Design Thinking: Processes andMindsets

Bernard RothRodney H. Adams Professor of

Engineering Academic Director d.school broth@stanford.edu

Analytical thinking harnesses explicit knowledge of logically expressed thoughts.

Design thinking harnesses tacit knowledge rather than the explicit knowledge of logically expressed thoughts.

Design Thinking Process

SHOW DON’T TELL Communicate your vision i n an impactful and meaningful way by creating experiences, using illustrative visuals, and telling good stories.

FOCUS ON HUMAN VALUES

Empathy for the people you are designing for and feedback from these users is

fundamental to good design.

CRAFT CLARITYProduce a coherent vision out of messy

problems. Frame it in a way to inspire others and to fuel ideation.

EMBRACE EXPERIMENT ATIONPrototyping is not simply a way to validate your

idea; it is an integral part of your innovation process. We build to think and learn.

BE MINDFUL OF PROCESS

Know where you are in the designprocess, what methods to use in that

stage, and what your goals are.

BIAS TOWARD ACTION

Design thinking is a misnomer; it is more about doing than thinking. Bias toward

doing and making over thinking and meeting.

RADICAL COLLABORATIONBring together innovators with varied

backgrounds and viewpoints.Enable breakthrough insights and

solutions to emerge from the diversity.

D.MINDSETS

AdditionalMindsets

• Courage to fail• Nurture curiosity

Be disruptive!

“Our leader knows best.”

MINDSETS

human centered

mindful of process

culture ofprototyping

bias toward action

radical collaboration

show don’ t tell

Understand &Observe (Identify a need)•  Find a problem you are interested in working

on.(It doesn’t not have to be a problem, it can be an opportunity.)

•  Learn everything you can about the need (problem).

(Understand the context)

•  Get clear what the problem really is.

DEFINEPoint of View (POV)

• A phrase describing a specific user (this is called a noun phrase),

•  A verb phrase specifying a need

•  A phrase giving an insight specifying what (but not how) the solution needs to accomplish.

Example ofPOVJane, a poor single mother, needs financial know-how

so she can use her money efficiently.

•  The insight implied in this POV is that poor single moms lack enough financial know-how to use their money efficiently.

•  If this is not valid, even a large increase in her financial know-how might not produce more efficient use of limited funds.

•  So, it is important that the POV reflect a person’s actual need for the solution.

Commit to satisfying the need

•  Question your motivation

•  Don’t expect financial or other rewards if there is no need being satisfied

•  Trust your “gut”; follow “wants” not“shoulds.”

Radical Collaboration

(Entrepreneurial) Design for

Extreme Affordability

•  11 years•  405 Students•  35 partners•  21 Countries•  100 projects•  33 in Market

Iconic Examples of Re-framing

•  d.light

•  Embrace

d.light solar powered LED lighting 42 countries

Big Data for The Hive

58 MILLIONlives empowered $4.8 BILLION

saved in energy-related expenses

15 MILLIONschool-aged children reached with solar lighting

21 MILLIONtons of CO2 offset

112 GWHgenerated from a renewable energy source

29 BILLIONproductive hours createdfor working & studying

Image credit: Anne Geddes

Empathy: Point of View

… the means to give their

dyingbaby a

chance to survive

UserNeed

Desperate parents in a

remote village, who

cannot access a major

hospital …

Embrace

Over 300,000 babies

Exec Ed Iconic

Example of Re-framing

GE Medical

Getting Unstuck byRe-framing

If you are stuck,odds are you are treating a wrong answer

as a right question.

FIND A SPOUSE

IIIII

NOTHING WORKS

WHAT WOULD IT DO FOR ME?

GET COMPANIONSHIP

FIND A SPOUSE

FIND A SPOUSE

MEET FRIENDS ONLINE

TAKE CLASSES

JOIN A CLUB

0 O 0GET A PET

Rule #1:

There is no one reason for any human behavior. Rule #2:Often reasons are simply excuses.

•  TRYING AND DOING ARE TWO

DIFFERENT STATES OF ACTION

•  THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING!

THANK YOU