SUMMARY

In a Stanford webinar, Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn demystify design thinking, emphasizing its accessibility for non-designers. Through stories, they illustrate how applying design mindsets can lead to innovative solutions and meaningful impact across various fields.

STATEMENTS:

Design thinking is a way of coming up with ideas and seeing whether they're any good.
The primary goal of design thinking is to make design tools and mindsets accessible to individuals who don't identify as designers.
The most significant factor influencing the quality of ideas is the quantity of ideas generated.
Design thinking serves as an exceptional methodology for generating a high volume of ideas.
The popular visualization of design thinking includes empathizing, defining a problem, ideating, prototyping, and testing.
Design thinking is not a fixed process but rather a set of mindsets that encourages innovation and problem-solving.
Design thinking makes two meaningful advances on conventional problem solving: diverging before converging on solutions and emphasizing problem-finding.
It's useful to think that there are two discrete outputs to a design effort.
A problem well put is half solved.
Teams that excel in design continuously assess both the problem and the solutions, evaluating their fit.
There are four discrete buckets that can be drawn from at any time to help advance thinking.
Rather than seeking automatons, design aims to cultivate individuals who can self-navigate problem-solving processes.
Design thinking puts one in close proximity to the people whom one is designing for/trying to innovate for.
Creating new data sets through design helps in making better decisions.
Rapid prototyping techniques are valuable for quickly building and testing ideas.
Putting something out in the world validates it.
Design thinking reframes problems to focus on human needs, leading to better product design.
Human-centered design is not customer-led design.
Challenging conventional wisdom often leads to unexpected breakthroughs.
In design thinking actions are informed by thoughtful inquiry.
Consistency of understanding and consistent language ensures the teams for effective problem solving.
Design thinking process can be used for process improvements and its problem solving technique.
One of tenants with design thinking is that teams have consistent approach to problem solving technique.
The aim of design thinking is to encourage individuals to use tools to change their lives and to change the world

IDEAS:

Design thinking is not confined to designers; it provides tools for anyone to effectively solve problems in their field.
The most effective way to come up with better ideas is to generate a higher quantity of ideas.
Visualizing the design process is helpful for organizing tools, but it should not be seen as a rigid, linear formula.
Design thinking involves storytelling to showcase how a designer's mindset leads to breakthroughs and meaningful impact.
Getting close to the people whose lives one is trying to improve is essential for identifying real human needs.
Quickly creating data helps in contextualizing ideas and gaining support for innovative solutions.
Enlightened trial and error, involves connecting deeply with people and humbly learning whether one's approach is correct.
Design thinking encourages teams to overcome the tendency to settle on solutions quickly.
Assessing and aligning the problem and solution is essential for successful design efforts.
Fluency in identifying what kind of activity to undertake and what tools to draw upon is key to self-navigation.
Rapid prototyping techniques can keep alive some of the wilder ideas and make concepts real.
Rapid prototyping is valuable for quickly building and testing ideas to validate them.
Design thinking can be applied to process improvements, such as redesigning a process after a weather event.
The goal is to create a portfolio of potential dashboards and information to understand what people want to know about their health.
Even renowned experts can sometimes be wrong.
What action to take is informed by thoughtful inquiry.
Even if a boss hates it, it doesn't indicate whether or not the idea works: test the idea yourself, regardless!
Commission someone to create data to change that script, to ensure enthusiasm follow-through of implementation.
People feel comforted/safe with rails on the treadmill, indicates there's a fear involved with the apparatus.
There isn't a magic recipe, there's more a set of mindsets to take from the design process.
Don't ask people what they would say they do, but put them in a scenario where they can choose.
Create environments and experiences and offers that yield more highly credible data.
The customer won't always give you the right answer because he doesn't want to potentially hurt your feelings.
In design, the team should be looking at multiple selection criteria, not just one.
Design is uncertain work, so it amplifies a lot of emotion; therefore, consistency of understanding is helpful.
If you are mindful of inputs, it frames interesting new questions.
Spend time getting more content in relation to design.

INSIGHTS:

Design thinking democratizes the creative process, making it accessible to all professions and roles.
Overemphasizing process visualization can lead to a rigid application, missing the importance of mindset.
Personal conviction, based on empathy and close interaction with users, can drive innovation despite resistance.
Rapid prototyping and testing are crucial for validating ideas and gathering data to inform decision-making.
Getting input from employees, understanding needs, build some problems statements, and try prototyping.
Design is not just about action, But thoughtful and deliberate action.
Thoughtful inquiry led approach to taking action is crucial in adressing the uncertanties.
A shift towards "problem finding" is essential for ensuring that the right problems are being solved.
Design helps to stimulate our own thinking; teams need a lot of ideas.
By experimenting and testing with real users, one can get highly credible data to drive decisions.
Don't limit this way of thinking only to the introduction of new products.
You need to be willing to be learning whether you've got it right or not.
A designer's mindset can transform the perception of safety for a real human need, a real human pain that deserves to be met.

QUOTES:

"To get a good idea, you need a lot of ideas." - Linus Pauling
"A problem well put is half solved." - John Dewey
"Businesses seem to keep us focused on the product, parentheses, "output". It seems like you are saying the creative process needs more inputs." - Rick White
"Customers don't know what they want. You can go ahead and ask them." - Ava Dubrova
"If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." - Henry Ford
"There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now, all that remains is more and more precise measurement." - Lord Kelvin
"It's really cool to have a consistent understanding."

