Design Thinking & Innovation process

Design Thinking and Innovation Process

General
Designers	Michael Testani, Kailas Patil and Prashant Acharya
First published	2019

Design Thinking & Innovation Process: The Design Thinking and Innovation process was developed through a collaboration between Vishwakarma University (VU) in Pune, India and Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York and was established as the foundation for their joint Center of Excellence in Design Thinking and Innovation located at Vishwakarma University located in Pune, India that was inaugurated on January 29, 2020. There are many Design Thinking processes and frameworks in use today, with the most popular coming from Stanford’s d.school or the IDEO design consultancy. The Design Thinking and Innovation process differentiates itself from these other frameworks in a few unique and important ways. The intent of this framework is to help students, faculty, and industry partners transform business or societal challenges into a viable product or service that can be readily commercialized into the marketplace. Some key points of the VU/BU Design Thinking and Innovation process are: a strong focus on the societal and economic ecosystem within which the problem resides, an immersive approach with end-users and key stakeholders, marketization and commercialization analysis, and a skillful integration of art, business, and engineering disciplines. The Art & Design approach is also quite unique in that designs integrate indigenous Indian art motifs that help these beautiful traditions live on in new product designs. The process is outlined by its framework that is outlined and described below. It is important to note that this framework is not a linear process and loops back upon itself at key points in the process as illustrated by its trademark as shown in the figure.

File:DesignThinkingProcess.jpg

Design Thinking and Innovation Process

Design Thinking Framework: • DISCOVER – Design initiation and inspiration o In the Discovery phase of the design thinking process, the design challenge is first presented to the design team. Here sponsors and key stakeholders are identified along with each stakeholder’s clearly stated desired outcomes from the design project. The design team is organized around this problem with the appropriate cross-disciplinary skills to solve this specific challenge. Here the team performs research from a broad, societal perspective to understand the context within which their design solution will function. Any design constraints; such as budget, time, resources, and specifications are identified in this phase as well. The discovery phase also transitions the design team to discover the known from the unknown in terms of the design space within which they will be operating. • EMPATHIZE – Understanding the end-user experience o In the Empathize phase, the design team researches the actual context in which the end-users experience the product, process, or a system. The design team identifies key personas, or market segments, based on interviews and observations to identify the situations where end-users' experiences can be improved. The design team "puts themselves in the shoes" of the end-user and develops true empathy for their experiences, both positive and negative. o Visualize o Personas o Empathy Map o Experience Flow – As-Is Scenario map and/or Journey map o Pain point Map – linked to the above maps o Assumptions and Questions to be addressed • DEFINE – Synthesizing insights from the previous phases to establish a design team point-of-view (PoV) o In the Define phase, the design team identifies the specific problem to be addressed. The team reaches consensus on their collective point of view in terms of the human experience they are equipped to improve. Often, design teams 'reframe' the originally stated problem as their direct observation of human behaviors and interactions identify a new perspective of the real problem that needs solving. They synthesize, analyze, and prioritize research data gathered during their primary and secondary market research. o Taking a real-life problem- Defining the design challenge by way of innovation & visualization techniques o Methods of primary and secondary research – Research planning, Market analysis, Data collection, analysis and interpretation o Reframing information system – framing the problem in the end-user context o Correct method of framing questions for –Questionnaire (or Interview Guide) o How, What, When? Gaining End-user insights, Contextual and experiential Inquiry (Interviewing, observing and doing) o Key insights and design opportunities – Sense making and synthesizing insights o User stories (End-user defining need statements or a "How Might We ..." statement is created) • IDEATE – Finding a solution o In the Ideate phase, the design team explores multiple layers of visualization and its techniques to support the demands of the solution. The team uses divergent and convergent thinking approaches and techniques to select top solutions for prototyping. o Deriving solution – Big Ideas and Prioritization techniques o Divergent and Convergent Thinking – brainstorming, card storming, affinity analysis, theme development, prioritization and selection methods (multi-voting, criteria-based prioritization and consensus methods) • PROTOTYPE – Building the solution (Build fast to learn fast) o In the prototype phase, the design team brings their top ideas to reality. Rapid prototyping is used to create low-fidelity mockups of design solutions to be evaluated keeping in mind the needs of the end-users. o Proof of principle- Establishment of functionality. Identification of system components (Rapid prototyping, low fidelity to high fidelity through iterations) o Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – provides end-user value and improves end-user experience o Evaluating features of the system, subsystem or design components (possible functions and features) • EVALUATE – Test the solution o In the evaluate phase, the design team observes the end-user and how they relate and react with the real-life situation and end-user experience. The actual end-user experiences and design feedback are synthesized to realize the desired user outcomes. o Contextual Walk-Through, o Showcasing (or Playbacks), o Feedback mechanisms and processes o To-be Scenario mapping, Storytelling and Storyboarding • REFINE (ITERATE) – Observe, Reflect and Build o In the Refine phase, the design team systematically improves upon their product, process, or service until it is ready for implementation to the marketplace. Techno-commercially viable solutions are released to society for the betterment of usability. o Low fidelity to high fidelity design realization o MVP and Experienced-based Roadmap o Techno-commercial viability estimation (Business Model Canvas, Value Proposition Canvas) – meeting needs, value proposition, unique features, hardware and/or software requirements, feature definition could be considered

Design Thinking & Innovation Process

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