Design Thinking for Social Innovation - Case Study Example

Design thinking Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Submission Date: Executive Summary Design thinking is a method applied by designers to come up with adequate solutions to a complex problems faced in the changing business industry Introduction Design thinking is a procedure of solving problems and coming up with new opportunities. Though tools, techniques, and effectiveness differ, the main aim of the process remains the same. Design thinking is a very powerful tool if when used properly it can be a basis of driving a business organization forward. It always focuses on the betterment of future results. When the knowledge is applied, it considers the current and upcoming results a reliable solution to a problem is reached. The concept tries to identify and investigate current aspects of a given situation to come up with solutions that will address the issues effectively to achieve optimal performance .design thinking to tend to come up with multiple options of ideas to be chosen from and come up with the best idea that is favorable to a particular problem. Background of design thinking Design thinking helps organizations to come up with a convenient and efficient solution to problems it encourages teamwork working together collectively in a user-friendly way it allows balance in an analytical way. By applying Design Thinking, companies are in a position of innovating new mechanisms that will be used to reach even the unexpected customers in the market. From the onset of civilization, the most successful businesses and organizations have always been noted to be those enterprises that focus on brainstorming and innovation of new ideas. Design thinking is of importance to companies as it helps in forecasting of business trends (Brown and Wyatt 2015 pp 8).This concept motivates team player or design thinkers to come up with a solution. the concept also allows the attempt to establish the root of a particular problem .a version of design thinking process has seven steps define, research, ideate, prototype, choose, implement and learn with this steps one can arrive at an effective solution to the environment. The process encourages best ideas and best answers to a given problem found hence problem being solved. Design thinking is appropriate in addressing complicated problems. Interviewing is a very important aspect of design thinking so as to get to the user and know their views to a particular challenge. By interviewing by a company its consumers, they may be able to involve the consumer and hence know their consumption behavior design thinking is an essential aid to this (Johansson‐Sköldberg et al. 2013 pp 121). Through design thinking companies like Apple can come up with new technology like iphone it is hard to imagine such technology without a well-established design. The design has become a fundamental tool in media. Many company phones for example Samsung have able to achieve immense results and what is behind its success is design thinking. Samsung has continuously been able to introduce new technologies that are well updated from smart-phones, computers, tablets, refrigerators and many other electric appliances which impact positively in our day to day operations. The secret behind all this is due to using of design thinking. Samsung before faced some challenges, but the use of design thinking has enabled Samsung to develop their technology and improve it (Bjögvinsson, Ehn and Hillgren 2012 pp 112).Samsung used the idea of opening retail stores and here they can get to their customers in a more focused way. As seen earlier computers were used only in high places that are, it is only in government offices, but Samsung was able to come up with personal computers which could be now be used by many people and even in their homes. When a design is developed the company made sure they worked hand in hand with engineering team to ensure it is implemented accordingly (Razzouk and Shute 2012 pp 7). Applications of design thinking in various business enterprises globally EXAMPLE 1: FOCUSING ON THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR When many firms begin, the greatest challenge faced is usually a competition in the market. Currently, there are an adverse change in business models and trends and the system only favors enterprises employing design thinking. The majority of successful companies like Google Inc, Samsung, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple attribute their success to design thinking and innovation. For any company or organization to be considered the best in design thinking, the study of consumer behavior plays a very critical role. Understanding the needs wants and tastes of consumer forms the root of successfully designing products and goods that are of value in the market (Yeager et. al 2016 pp 374).As usually said by Steve Jobs, who is the greatest figure of all times in Apple Company, “The needs of the consumer should at all times come first before the fundamental intentions of Apple Company” The success of Google Company is attributed to their system of services. Out of 100 customers in Google, 88 percent of them usually become good ambassadors of the company while the remaining are generally conservative, and it is very hard to here negative comments from its companies. Every year as said Bill Gates usually says that they have to strive and give their clients something new. As observed in all these companies, they conduct their business basing on how their customers will behave out of their service quality. By focusing on the consumer behavior, they can be able to know and conclude something about the consumer and enable them to satisfy the customer entirely (Curedale, 2013 pp 33).Organizations that apply design thinking go beyond observing their consumer and get to the emotional language to describe products and users. The focus of the customers by a particular firm enables it to build a good relation with its customers. Close involvement of the consumer can help improve the product since from the user involvement a firm can come up with products that match their needs. Emotional language makes the customer feel persuaded for instance a motors dealer promises its customers that if they buy a car like Prado, they will have a comfortable transportation in a high-performance vehicle(Goldschmidt and Rodgers 2013 pp 460). EXAMPLE 2: USE OF PROTOTYPES TO EXPLORE EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS The well-established firms had prototypes of emerging new ideas, products and services and located in different parts within the organization customer journey maps are made available to solve the problem space, but the prototypes solve the solution space. The idea of prototyping can bring an idea to get to its full potential. The idea of displaying prototypes enables one develop a value of exploration rather than just following a person .prototyping is the most effective way a firm can use.MIT media lab is in a position to formalize this in its motto demo or die which brings out that the idea of prototyping makes an idea or concept more valuable (Liedtka 2015 pp 927). EXAMPLE 3: ASSUMPTION TESTING This is another tool in design thinking that is very important here the ideas go through a close scrutinizing owner is asked to come up with assumptions. The idea owner is then requested to correct the assumptions within a given time. If