HABITS:

Bill, in his design practice, goes to the gym to observe how people use exercise equipment to understand their needs.
Designers spending time is being mindful about inputs into your practice build an interesting new question.
Bill continues to seek more content, in order ton see what's going on, by spending time.
Involve improvisational activities.
Evaluate and mix-up selection criteria.
Daily practice, including techniques for you as an individual

FACTS:

Design thinking has become a popular term, increasing curiosity but sometimes making it seem inaccessible.
The process visualization of design thinking became very popular, even more so than it should have.
Cybex is a major supplier of treadmill, elliptical trainer, and stationary bicycle equipment.
The average corporate brainstorm generates only two ideas.
John Dewey was a famous American educational reformer.
According to Lord Kelvin, in 1900 It reported to the British Association for the Advancement of Science there is nothing new to be discovered in physics now, all that remains is more and more precise measurement.
1905 is known as the miracle year due to Einstein's groundbreaking works on relativity

REFERENCES:

YouTube
Linus Pauling
d.school
Stanford
Justin Farrell
Doug Dietz
GE
John Dewey
American Express
D leadership
Dr. Katherine Segovia
Cybex
Keurig Dr. Pepper
Trinity College
BU i.e. Boston University
LinkedIn
ON24
Airbnb
Facebook
Amazon
Rick White
Jonathan Laplante
Ray
Vivian
Ava Dubrova
Henry Ford

HOW TO APPLY:

Empathize with the people you're designing for by understanding their feelings and emotions.
Define a problem to be solved based on a clear understanding of human needs.
Generate a multitude of potential solutions, diverging before converging.
Create quick prototypes and test them with real users to gather feedback.
Align the articulated problem with the imagined solutions, assessing their fit.
Pick two of three standing meetings that they do not need to attend in the next week so that they can create that data.
Build a quick prototype to decide whether or not an idea works.
Evaluate with multiple different selections criteria.
Building multiple solutions.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Design thinking is an accessible, thoughtful approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and continuous learning.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Focus on generating a high volume of ideas as the single most important variable for better solutions.
Adopt a designer's mindset to get close to and understand the people you're innovating for.
Challenge conventional thinking by trying new things and see whether it works.
Rapidly create data to contextualize ideas and secure organizational support.
Use different selection criteria to extract best approach for product.
Use design thinking techniques not only for product development but also to improve processes within the business.
Embrace thoughtful trial and error to learn and refine your approach based on real-world feedback.
Develop fluency in self-navigating the problem-solving process.
Actively seek inputs from different sources and spend time understanding the context of problems.
Create a portfolio of potential solutions, experimenting with different approaches before settling on one.
If you're coming up with hundreds of ideas then shorten your brainstorming time and lead time right then and there to build some of the ideas, to make some really rough prototypes, to keep alive some of the wilder ideas.
Spend a little bit longer or even shorten to build some of the ideas, to make some really rough prototypes, to keep alive some of the wilder ideas.

MEMO:

Democratizing Creativity Through Design Thinking

Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn from Stanford's d.school, advocate design thinking as a universally applicable problem-solving method. They dispel the notion that it is solely for designers, emphasizing its accessibility and relevance across various professions and organizational roles. Design thinking, at its core, is about generating ideas and validating their merit, empowering individuals to approach challenges with a creative and analytical mindset.

The Power of Quantity and Mindset

A fundamental principle of design thinking is that the quantity of ideas directly influences their quality. Rather than fixating on perfection, the focus should be on generating a high volume of diverse ideas. A common visualization of the design process involves empathizing, defining the problem, ideating solutions, and prototyping and testing. However, this process is not a rigid formula but a flexible framework that encourages experimentation and learning.

Stories of Innovation

Utley and Klebahn illustrate the power of design thinking through compelling stories. One such story involves Bill Pacheco, an engineering leader who challenged conventional wisdom about treadmill design. Pacheco's insight stemmed from observing people's fear while using treadmills, leading him to create a safer, more user-friendly design. Despite initial resistance from his boss, Pacheco's conviction and data-driven approach led to a successful product that addressed a real human need.

The Problem-Finding Paradigm

Design thinking advances conventional problem-solving by emphasizing both problem-finding and diverging before converging on solutions. Recognizing that any solution implies an underlying problem, designers should dedicate time to clearly defining and framing the problem they are trying to solve. This involves generating multiple perspectives and assessing the fit between the problem and potential solutions.

Data-Driven Innovation

Data plays a crucial role in validating design decisions, but not all data is created equal. Unlike traditional market research, design thinking prioritizes creating new datasets through experiments and prototypes. By observing real-world interactions and responses, designers can gather more credible data to support their ideas and gain stakeholder buy-in.

Team Dynamics and Consistent Process

Effective teamwork is essential for successful design projects. The design school establishes consistent process to teams, eliminating problems when one person's ideating while the next person has built a prototype for better emotion. Consistency of understanding, particularly, gives teams the ability to work effectively in uncertain work with problem solving technique.

Challenging Conventions and Embracing Uncertainty

Design thinking encourages a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom and embrace uncertainty and be thoughtful inquiry. While conventional thinking is often correct, questioning assumptions can lead to unexpected breakthroughs. The key is to approach challenges with a thoughtful, inquiry-led mindset, taking informed action to address both the problem and the solution. Effective team communication relies on a consistent understanding of this approach.

An Approach, Not an Answer

Utley and Klebahn emphasize that design thinking is not a