Thinking Process of GAP Inc Designers - Case Study Example

Design Thinking Student’s Name Subject Professor University/Institution Location Date Design Thinking Design thinking is a methodology used by designers to resolve composite problems as well as get desirable answers for customers as stated in part A. As Owen (2006) asserts, design thinking is also a creative procedure for realizing opportunities as well as finding new notions. Design is the action of getting something new and looked-for into existence, practical stance that decides or liquefy designer problematic conditions. Design thinking draws upon logic, imagination, and intuitions well as systemic reasoning, to discover prospects of what might be, and make desired outcomes that promote the customer. Designer’s mindset should not be problem focused but rather a solution focused as well as action oriented, which entails both analysis and imagination. GAP organization views design thinking as an opportunity to re-conceptualize the organization as a supple structure able to adapt to changing needs, both interior for employees as well as exterior with transforming customers’ anticipations. By doing so, they portray their vision and strategic commitment as one that of redesigning the experience of professional services for customers. Thinking process of designers is one of the most vital issues in an organization. There are five steps of design thinking process which includes first planning. The GAP Company have got its proposals that shows on how they are proceeding, their distribution of tasks to various individuals within the organization. Secondly is analysis, whereby the organization uses questions and answers in their processes. The third one is evaluation whereby positive as well as negative evaluation of the organizations process is done. The fourth one is decisions whereby this refers to the kind of decisions the management of the organization makes. The last one is the control of the members work in the organization (Stempfle & Schaub 2002). When an organization applies design principles to strategy as well as innovation, the success rate for innovation considerably advances. This is because innovation is the key to competitiveness in the worldwide economy. But the GAP organization designers have been using their design tools in advancing their innovation solutions. In addition, the organization’s tools are largely insulated within the design community. They have been integrating design’s best tools in their marketing, research and business innovation expertise who assists in delivering those illusive, and disruptive ideas that the organization always look for. This recreation of business models has assisted the GAP Company in building whole new markets to gratify the unmet needs of their clients. In addition, it has helped the organization in aspiring to choose as well as implement the right notions and bring them to market in documentation time. The organization created a new interaction with their clients by creating new forms of contact with the clients. They also used questions method in order to identify the needs of their clients in order to satisfy them (Vianna et al 2012). This has also assisted the organization in increasing the volume, breadth as well as the relevancy of notions along with quality of exploration. This is by making stringent constriction, zooming out to evaluate the problem as part of its surrounding eco-system, and discovering beyond the stated problem toward unsettling new resolutions (Stempfle & Schaub 2002). It also helps the organization in fostering an expert culture of tireless, prototyping that makes ideas real as well as speeds up at the speed in which they develop. Design thinking in GAP organization, has put the organization under pressure of maintain or growing market share as well as increasing the user gratification and effectiveness which has brought the organization to the limelight of offering new and important products to their clients. The application of design thinking in the organization has helped in designing of a desired future state as well as figuring out on how to reach there. This is perceptive as well as open to likelihood. In this case the organization does not dwell much on identifying the right or wrong questions, because the goal is to get a better way as well as explore numerous possibilities. Uncertainty is an added advantage that helps the organization to ask different questions such as what can happen if a different path is taken different to the one put in place. Design thinking has helped the organization to get online selling. In this case, the design thinking teams have acted as champions and have offered springboards for additional learning. In addition, they have also acted as adoption as other parts of the organization became aware of their design practices as well as reach out for support and skills transfer (Howard 2012). Though design thinking contribution in organizational field of design is immense it faces several challenges now and in future. One of the main challenges of design thinking is that it kills creativity. The world is faced with globalization, overpopulation, new social technologies, disruption forces, urbanization, global warming and rise and fall of nations. All these forces destroy world social, political and economical systems. Design thinking is perceived not to solve all this problems because it relies on designers to pass the ideas to leaders to seek best ways for implementation. Creativity is liked by everybody because everybody is and can be creative to frame solutions to real problems. On the other hand design thinking focuses on limited base, its specialized and narrow connection to wider important issues of profit and non-profit organization. GAP strategy implementation process faces several challenges in design thinking and innovation (Cruickshank & Evans 2012). GAP faces real challenge in actual application of design thinking to promote and sustain its market competitiveness. Creating an actual solution using design thinking with GAP inflexible execution plan to implement it misses the point of designer’s thinking. In addition, making the plan work calls for changes and tweaking to face the unpredictable and unexpected facts of everyday life in GAP. One of main fact of being a designer is to guide the thinking from its beginning to the final implementation which lacks. In design thinking, this is missing because of the big gap between planning and actual building of the idea to his fullness. Cruickshank & Evans (2012) points out that, it is not easy to plan for everything thus necessitating improvise and adapt in the implementation process in order to attain the desired goals. Design thinking also is inherently short term project. The present conversation and literature of design thinking is based on short term solutions. Most of big company’s standard consulting project in design thinking is to examine, report, recommendation and point out the implementation process. Design thinking does not stick with implementation plan which is long term to ensure its smooth implementation. Sometimes is impossible to stick on a long term