems Can Design Thinking Help us Solve?

One of the first questions people ask when hearing about Design Thinking is, “What is Design Thinking best used for?”

Design Thinking is suited to addressing a wide range of challenges and is best used for bringing about innovation within the following contexts:

• Redefining value
• Human-centred innovation
• Quality of life
• Problems affecting diverse groups of people
• Involves multiple systems
• Shifting markets and behaviours
• Coping with rapid social or market changes
• Issues relating to corporate culture
• Issues relating to new technology
• Re-inventing business models
• Addressing rapid changes in society
• Complex unsolved societal challenges
• Scenarios involving multidisciplinary teams
• Entrepreneurial initiatives
• Educational advances
• Medical breakthroughs
• Inspiration is needed
• Problems that data can’t solve