Brent Aguilar
Professor Robert Tillett
Writing Seminar
Research Essay
5-15-15
Design Thinking: Humanity in Mind
The concept of “design thinking” has made leaps and bounds to provide innovative solutions to
common issues. Landing at the forefront of many individuals’ minds it is the next big revolution
for how to problem solve. Although design thinking is a new concept, it is a process that artists
and creatives have perfected over many years. As a working artist, I use my own form of design
thinking, utilizing methods (i.e. research, brainstorming, and prototyping), during my work
process. Design, as a medium of thought, is not solely about aesthetics; instead, design thinking
engages creativity to create practical solutions to a problem. The success of design thinking is
unknown. In other words, there is not much data to compare one type of thinking against
another. However, to supplement the lack of comparability across dimensions, there remain
functional examples of how design thinking currently changes how the world operates for the
better. Design thinking has been implemented in many industries with demonstrated gains for
those willing to invest in such a new concept. Areas such as healthcare, product design, and
safety have seen impressive results through utilizing design thinking.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect about design thinking is the fluidity of its application. Some
may only consider the process a four step system, others may segment design thinking into
seven distinct pillars of the design thinking system. Typically, design thinking is viewed as a
universal system applicable to a wide variety of issues. However, of particular interest is the way
in which 'the process' is adapted and altered to the issue at hand. In other words, design
thinking varies from other contemporary methods in that one size does not fit all. Rather, design
thinking processes change and are applied specifically to the issue at hand. To simplify the
concept of design thinking, four groups or steps in the process will be discussed: define the
problem, create and consider many options (research), refine selected directions (prototype),
pick the winner to execute (test) (“Fast Company”). The aforementioned series of steps comes
from Fast Company an online web group provides a shorter series of steps as compared to a
book such as “Design Thinking” by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris “The design process can be
said to comprise seven stages: define, research, ideate, prototype, select, implement and learn.
Each of these requires design thinking.”( Ambrose, Gavin, and Paul Harris) As previously
mentioned, design thinking is fluid and should be applied to each respective event or problem
accordingly.
In order to generate innovative plans, the problem must be defined - not by stating ambiguities
(i.e. “it is difficult to sleep in an uncomfortable bed”) - but rather the problem should be defined
in the context of what needs to be solved. For instance, “to create a surface that provides
comfort leading to a more rewarding sleeping experience” refers to the previous ambiguous
issue regarding the issues to be resolved and what the ideal outcome is. In the later example,
the concept of “bed” has been removed. While marginal, the change signifies an important shift
in thought, removing the defined problem from the context of what is an established medium, or
form, of how to sleep. Subsequently, ideas generated in the context of a “bed” will struggle to be
innovative. As “bed” is the identity of an outdated concept, one should refrain from using the
qualities and descriptors of previous solutions and ideate creative solutions. Questions related
to the problem should be relentless; thus, to solve the problem, the issue must be fully
identified.
Research follows identifying the problem, generating ideas in rapid succession, a process
described as “brainstorming”. Artists would attest to the importance of this step amid their
personal design process. During this part of the system all ideas are invaluable, and thus should
be not be abandoned. Research may also include an investigation into the target market or how
to implement the concept. When creating a piece of work for a client for example, if the target
market is commonly 50 year old suburban housewives, the concept behind the final composition
will most likely not include aesthetics associated with Goth culture. Design thinking promotes an
investigation into those who the defined problem is to be solved for. Fast Company goes further
to describe the need for collaboration in this step by saying “better answers happen when 5
people work on a problem for one day, than one person for five days.” Design thinking is very
much so a group effort, as will be presented further.
Prototyping is perhaps the most defining step in the design thinking process, in context, it is
where many companies are seemingly investing the least amount of time, a costly mistake. For
an illustrator such as myself, this would be considered “sketching”. By working out the concept
of what is going to be implemented very thoroughly, before going to finish, a large number of
issues will be spotted and more manageable to adjust. Artists alike at this point do not dive into
one answer, instead focusing on a wide variety of possibilities to solve the problem, a
characterization of design thinking. For artists, many sketches are proposed to the client, fully
developed compositions and layouts to provide what will ultimately solve the defined problem.
Where many businesses invest important capital to take their best item to market immediately,
instead they should be prototyping and improving the original idea they are so passionate about.
This step may even lead to the combination of two or more concepts, a creation that would have
been overlooked if only one idea moved through the prototyping stage. In many cases this
procedure will provide plenty of usable testable subjects. A business may even notice the
projected cost of their original choice to be too much to justify taking it to market, or it does not
function as it should. It is important to realize money overall will be saved by sacrificing minimal
time in prototyping, as compared to millions in the next step. Short-term pain, long-term gain as
the saying goes.
The final step of design thinking is the “test”, in order to see what prototypes work the best as a
solution to the identified problem it has to be taken to a small group of individuals such as a test
group. By having feedback at this stage, before an item goes to market, prototypes can be
altered if need be. For artists, this step is when they deliver the piece to the client, this person
will decide at which point that they are completely satisfied with the work or that they would like
a few adjustments to the artist’s “prototype” of a piece. The green light means that the process
has worked and provided an item that fully accomplishes what the client had hoped for to solve
the problem.