the most hypothesis is true, the idea proceeds to the next stage of scrutinizing the idea is then developed in a growth development environment of design thinking (Liedtka 2015 pp 927). EXAMPLE 4: BRAINSTORMING Owner raises it to the team of design thinkers who scrutinize and evaluate its effects and solution it offers to a particular problem. The ideas that someone comes up with are narrowed down, and those that appear repeating each other are combined, and those that appear promising are used (Liedtka 2015 pp 927). Design thinking case studies CASE STUDY 1(APPLE SUSTAINABILITY) Apple has been able to outdo its competitors due to its innovations and came back to the company with a bang making them a head of them since the other competitors were making like innovation that it had invented before. Through its leadership, Apple has made its self-sustainable in the market the company ensures great competence in the organization through observation of the daily operations by the board directors who ensured a close working together for the sustainability of the organization. Apple made new products be better than the existing ones (Johansson‐Sköldberg et al. 2013 pp 121). Their customer service was a reliable one especially in their stores they involved themselves to establish what they prefer most and develop that product that was needed by the consumer. After the death of Steve Jobs, a new chief executive officer was hired, and they have been able to maintain its performance at optimal level due to the use of design thinking employed by the company. The company ensured that they communicated their issues to customers in a more understandable way. Its extension to consumers has worked for them effectively. Apple has been able to continuously produce good products that are easily convincing to consumers. Capital structure to enable it to run its operation from salary to other expenses (Kimbell 2012 pp 132). CASE STUDY 2(HOW GOOGLE EMERGED TO THE TOP) The use of design thinking has enabled Google to come with innovations hence more domination in the industry. Google hired more innovators and design thinkers who were able to come up innovations that were distinctive from its competitors and here being to dominate all this were achieved through design thinking. Design thinking encourages collaboration among individuals in a particular organization Google tried to collaborate employs from different function this allows availability of new ideas in the organization hence achieve its goals through design thinking. Google has been able to achieve its performance also since it has a very good and effective leadership in the organization it is well structured on the top board of directors who supervise the general operations of the company supervising the chief executive officer who oversees the operations of the company (Brown and Wyatt 2015 pp 8). Its continuous involvement of customers in the provision of services and their goods, the organization, has been able to motivate its workers as they carry out the daily operations hence, they can carry their work in a more effective manner hence good performance by Google throughout. On the customers focus the organization has been able to establish shops in different places to improve their customer relation. Through design thinking, they have been able to establish a good capital structure to finance their daily activities from employ salaries to other expenses that they must meet. A good working environment to motivate their employs is also essential and made Google emerge among the top companies in the globe (Beverland, Wilner and Micheli 2015 pp 604). CASE STUDY 3: SAMSUNG Samsung is an international company making enormous moves and delivering high performance in its operations. This can be attributed to its successful methods of design thinking that they have applied and strictly followed them to the latter to achieve optimal performance. Samsung has been able to outdo its competitors by making innovations that are favorable to their consumers. They have also been able to introduce and better their products through improving them this is done by involving their customers in the day to day operations of the company. Reaching out to customers being the main issue and an essential tool in design thinking the company has been able to establish branches in several places (Johansson‐Sköldberg et al. 2013 pp 121). This retail shop focuses on the betterment of their services to its consumers. Establishment of a good administration that is sufficient to carry out the operation efficiently. Involving every member in the team organization work has made them successful. Samsung products are mainly phones, smart phones, tablets, and many electrical appliances which have influenced the consumer positively and betterment of their lives. Samsung is a company that is the top notch (Beverland, Wilner and Micheli 2015 pp 604). Conclusion Design thinking being the most efficient and the best way to go about the critical problem, its application is therefore very fundamental in any organization that if focused on attaining its strategized goals. Companies should employ the design thinking so as to be able to achieve optimal results that are more reliable. The team setting up this concept should apply the concept that favors their organization in particular. Finalizing the conclusion, design thinking is necessary to be implemented so as to achieve the best performance. Design thinking has enabled some businesses to grow and outdo even others in the market for example Apple Company has performed correctly due to the use of design thinking in its operations to come up with challenging solutions. Google also has the same experience. References: Brown, T. and Wyatt, J., 2015. Design thinking for social innovation. Annual Review of Policy Design, 3(1), pp.1-10. Johansson‐Sköldberg, U., Woodilla, J. and Çetinkaya, M., 2013. Design thinking: past, present and possible futures. Creativity and Innovation Management, 22(2), pp.121-146. Bjögvinsson, E., Ehn, P. and Hillgren, P.A., 2012. Design things and design thinking: Contemporary participatory design challenges. Design Issues, 28(3), pp.101-116. Razzouk, R. and Shute, V., 2012. What is design thinking and why is it important?. Review of Educational Research, p.0034654312457429. Yeager, D.S., Romero, C., Paunesku, D., Hulleman, C.S., Schneider, B., Hinojosa, C., Lee, H.Y., O’Brien, J., Flint, K., Roberts, A. and Trott, J., 2016. Using design thinking to improve psychological interventions: The case of the growth mindset during the transition to high school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(3), p.374. Curedale, R., 2013. Design Thinking: process and methods manual. Design Community College Incorporated. Goldschmidt, G. and Rodgers, P.A., 2013. The design thinking approaches of three different groups of designers based on self-reports. Design Studies, 34(4), pp.454-471. Liedtka, J., 2015. Perspective: linking design thinking with innovation outcomes through cognitive bias reduction. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(6), pp.925-938. Kimbell, L., 2012. Rethinking design thinking: Part II. Design and Culture, 4(2), pp.129-148. Beverland, M.B., Wilner, S.J. and Micheli, P., 2015. Reconciling the tension between consistency and relevance: design thinking as a mechanism for brand ambidexterity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(5), pp.589-609. Read More