Design Thinking vs. Designing

There is certainly a difference between ‘design thinking’ and ‘designing.’  We hail Helen Walters’ article in Fast Company “Design Thinking Isn’t a Miracle Cure, But Here’s How it Helps” as a must read, especially for anyone in our industry! According to Walters, “design thinking is not fairy dust; you do not get to skip steps to magically solve a challenge.”

Design thinking is a strategic tool.

Design thinking is a way of applying rigor to the creative and business processes to arrive at the best possible outcome. Design thinking is never static, it is a multidiscipline approach that strategizes and structures ideas to deliver breakthrough experiences. 

STARMEN's Approach to Design Thinking

· Establish the what, how and who:
      - What are you getting to/answering?
      - How are you going to set the journey, and leverage everyone’s talents?
      - Who is the facilitator to manage on generative ideas, strategic business cases, and tactical deployment?

· Encourage the team to ‘think outside the box,’ looking at things a bit differently.

· Frame the journey through the consumer or customer’s eyes.

· Maintain focus, but be careful to avoid tunnel vision. Design thinking is about navigating the unknown with a candle – observing and moving forward on the best journey of discovery – not a flashlight that lights up the clearest, most direct path.