Framing Design in Business A new model of the design process provides an interesting perspective to look at design in business. Firstly, design happens on three levels: strategic, tactical, and operational: Then it gets interesting when those three levels intersect with each other: The six areas derived from the intersections ask different questions regarding design’s…
Tag: design thinking
The Myth of Co-Designing
Co-design is not about democracy among users, stakeholders, and designers. Co-design is, in essence, about creating synergy among them. Creating synergy takes time. Personality, communication style, and motivation can easily drag people out of sync in co-design activities. It’s designers’ responsibility to keep everyone in sync. When there’s not enough time to nurture the level…
Debunking The Myth of Design (Thinking) Process
“The correct regulative principle for anything depends on the nature of that thing.” —John Rawls Design Process is Not a Process The biggest misconception about design process is perhaps that we interpret it too literally. Design process is not a “process” per se. The act of designing doesn’t have a universal “process”. It’s highly coupled…
Designerly Quote of the Day #20180808
“Real designers surround themselves with evidence. You really gotta have the evidence and you really gotta have crit[icism] in order to make the world better.” — Natasha Jen, Design Thinking is Bullsh*t
Designerly Thought of the Day #20180606
Design thinking takes the buzz, design doing takes time. Thinking is free. Doing is priceless.
The Chasm to Divergent Thinking
Everyone understands it. No one would likely to disagree with it. Yet the practice of it is not as common as we’d wish it could be. The Subtle Reality of Divergent Thinking The subtle reality is that it’s sometimes hard NOT to skip the divergent thinking phase when we’re under circumstantial pressure. Zooming out is…
The Chain of Clarification and the Wall of Clarity
‘What do you mean by that?’ Scott Berkun’s post, The Best Definition of Innovation, points out a very important issue about how we solve business problems: The best thing is ask anyone who uses the word innovation is: What do you mean when you say that? Even in what he regards as the best definition…
What Design Thinking Is NOT
The polymorphic nature of the concept makes it easier to understand what it’s not than to see what exactly it is.
Book Review: Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work
Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work by Nigel Cross The Bottom Line Written by one of the leading figures in design research, the book is supposed to “help anyone interested in design to develop their understanding of how designers think and work.” And it’s only 150 pages. Official Summary Design thinking is the core creative process for any designer; this…
Book Preview: Strategic Design Thinking
Strategic Design Thinking: Innovation in Products, Services, Experiences and Beyond by Natalie W. Nixon The Bottom Line Perspectives matter a lot. If you think you know what design thinking is about, read it and think again. Official Summary Who can design? For too long, that question has highlighted the supposed division between right-brain dominant “creative types” and left-brain dominant “analytical types.” Such a division…
Book Review: Design Thinking
Design Thinking: Integrating Innovation, Customer Experience, and Brand Value by Thomas Lockwood The Bottom Line Since design thinking is so many things that experts and practioners can’t even agree with each other on a definition, at least you get to know what Design Thinking is likely NOT. And that’s extremely beneficial. Official Summary Design Thinking confirms that design, as a process and as…
Book Review: Frame Innovation
Frame Innovation: Create New Thinking by Design By Kees Dorst Amazon | MIT Press | GoodReads Overview: When organizations apply old methods of problem-solving to new kinds of problems, they may accomplish only temporary fixes or some ineffectual tinkering around the edges. Today’s problems are a new breed-open, complex, dynamic, and networked-and require a radically different response. In…
Book Preview: The Design Way
The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World by Harold G. Nelson, Erik Stolterman Amazon | MIT Press The book turns out to be one of the best books on design I’ve ever read. It’s not a “designer” book – the authors don’t teach you how to design. Instead, the authors discuss the concept of…