project because of conflicts in security or confidentiality in the company. Design thinking is the beginning process which needs to move beyond short term to attain its full potential. GAP design thinking focuses mostly on financial incentives such as high yield and low cost plans on front-end work. GAP design thinking is based on high yield of its products and services with low cost possible (Chou & Chou 2011). Due to this, the design only analysis and gives recommendations for implementation plan calling for other strategy plans in implementation. Design thinking ignores the design process complexity and over-hyped. Though design thinking is very important process is only part of the solution. Good thoughts are more than dozens but the most important aspect is how an organization is able to apply them. As stated by Considine (2012), plans are necessary but the most important thing is the real legwork. Real legwork is to adjust the solutions, concepts and re-jigging them to suit with the real situations in world. GAP should make its design thinking capacity as well as placing designers within its inside team for support and smooth implementations. The designers must narrow the gap between business and their world to translate ideas into final implementation (Considine 2012). Another challenge of now and future of design thinking is on how to articulate its value in a more convincing approach. In most cases designers shrug their shoulders, executive is left with design thinking to implement it the way they see fit while corporate trump creative continues at the discussion. Considering the real call for innovation in all areas of organizational culture this proves to be the most challenging problem of all. Designers should not introduce an idea and just rest hoping for the best implementation from leaders. Mangers also needs to collaboration with designers to ensure that the company’s elements of the plan are catered for (Chou & Chou 2011). In conclusion, design thinking success calls for leaders to plan for roles to be played by everybody to make the innovation a team work. Since correct implementation of the plan is part of strategy improvises are bought in to ensure all works to the end. However, some designers advocates for handing over of the design thinking to leaders to implement which sometimes misses the whole process. In future the company should hire the designers who are able to span business and their worlds in order to achieve the set goals. Porter, (2008) asserts that, competitive advantage in an organization is enhanced through high creativity and innovation. This means that the management in GAP will not only create new brands, but should also win by being ahead of their competitors. Design thinking will enhance strategic decision implementation in the company giving them advantage for better their competitors. Being strategic through the use of design thinking will enable GAP to advance in their productivity as well as maintain value for their products. This makes their customers satisfied and thus will cling to their products over those of their competitors. Competitive advantage through value and increased productivity will be facilitated when the company advances in knowledge that will enhance creativity and value addition and the organization management is able to make this knowledge part of their guiding rules to solving any problems in the organization as well as improving their status quo. GAP Inc. which is a retail company dealing in clothing and accessories can create and sustain competitive advantage in their organization through enhancing innovation and creativity. This will enable the company introduce new designs for their products, adopt new marketing strategies and thus will be able to give a holistic approach to customer satisfaction making them ahead of their competitors. This is because the company is able to enhance creativity in their designs thus empowering the company through the designs developed (Martin, 2009). This means that the organization should be outstanding in the ideas that it introduces. This makes them unique in the designs they come up with and gives them an advantage over their competitors in the same industry. According to Martin, (2009), success in any organization can emanate from the competitive advantage that the organization builds. This means that in their production the company should exhibit creativity and not take on other organization’s ideas. The management in GAP Company can create their competitive advantage through shaping their production context through the use of design thinking. It can be effectively achieved through integration of various assets, unique models and experiences in the organization in coming up with an integrative idea which is then developed to a unique design. Using design thinking in an organization means that the organization can look into the market and identify any gap that needs development and through creativity avail the alternatives to bridge the gap. The alternative brought should be creative enough such that you are always ahead of your competitors. Adopting the use of design thinking in GAP organization means that the management will be able to analyze any new needs for their customers and end through and through creative thinking explore very unique ideas that will facilitate satisfaction of the needs. This will create a basis for competitive advantage which when done over and over enhances sustenance of the advantage which will spur up growth in the organization. To create and sustain competitive advantage of GAP Company through the use of design thinking then the management should be consistent in their restructuring and decision making within the organization. This is because with time competitors are able to keep up with the algorithms adopted as solution to a specific need explored. They should therefore keep reconstructing their ideas to sustain their competitive advantage (Porter, 2008). References Chou, Y, & Chou, C 2011, Course management systems and blended learning: An innovative learning approach, Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, Vol 9, Iss 3, p. 463-484. Considine, M 2012, Thinking Outside the Box? Applying Design Theory to Public Policy, Politics & Policy, Vol 40, Iss 4, p. 704-724. Cruickshank, L, & Evans, M 2012, Designing creative frameworks: design thinking as an engine for new facilitation approaches, International Journal of Arts and Technology, Vol 5, Iss 1, p. 73-85. Howard, Z 2012, from concept to capability: Developing design thinking within a professional services firm. JoachimStempfle, Badje-Schaub, P 2002, Thinking in design teams - an analysis of team communication, Bamberg: Universitat Bamberg Press. Martin, L 2009, the design of business why design thinking is the next competitive advantage, Harvard Business Press. Owen, L 2006, Design thinking: Driving innovation, The Business Process Management Institute, 1-5. Porter, E 2008, Competitive advantage, Creating and sustaining superior performance, SimonandSchuster. Vianna, J, Filho, Y, Adler, V, Lucena, F, & Russo, B 2012, Design Thinking: Business Innovation, Rio de Janeiro: MJV Press. Read More