Skip to main content

Queue 'Advisory Board'

SACHS ADVISORY BOARD

Michael Netter

Tracy Chadwell

Thomas Britt

Not All Design Thinking is Created Equal

December 9, 2015

notall

“Design Thinking” describes a process that starts with imagining and progressively defining a new opportunity and ends with the design of solutions that best capitalize on that opportunity. Companies are adopting this way of thinking because they know it provides the straightest line to successful innovation — the lifeblood of every company that wants to grow.

Design thinking isn’t an automatic path to success. Whether companies hire designers or retrain their employees to think like designers, it has to be done right. Based on years of experience and observation, we at Sachs believe three practices are essential to doing it right.

collaborate

 

  1. Design thinking needs to be positioned as an inclusive practice that benefits everyone. Representatives across all relevant functional areas are invited to participate. Silos lead to narrow thinking. Company-wide buy-in leads to harmonious implementation. Regardless of their role, stakeholders have worthy ideas about how to make their organization more agile and innovative. Encourage them to tap into their latent creativity, even color outside the lines. Stakeholder interviews and cross-functional workshops are invaluable when used to generate innovative concepts.

reverse

 

 

  1. Inviting consumers into the process at the outset and understanding their thoughts and behaviors ensures “market-in” design. “Know thy future customer” is the first commandment of design thinking. Building concepts before examining the lives of potential customers can be a waste of money and energy. It’s hard to imagine from afar what it’s like to be a first-time mom, a cancer patient, a Boomer planning their smart home or an IP lawyer. Only by identifying the common pain points, needs and wish lists of potential customers can a company know what it's like to walk a mile in their shoes… and design solutions accordingly.

 

 

  1. Don't let fear of failure stand in the way of developing and trying out new ideas. Not every idea will be a winner. You can use learnings gained from “failures” as stepping stones to success.

Design thinking is a key driver in developing significant and timely innovations. Not all design thinking is created equal. For design thinking to be most successful, there must be representation and collaboration from all relevant parts of the company. All design must be informed early on by a deep knowledge of potential customers. Fear of failure must be replaced by fear of not trying things out. Even the most "out there" ideas have kernels of brilliance when thoroughly vetted.

 

TAGS: B2B, Design, sachs insights, UX

Contact form

Send Us an Email

e.g. John
e.g. Smith
e.g. I would like to learn more about Sachs Insights.
e.g. I'd like to discuss a potential project with Sachs Insights.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Resume form

Submit Your Resume and Cover letter Here

e.g. John
e.g. Smith
e.g. jsmith@gmail.com
Files must be less than 2 MB.
Allowed file types: txt rtf pdf doc docx odt ppt pptx odp xls xlsx ods xml bz2 gz rar tar zip.
Files must be less than 2 MB.
Allowed file types: gif jpg jpeg png txt rtf pdf doc docx odt ppt pptx xls xlsx bz2 gz rar tar zip.

Sign Up for Newsletter

Sign Up for Newsletter

e.g. John
e.g. Smith
e.g. jsmith@gmail.com
GO TOP

Thank you for sending us an email!

We will follow up as soon as possible.

CLOSE
 

Thank you, your sign-up request was successful!

Please check your email inbox.

CLOSE
 

Thank you for submitting your application to Sachs Insights!

Please check your email inbox.

CLOSE