Syllabus

KMBN106: DESIGN THINKING

Course Credit: 2 Contact Hours: 20

Course Objectives:
1. How to transform creative thinking into design thinking in every stage of your
problem
2. How to apply design thinking to your real life problems / situations in order
to evolve an innovativeand workable solutions
Unit-1
Innovation & Creativity: Meaning of Innovation and creativity. Difference
between innovation and creativity, and its role in Industry and organizations,
dynamics of creative thinking, Process of Design Thinking, implementing the
process in driving innovation, Case Study

Unit-2
An exercise in design thinking & implementing design thinking through a
workshop & exercise case studies in design thinking, design thinking process. Case
Study

Unit-3
Design Thinking in Various Sectors (Health sector, Finance, Education,
Infrastructure) Design thinking case studies in retail, design thinking case studies in
banking, design thinking case studies in management decisions

Text Books:
a. Design Thinking by Michael G Luchs, K Scott Swan, Abbie Griffin ( WILEY)
b. The Design Thinking by Patrick , Michael Lewrick, Larry Leifer (WILEY)
c. The Art of Creative Thinking by Rod Judkins
d. Design Thinking - Strategic innovations by IRIS
UNIT 1

Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation—anchored in understanding

customer’s needs, rapid prototyping, and generating creative ideas—that will transform the
way you develop products, services, processes, and organizations. By using design thinking,
you make decisions based on what customers really want instead of relying only on historical
data or making risky bets based on instinct instead of evidence.

Design thinking brings together what is desirable from a human point of view with what is
technologically feasible and economically viable.

 Desirability: What makes sense to people and for people?

 Feasibility: What is technically possible within the foreseeable future?
 Viability: What is likely to become part of a sustainable business model?

Change is the basic law, that governs the entire nature. In this fast-paced world, technology is
changing rapidly, i.e. nobody can assure you that the world is going to be same, five years
later, as everything changes with the blink of an eye. So, if one wants to go along with the
world, then the only requirement is to be creative and innovative. While Creativity is related
to ‘imagination’, but innovation is related to ‘implementation’.

The primary difference between creativity and innovation is that the former refers to conceive
a fresh idea or plan, whereas the latter implies initiating something new to the market, which
is not introduced earlier. You can get a better understanding of the two topics, and their
difference, with the help of given article.
Comparison Chart
BASIS FOR
CREATIVITY INNOVATION
COMPARISON

Meaning Creativity is an act of creating Innovation is the introduction of

new ideas, imaginations and something new and effective into
possibilities. the market.

Process Imaginative Productive

Quantifiable No Yes

Related to Thinking something new Introducing something new

Money Consumption No Yes

Risk No Yes

Definition of Creativity

Creativity is the characteristic of a person to generate new ideas, alternatives, solutions, and
possibilities in a unique and different way.

Creativity is the ability to conceive something unpredictable, original and unique. It must be
expressive, exciting and imaginative. It is the mirror of how beautifully a person can think in
any given circumstance.

It is not genetic but can be developed if someone keeps on learning and comprehending
things with a rare and exclusive perception. Creativity is a brainstorming and mind-blogging
activity in which a person has to think beyond his imagination for bringing something
worthwhile. It is an activity of unveiling something which was previously hidden.

Definition of Innovation

Innovation is an act of application of new ideas to which creates some value for the business
organization, government, and society as well. Better and smarter way of doing anything is
innovation. It could be the introduction of:
  New technology.
 New product line or segment.
 A new method of production.
 An improvement in the existing product.

Innovation is closely tied to creativity i.e. putting creative ideas into action is an innovation,
whose consequences should be positive. It is the process of doing something better for the
first time, which was not previously done by any entity. It can also be termed as a change
which can bring a new edge to the performance and productivity of the company. It is of two
types i.e. evolutionary and revolutionary.

Key Differences Between Creativity and Innovation

The following are the major differences between Creativity and Innovation:

1. The quality of thinking new ideas and putting them into reality is creativity. The act of
executing the creative ideas into practice is innovation.
2. Creativity is an imaginative process as opposed to innovation is a productive process.
3. Creativity can never be measured, but Innovation can be measured.
4. Creativity is related to the generation of ideas which are new and unique. Conversely,
Innovation is related to introduce something better into the market.
5. Creativity does not require money. On the other hand, innovation requires money.
6. There is no risk involved in creativity, whereas the risk is always attached to
innovation.

