We all just love problems, don’t we?

Today we have all kinds of complex problems that need holistic solutions. Sometimes we do not even know what the problem is – so how can we ideate solutions then?

A non-linear and iterative approach, Design Thinking, has offered a choice for solving complex problems – and impacted extensively the modern world’s innovations in business and society. We dove into the world of Design Thinking as fresh Service Innovation and Design students, and this is what we found out.

Mr. Bean tries out different solutions in the movie Bean, 1997.

What is and what if?

There are many parties involved in the Design Thinking creation process. The interdisciplinary team enters the existing situation by researching, observing, interviewing, etc. This is how the team gets insights to be able to picture out the actual needs behind problems: what is the real problem that needs to be solved? (Brown 2009, 39–48).

In addition, to get a response to ”What is?” Design thinkers want to ask ”What if? (Kimbell 2011, 287). To find out different possible solutions to existing problems, Design Thinking offers multiple tools and methods. Here are some examples Professor Daniela Marzavan taught us during the contact lessons in the Design Thinking course at Laurea, University of Applied Sciences.

Drawing by Mr. Bean in the movie Bean, 1997.

Ideation and prototyping – success or failure?

Daniela Marzavan (2023) gave us a challenge: create a wallet for a partner. The initial phase of the project was the interviewing process to comprehend the partner’s requirements. As Tim Brown states in his book Change by Design, “Empathy is the mental habit that moves us beyond thinking of people as laboratory rats or standard deviations” (Brown 2009, 93). Interviewing a partner and collecting insights, might have felt hard because one had to build a connection, so the partner felt comfortable sharing valuable information. After the interviewing, insights were transformed into ideas, and then the ideation and prototyping began.

It’s crucial to understand the user’s circumstances and experiences, which requires more than just knowing about the user (Kouprie & Sleeswijk Visser, 2009). Coming from an intangible into a tangible prototype, it’s easier to test if this prototype works for your customer. The sooner you realize that your prototypes aren’t meeting the needs of your clients, the faster you’ll come up with new concepts. The idea is not to be afraid of making mistakes!

According to Tim Brown (2009, 26–28), to gain the best results, there should be an interdisciplinary, “smart team” with an optimistic mindset and joint trust. This kind of team blurs the line between designers and other professional groups – and Design Thinking also blurs the line between companies and individuals, as well as between creators and customers (Brown 2009, 55-61).

Mr.Bean presents his solution in the movie Bean, 1997.

So what does Mr. Bean have to do with all this?

As an example, Mr. Bean, a beloved character from a British sitcom, would have struggled to find the right solution in the movie Bean. Our journey through Design Thinking, like Mr. Bean’s, reminds us not to jump to solutions before thoroughly understanding the problem. Mr. Bean’s courage in pursuing innovative concepts emphasizes the importance of accepting failure in the creative process. So, don’t be afraid to be innovative – embrace failing and rethinking!

Written by Iryna Bohun and Susanna Hulkkonen
Pictures and video material from the movie Bean, 1997. Directed by Mel Smith. Working Title Films and Tiger Aspect Films.

References:

Brown, T. 2009. Change by design: how design thinking can transform organizations and inspire innovation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Kimbell, L. 2011. Rethinking Design Thinking: Part 1. Design & Culture, Vol. 3 (3). 285–306.

Kouprie, M., Sleeswijk Visser, F. 2009. A framework for empathy in design: stepping into and out of the user’s life. Journal of engineering design Vol.20 (5), 437–448.

Marzavan, D. 2023. Design Thinking [lecture material]. Held on 8 and 9 September 2023. Laurea University of Applied Sciences.

Mr Bean, 31.12.2019. Art DISASTER | Bean Movie | Funny Clips | Mr Bean Official Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTli1HU9axY

Posted

September 22, 2023

Design Thinking, Service Design Network, SID degree programme, SID methods

irynabohun

Tags:

#business #design #services #experimentation #innovation #designthinking, #designthinking, #empathy, #ideation, #marzavan, #prototype, #servicedesign, #smartteam, #timbrown, co-creation, design thinking tools, Service Innovation and Design

Comments

3 responses to “We all just love problems, don’t we?”

jennijappinen

September 27, 2023

Thank you for your text, it was a pleasure reading it! I really liked the Mr. Bean approach in here, he is the master of failure after all.. 😀 Or is he, actually? The idea of trying different things and failing fast is actually very “Mr Bean-ish” and he does try, well everything. I think one key takeaway for me from our lecture-days was the “permission to fail” that comes with using DT-techniques. If you never fail, have you really tried anything new to begin with or just went with familiar ideas that will work but won`t bring anything new to the table? Design Thinking gives one a freedom to play around and ask numerous “Why`s” like we learned during our lecture days, that is actually very liberating and it is very easy to realize how different types of ideas start to pop out when we don`t restrict our minds to the familiar grounds.

Reply
1. irynabohun
  
  September 28, 2023
  
  @jennijappinen Thanks for your comment! I agree with you that Design Thinking is very liberating and gives freedom. That’s why any failure is the beginning of a new idea.
  
  Reply
mohsindaraz

October 6, 2023

Mr. Bean… Interesting… what a tagline and character to give an example and make in interesting at the same time. I think design thinking is all about problem solving with Innovation, which can only be achieved by doing experiments which are out of the box, no matter how radical.

The post shows the importance of prototyping and iteration, which are core principles of Design Thinking. It’s worth noting that prototypes don’t have to be perfect; they are tools for learning and refinement. Failing early and often in the ideation process is a hallmark of Design Thinking. It’s through these failures that breakthroughs often occur.

It also correctly highlights the importance of understanding the problem before attempting to solve it. However, it’s essential to emphasize that this understanding should be based on both empathy and data. Design Thinking encourages a deep dive into the user’s perspective, not just what they say, but also their unmet needs and emotions.

The distinction between “What is” and “What if” is an excellent point. However, it’s worth emphasizing that the two questions are not mutually exclusive but complementary. “What is” helps in uncovering the current situation, while “What if” encourages creative brainstorming for future possibilities. Effective Design Thinking involves an iterative cycle of exploration between these two perspectives.

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