Real World

Design Thinking
Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

By Eric Moore

Includes methods:
Rose, Thorn,
Bud & Affinity
Clusters

THE
DESIGN Handcrafted by Eric Moore
THINKER © thedesignthinker.org © The Design Thinker, LLC.
Real World Design Thinking Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

Hello, design thinker!

The methods inside the ‘Real World Design Thinking’ book come from years
of research and experience from artists, engineers, and doctors. You now
have the same tools as some of the world’s greatest thinkers.
I am excited about your new journey into Design Thinking. The world of
possibilities opens wide when you have a positive attitude and
approach—design thinking can bring you there.
Starting today, I am confident the methods Rose, Thorn, Bud, and Affinity
Clusters will enable new problem-solving skills for you.
I can’t wait to hear about your experiences with these methods. Share your
examples with pictures and stories using #designthinking4us.

THE
DESIGN Handcrafted by Eric Moore
THINKER © thedesignthinker.org © The Design Thinker, LLC.
 Real World Design Thinking Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

Rose, Thorn, Bud

A useful technique for categorizing observations as positive,
challenging, or having potential.

Getting Started:
• Pick a topic or issue for consideration.
• Bring together your team or stakeholders.
• Give each participant a Sharpie and three colored sticky note pads.
(Or use your preferred whiteboard app)
• Ensure everyone understands the topic or issue.
• Instruct everyone the color uses and meaning.
• Begin the observation exercise focusing only on the positives.
• Instruct everyone to generate as many observations in five minutes.
• Begin the next observation exercise focusing only on the challenges.
• Instruct everyone to generate as many observations in five minutes.
• Begin the last observation exercise focusing only on the opportunities.
• Instruct everyone to generate as many observations in five minutes.
• Provide five to ten minutes for each participant to review all the observations.
• Finally, spend up to 30 minutes discussing each observation allowing the participants to
ask clarifying questions.

Rose (pink) notes represent positive observations. You can use phrasing
like “what’s working” or “what’s going well”.
© The Design Thinker, LLC.
Handcrafted by Eric Moore

Thorn (blue) notes represent observations of challenges. You can use

phrasing like “what’s not working” or “reduced function”.

Bud (green) notes represent observations of opportunities. You can use

phrasing like “I see potential” or “revisiting an old idea”.
Real World Design Thinking Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

Rose, Thorn, Bud Examples:

Virtual-based

Paper-based

THE
DESIGN Handcrafted by Eric Moore Eric Moore
THINKER © © The Design Thinker, LLC. @alwaysericmoore
 Real World Design Thinking Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

Clusters
Clusters is a visual technique for sorting your
observations according to their similarities.

Getting Started:
• Have your Roses, Thorns, and Buds (RTB) ready.
• Bring together your team or stakeholders.
• Request one person to describe each RTB observation note.
• As a group, determine the category the observation note belongs to.
For example, with brand touch points it could be email, website, or newsletter.
• Request two people move the observation notes to their appropriate grouping.
• Repeat the process until all items are placed in their category.
• Spend 15 minutes discussing and rearranging the notes as necessary.
• Request one person to draw a large circle including an appropriate label.

Helpful Hints:
• Don’t label the clusters too early as they may shift and take different form.
• Look for opportunities to create sub-groupings that spin-off from larger groups.
• Don’t cluster similar colors just for the sake of colors. Focus on the categories.

HUMAN SOCI
AL
RE
ME
SO

DIA
URC
© The Design Thinker, LLC.
Handcrafted by Eric Moore

ES
Real World Design Thinking Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

Clusters Examples:

Clusters take time

to form so don’t
rush them.

Clusters forming
around technology
and people and
business.

THE
DESIGN Handcrafted by Eric Moore
THINKER © thedesignthinker.org © The Design Thinker, LLC.
Real World Design Thinking Human-centered methods to solve real world problems.

Additional Resources
The Design of Business by Roger Martin
The Designful Company by Marty Neumeier
Change by Design by Tim Brown
Creative Engineering by John E. Arnold
How Indra Nooyi Turned Design Thinking into Strategy HBR Article

Want more?
hello@thedesignthinker.org

THE
DESIGN
THINKER ©