Example

The invention of the motorcycle was the biggest innovation over scooters. In early centuries,
people used to travel with scooters, for which they have to make lots of efforts to start it like
they need to strike the kick and knee down from either side if it doesn’t start. So, years and
years passed away, and nobody even thought for the invention of bikes. The invention of the
motorcycle make them realize that they can also ride bikes without making any extra efforts,
they just have to click the switch and its starts automatically.

In this example, the thought of creation of a new traveling motorcycle is creativity, but the
actual invention of it is innovation.

For dynamics of design thinking click on link given below

https://theintactone.com/2021/02/24/dynamics-of-creative-thinking/

5 Stages of Design Thinking

What is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users,
challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and
test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful
to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown.
The Five Stages of Design Thinking

The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford describes design thinking as a five-stage
process. Note: These stages are not always sequential, and teams often run them in parallel,
out of order and repeat them in an iterative fashion.
Stage 1: Empathize—Research Your Users' Needs
Here, you should gain an empathetic understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve,
typically through user research. Empathy is crucial to a human-centered design process such
as design thinking because it allows you to set aside your own assumptions about the world
and gain real insight into users and their needs.
Stage 2: Define—State Your Users' Needs and Problems
It’s time to accumulate the information gathered during the Empathize stage. You then
analyze your observations and synthesize them to define the core problems you and your
team have identified. These definitions are called problem statements. You can
create personas to help keep your efforts human-centered before proceeding to ideation.
Stage 3: Ideate—Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas
Now, you’re ready to generate ideas. The solid background of knowledge from the first two
phases means you can start to “think outside the box”, look for alternative ways to view the
problem and identify innovative solutions to the problem statement you’ve
created. Brainstorming is particularly useful here...
Stage 4: Prototype—Start to Create Solutions
This is an experimental phase. The aim is to identify the best possible solution for each
problem found. Your team should produce some inexpensive, scaled-down versions of the
product (or specific features found within the product) to investigate the ideas you’ve
generated. This could involve simply paper prototyping.
Stage 5: Test—Try Your Solutions Out
Evaluators rigorously test the prototypes. Although this is the final phase, design thinking is
iterative: Teams often use the results to redefine one or more further problems. So, you can
return to previous stages to make further iterations, alterations and refinements – to find or
rule out alternative solutions.
Overall, you should understand that these stages are different modes which contribute to the
entire design project, rather than sequential steps. Your goal throughout is to gain the deepest
understanding of the users and what their ideal solution/product would be.
4 Steps to Implementing Design Thinking at Your Organization

The most important foundational piece of design thinking is integrating the end-users’ needs
before you begin creating, so time isn’t wasted solving the wrong problems. It’s a mindset of
relentlessly trying to understand the user and the problem at hand.
Here are four actionable steps to implement design thinking and bring its benefits to your
organization:

1. Focus on the problem

Companies often fail at effectively solving problems or meeting goals because they don’t
correctly identify the user or problem initially. Here are a few tips for identifying your
problem:
 Listen. Put yourself in users’ shoes and think through their lenses.
 Ask questions. Who encounters this problem and why? Why did past attempts fail to
solve the problem at hand?
 Have collaborative conversations. Working in silos is an easy trap to fall into.
Engage with everyone, not just those on your team.
 Stay unbiased. Don’t assume you immediately understand the problem, nor the
solution. By being open-minded you might find something else you weren’t
expecting.
2. Develop design thinking skills on your team
Traditionally, the ideation phase of the design thinking process was saved for project
managers or engineers, but that doesn’t mean it can only be used by that department or
function. Since design thinking is the mindset of asking questions, understanding, and testing,
everyone can and should participate in this practice. Here are a few tips for developing your
team’s design thinking skills:
 Practice the mindset. Start implementing the process in your role whenever you can.
For example, if you oversee onboarding, think about ways you can test a new
approach or understand the new employee mentality by gathering feedback through a
survey. Remain open to new outcomes.
 Foster interests in design thinking. If you have team members who want to take
initiative and expand their skill sets, make sure to nurture that interest, whether it is
encouraging experimentation or reimbursing costs for design thinking classes.

3. Have (or start having) more debriefs

It’s important to understand that design thinking is continuous. It’s a process of iterating on
previous experiments so that the product or outcome can improve and become better.
However, learnings can’t be implemented if there’s no feedback process. Here are a few tips
for creating a learning culture through gathering feedback:
 Be open about what went wrong. Set an example by demonstrating that failure is an
expected part of design thinking. Openly discuss what tests failed and why.
 View failure as learning. Trying and failing a new approach serves the crucial
function of narrowing down the list of possible processes. This gets you and your
team closer to the approach that will work best. Encourage failure!
4. Embrace the feedback loop
The goal of design thinking isn’t perfection, but the best answer possible. And the best
answer likely won’t be the first answer. Thus, a constant feedback loop is essential. Here are
some tips for implementing a feedback loop:
 Test and iterate as much as possible. Find new ways and angles to test your
assumptions, you might come across something you would’ve never thought of
otherwise.
 Have feedback sessions often. When you embrace feedback, not only does it create a
safe space to innovate but it also prevents the same mistakes from happening again.

