In design thinking human is always in the center. Having that in the focus of your goals you have a good start as a design thinker. The service innovations meet the needs of people as the result of a cross-discipline approach by co-creating minds. Technology and other resources are enablers to increase people living good life being parts of designed product or service.

Tim Brown points out that integrative thinking leads to going beyond existing models. Fast and rough prototyping leaves room for thought and increases ability to create novelties. Tangible prototype helps the designers and end-users to identify the improvement areas. Or if the model does not serve the purpose at all.

Our two-day design process simulation proved that a heterogenous group of people can create something new. What occurred to me that to be successful you must step out of your biases and try new ideas without self-criticism. Analyzing skills are essential, but during the ideation phase and while constructing the prototype you must find your inner child to be playful and spontaneous.

In addition, trusting the other team members and being open to their knowledge and thinking is the key to a successful execution of the design process. Participating in design process is not a contest. Thomas Alva Edison was amongst the first to demystify the image of innovators as lonely souls by using multitalented team. He also combined design thinking with business mindset and targets. Edison is one of the best examples of seeing trial and error as opportunities to always learn something new. Great characteristic of a design thinker.

As Katja Tschimmel & Allena described the design process E6² I see on the side the evolution of the process also the evolution of design thinker demonstrating different characteristics leading to self-development. In emergence, i.e. the ideation phase you are creative spitting ideas out of your mind and integrating them into something new with ideas by others.

During empathy phase being as neutral as possible all senses open as the designer is connecting observations and identifying opportunities is vital totally without one’s biases. Otherwise the end-result will not meet the needs of people or solve the identified problem.

Experimentation phase calls for curiosity, playfulness and spontaneity. Semantic confrontations might lead into a great innovation when you combine two ideas from totally different contexts. Let out your inner child and play!

As design is leaning towards future visionary thinking evolves. In elaborating phase, also logical thinking is needed to visualize the proposed solution. Idea visualization is essential for an interchange of ideas either through sketches or prototypes. The dialogue is not only between the designers and stakeholders in the project but also between the problem and the solution.

While exposing the idea for decision making business skills come into scene. Strategic and logical thinking are the tools to define the business case.

Self-development is evident as is the co-learning. Win-win for all :-).

Riitta