Why Design Thinking Workshops Don't Work
What is sold as Design Thinking often has little to do with the actual methodologies. Here’s what to look out for, to do it right.
What is sold as Design Thinking often has little to do with the actual methodologies. Here’s what to look out for, to do it right.
When I was at art school the critique was central to the ethos. Every couple of weeks I would have to pin my work up on the wall and defend it from the criticism of fellow students and professors. It was always stressful but as long as I hadn't made the mistake of staying up all the previous night trying to get the work finished I normally performed OK.
Many business leaders fear criticism. They’ve heard that openly critiquing ideas and work product can stunt creativity, but nothing could be further from the truth. It turns out that criticism and debate – when delivered appropriately – can drive creative innovation and encourage team members to perform optimally.
Because people can quickly understand the power (or promise) of Design Thinking, companies, consultants, and universities have latched on to the methodology and quickly accelerated it to the top of the hype curve. This has created a lot of problems for both expert Design Thinking practitioners and for the methodology itself.
Maggie Gram takes a critical look at Design Thinking, it's history and a project by IDEO in Gainesville Florida. This is a well balanced article that demonstrates how the process, not iterated far enough does not come up with a life changing solution.
As I found out from my research, there is an awful amount of “noise and hype” to work through to find the past, present and future positions of design thinking. In summary, I think design thinking is undergoing a revolution, a certain maturing but it is littered with a very messy, highly competitive present.