Design thinking can help you and your team identify and solve meaningful problems for your
organization. The process is like a muscle that you need to build and use. With a design
thinking mindset, you can spend time effectively solving the right problems and building
processes that will impact your organization’s success.

Five awesome examples of design thinking

Braun/Oral B Electric Toothbrush

In 2016, Braun and Oral B recruited the expertise of designers Kim Colin and Sam Hecht,
founders of the London-based design studio Industrial Facility, to create a smarter electric
toothbrush.

When they initially partnered with Braun and Oral B, the manufacturer’s suggested Colin and
Hecht design an electric toothbrush with a variety of sophisticated data-tracking features
including a music player, ways to sense how well the user’s were brushing every single tooth,
and even how sensitive their gums were.

However, Hecht and Colin quickly advised them to think more about the customer’s
experience as opposed to their own vision for the product. They suggested how a few simple
additions to the brush could solve many of the frictions their user’s were reporting. Hecht and
Colin added on-the-go, USB charging and made it easier for user’s to order replacement
brush heads, both problems that Braun and Oral B consumers had already expressed. The
result was an exceptional product that took user feedback into consideration to boost sales
and increase customer loyalty.

The Good Kitchen

Using the design thinking process to find better ways to serve a community can have
profound effects on the lives of its members. Take Danish design agency Hatch and
Bloom’s creation of The Good Kitchen as an example. In 2007, Denmark had over 125,000
elderly citizens relying on government-sponsored meals. Hatch and Bloom were called upon
by the Municipality of Holstebro to design a new and improved meal delivery service for
these citizens. What came to fruition was a service with greater quality, more freedom of
meal choice, and more flexibility for not only the elderly citizens receiving the meals, but
also the chefs and other employees responsible for cooking and delivering them.

How did they create such a superior service? One of the most notable actions Hatch and
Bloom took was the decision to interview and prototype with both consumers and chefs.
They found the things that meal recipients were desiring was similar to what the chefs
requested as well—a more dignified service with a greater variety of food options.

By listening to their concerns, hearing their pain points, and testing out new options, Hatch
and Bloom found ways to keep both their customers and employees happy and healthy.
Airbnb

It’s hard to believe that the ever-successful start-up Airbnb was once making less than $200
per week. What grew their revenue and transformed Airbnb into a billion dollar business?
Lots of experimentation, risk, and thinking outside of the norm.

Joe Gebbia and Paul Graham, co-founders of Airbnb, remember going over numerous charts,
graphs, and codes with their design team trying to find some clue as to why their growth was
nearly zero.

It wasn’t until Gebbia began moving through the app like a user that he realized why no one
was wanting to book a stay—the pictures looked terrible! Without any data to back their next
decision, Graham and Gebbia decided to rent a camera, travel to New York and spend some
time with their customers to replace the amateur photos with more professional-looking ones.

A week later, their revenue nearly doubled. By taking a risk on a non-scalable solution,
Graham and Gebbia witnessed their dwindling start-up transform into a thriving enterprise
that revolutionized the travel industry.
UberEats

The design team at UberEats is constantly accessing design thinking principles to fuse
modern, state-of-art technology with the antiquated and fundamental act of enjoying a
meal. And it’s safe to say that they’ve had a pretty successful project.

One thing that really stands out about the UberEats design team is their adherence to the
design thinking process. They seek to empathize with their user’s experience so much that
they’ve implemented The Walkabout Program—a quarterly event where UberEats designers
are sent to a city to learn about it’s transportation infrastructure, delivery and restaurant
industry, and it’s overall food culture.

In addition to this immersive design technique, UberEats designers iterate quickly and
innovate constantly. They participate in rapid field testing, where designers are interviewing
and prototyping with the people who will be using the product the most: restaurant workers,
delivery drivers, and the meal recipients.

The UberEats team also holds innovation workshops where team members from many
disciplines gather to brainstorm possible improvements. These same designers also attend
numerous out-of-office conferences, meetups, and talks related to the restaurant industry,
cuisine trends, and food technology.