One of the most common misconceptions about prototyping is that you do it after you’ve determined your product or service. But this assumption goes against the true value of prototyping itself!
Prototyping should be a core part of your entire project’s life cycle, allowing you to test opportunities earlier on and gain confidence that the project is headed in the right direction.
Jeff Chapin discusses his work in Cambodia designing latrine and hand washing solutions for rural areas. He talks about how the Design Thinking process helped him come to solutions that delivered customer insights that helped them to arrive at solutions that met the customers actual needs.
For the millions of Ghanaians without in-home toilets, there are few good options when it comes to our bodies' most basic functions. Working with Unilever and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), IDEO.org developed Clean Team, a comprehensive sanitation system that delivers and maintains toilets in the homes of subscribers.
Being part of an ever-connected society, many people in the Global North can barely fathom that still more than 1.5 billion people live off the grid. Instead of simply plugging in, they use kerosene lanterns that only illuminate spots in their home, walk miles to charge their mobile phones, or run a diesel generator to power their business.
Open Design Africa operates as a Social Impact company working on problems in small communities in Cape town using design thinking to understand the real issues that need to be addressed. An interesting podcast with Suné Stassen, leader of the group. Her insights working with Design Thinking in disadvantaged communities are insightful.