During a TED Talk discussion by Tim Brown, a well-known online seminar forum, discussed
how design has changed and how it is changing again. The presentation “Designers – Think
Big!” discusses how Brown, a working designer, has seen shifts in design trends recently and
how it can affect solutions to everyday issues. Technology and design are constantly moving
forward. In the past 50 years, Brown states that “design got small” meaning that there was a
main focus on aesthetics and the stationary object. In the past ten years though, Brown has
seen a shift towards design thinking, that “design is getting big” again. Design thinking focuses
more on the human experience as compared to the aesthetics of an individual piece.
Brown states there is a shift away from aesthetics for the sake of aesthetics moving towards
design thinking to amend current issues. Instead of using design for aesthetics, which will
inevitably be phased out, utilizing design thinking leads to a lasting impact. Design is moving
towards a focus on humanity concentrated around an understanding of culture and context in
order to achieve the greatest good. Brown presents the following dilemma, how are individuals
to use hearing aids in India where there are no technicians to support the hearing impaired? To
address the issue, a digital hearing program routed through a PDA was created (test), focusing
more on the human experience and less on the lack of technology available. Brown then
mentions “instead of thinking to build, build to think.” The aforementioned concept indicates that
the greater the ability to put more ideas out into the world, the greater amount of feedback that
can be gained - a direct relation to the aforementioned importance of prototyping.
Brown adopts the idea of design thinking and offers it with the footnote statement “design is too
important to be left to designers” meaning that, while designers have provided a set of steps
supported by many years of practice, they are not able to implement such ideas without
collaboration and acceptance of design thinking. Designers and I myself have limited
experience regarding issues in a myriad disciplines. Healthcare, small and large businesses,
and governmental agencies are organizations that may be able to utilize design thinking; rather
the aforementioned industry participants have to take the concept of design thinking into their
own hands to improve current issues plaguing their systems (Brown). As design thinking is a
process defined by a few steps, ‘the system’ must be able to fulfill a wide variety of needs, a
strength of design thinking. Brown is an excellent resource as to how design is changing and
how it is furthering to define issues, research, “building to think”, and achieve results that keep
the human experience in mind.
Design thinking is being employed through examples by Paola Antonelli, a guest on the
Stephen Colbert Show, a senior curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). What Antonelli
discusses is how applied design is being utilized in today’s world, focusing less on the
aesthetics of design and more in the “human interface.” Design will be a focus on “being in the
moment”. Colbert at this point even suggests the concept of Google Glass, to which Antonelli
states going “and beyond”. Antonelli means that the concept of theoretical design is the time we
are moving towards, that having an IPad in front of us will be dated soon enough, all items will
disappear in favor of not touching or holding but rather experiencing. Presenting some of the
examples of the exhibit in the MOMA brings focus to prototyping as an important aspect of
design. But whereas before was discussed the concept of prototyping designed by humans, this
situation provided the example of prototyping of a vase provided by honey bees. This type of
“slow prototyping” included 40,000 bees, a scaffolding of the vase shape and a small amount of
honey to attract the bees (Anontelli). Another example Antonelli presents is a modern design
based off of wind powered toys. The concept being, that in order to remove landmines, which
costs about 10,000 dollars each to extract safely, this design would instead roll across
minefields detonating the explosive. This fairly inexpensive design would be blown sky high and
continue rolling afterwards, it would save not only lives but also hundreds of thousands of
dollars (Anontelli). A third example of design thinking applied to real world situations is a lowcost table to be used by school children in earthquake prone areas. The table comes with shock
absorbers allowing it to handle the weight of the ceiling should the ceiling fall in, saving the lives
of countless children (Anontelli).
All three examples illustrate how design thinking has been utilized with the human experience in
mind, the latter two in particular provide much safer alternatives to the issues they solve.
Applications such as these further the idea that design thinking is alive and well in modern
times. The focus on human centered design continues to be a note that plays between the
many examples of how design thinking is changing the world while being firmly rooted in
furthering the lives of humanity.
Design thinking is constantly moving towards tomorrow, it is here today and it will be even
stronger than it was yesterday. The process can be described in 4 easy to follow steps, define
the problem, research, prototype and test, and are transferrable across issues. Not many other
processes of thinking can help provide hearing to individuals in India, safely remove landmines
from fields, or save the lives of children in earthquake ridden areas. Design thinking is improving
the human experience through innovative ways of thinking. Although the concept of design
thinking may not have many statistics to prove its success, it is obviously doing something right
and will continue on that path.
Citations:
[1] "Design Thinking... What Is That?" Fast Company. 20 Mar. 2006. Web. 5 May 2015.
<http://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what>.
[2] "Paola Antonelli Talking to Stephen Colbert." Swissmiss RSS. 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 5 May
2015. <http://www.swiss-miss.com/2013/02/paola-antonelli-talking-to-stephen-colbert.html>.
[3] Ambrose, Gavin, and Paul Harris. “Introduction.” Design Th!nking. Vol. 08. Lausanne :AVA
Academia;, 2010.10-11
[4] "Designers -- Think Big!" Tim Brown:. 1 July 2009. Web. 4 May 2015.
<http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_urges_designers_to_think_big?language=en#t-795550>.