Principles Of Design Thinking That Translates To Almost Anything

Design thinking is a proven and repeatable protocol to discover new opportunities with extraordinary results.

Design in its most effective form, is a process, an action – always linked to an improved future.

Unlike critical thinking, which is a process of analysis and associated with the ‘breaking down’ of ideas – design thinking is a creative process based on the ‘building up’ of ideas.

Design thinking is a mindset to come up with something new and useful (which takes creativity and pragmatism). It’s also “the goal” for an invention. In patent law: the bar for invention is to be novel, non-obvious, and useful.

The Design Thinking Process is a collection of steps that are specific to an individual or organisation and its unique needs – to innovate.

There are no judgments in design thinking. This eliminates the fear of failure and encourages maximum input and participation which lead to the most creative solutions.

This workshop focuses on the principles of Design Thinking and how to develop it so you will be able to apply it in anything, which makes life so much simpler to understand.

Traditionally…

Design is creating tangible things – products, spaces and everything with a possible tangible outcome – using aesthetics to convey information, communicating the idea through graphic and visual design.

But Design doesn’t exist only as a material perception. It is also experimenting with the creation and manipulation of things that aren’t material or tangible – the things that exist in other relations.

Richard Buchanan, in his ideas about Four Orders of Design theory, points out how design has changed over time in its overall scope – from a context of creating tangible things to accessing intangible change.

Design of Symbols
Here, using the principles of Graphic and Information Design, there is an emphasis on developing necessary symbols for the communication process. From a visual point of view – it is a matter of projecting the message, or persuasive arguments, syntax and semantics, to enable understanding and to facilitate the exchange of information. This involves typography, illustration, photographs, prints and everything related to the universe of graphic design, visual design and communication design.

Industrial Design
The designer’s intention here, is to design physical objects that are useful. It is about selecting and applying different materials, design tools and incorporating available technology, which will give support in use and interaction in the real world. This is related to physical, tangible artefacts, objects and space (architecture).

Design of Interactions
This is related to people’s behaviour, as it occurs in Interaction and Service Design. It is about designing the processes involved in how people act, designing transactions and activities over time, defining the points of contact and choice options. Here, design is in action, and the focus is on drawing experiences rather than objects – which is interaction, services and experience design.

Design of Systems
In designing dynamic environments and systems, it is about transforming their structures. It involves designing their functions and flows, using its dimensions and constraints. Design here focuses on human systems, the integration of information, objects, interactions and social, work and learning environments. The focus is to design businesses operations, learning experiences, systems, culture, organisations, cities and countries.

Invisible designs that solve problems

The things that cannot be seen or touched, are the things that matter most. And the reason one cannot leave the design of these to chance.

The design of these invisible things – is an area that few people endeavour because of its inexactness and complexity.

When dealing with complex problems, the way you do things and solve problems matters because it influences the results, and the reason why Design Thinking is so important.

Design Thinking Vs Lateral Thinking Vs Critical Thinking

Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic.

Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement. If the subject is complex; several different definitions exist, which generally include the rational, skeptical, and unbiased analysis or evaluation of factual evidence. It is the ability to analyse available information to form a conclusion. Everything depends on how you consider, regard or view something first.

The objective of a critical design thinking is to reveal people’s critical thoughts and incorporate them into the ideation process. The critical debates involved in this process reveal people’s values and personal worldviews, which might be used to more effectively design a product.