.svg)
“Good design is good business”
Have you ever heard this word?
In modern society, where the environment is changing rapidly and it is difficult to predict even the slightest future, user needs are becoming more complex. There are an increasing number of latent needs that users themselves are not aware of, but unless we capture these needs, we will not be able to expect future products and services to become hits. In response to this, we are entering an era in which companies and organizations are required to change.
This is why "design thinking" has started to attract attention. Active use of IT technology such as DX promotion is recommended, and in 2018, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Patent Office jointly issued the "Design Management" Declaration, making design thinking an inevitable path in management.
This time, we will explain design thinking so that you can deepen your understanding of it by covering basic information, how it compares to other forms of thinking, the effects of incorporating it, and examples of companies that have actually adopted it.
In the past, I have written a blog about business design ( Toward an era of business design ~ Design is not just about drawing! ), so please take a look at that as well. Please watch till the end!
Design thinking is a way of thinking to solve business problems by utilizing designers' thinking and design methods to discover user needs, solve problems, and take on innovation . Large companies such as GAFA are also incorporating it into their business strategies, and it is attracting attention worldwide.
The concept of "design thinking" began in 1969 when cognitive scientist and Nobel Prize winner Herbert A. Simon referred to design as a "method of thinking" in his book, and in 1987 when Peter Lowe In his book, he touched on concepts related to current design thinking.
David Kelley, co-founder of the world-famous design consulting firm IDEO, applied design thinking concepts and methods to business. He said that design thinking can create solutions and address difficult human challenges through design.
All actions to bring about innovation, from planning to execution, are part of design thinking. Let's take a look at the background behind why design thinking was born and became popular in the next chapter.
Design thinking began to attract attention with the spread of the Internet after the Third Industrial Revolution, and with the development of technology, the idea became popular from the late 1990s to 2000.
In the past, if you made something and advertised it, it would sell in large quantities, and many different things were being developed one after another, but those days are coming to an end. In addition, with the spread of smartphones, design such as UI design and UX design has established its position, and companies and users have become directly connected through products.
In addition, the world's needs have shifted from "things" to "experiences," and selling products and services is no longer an easy task. Companies have had to think of new methods instead of traditional strategies.
Against this background, in order to satisfy not only market value but also high customer satisfaction, it became necessary for each and every person to think in a user-centered manner, which led to the spread of design thinking .
Furthermore, with the establishment of Stanford University's d.school (Design School), design thinking rapidly spread. At this institute, you can learn design thinking and learn to base your problem-solving process on design principles and create innovation. Many famous educational institutions in Japan have modeled this approach, and it has had a major impact on the business world.
In design thinking, we follow five processes based on the following three points. This process does not just go through each phase from beginning to end; if you find that your ideas are not conceptualized sufficiently, you can go back to the relevant phase and reconsider it, refining your ideas and definitions to further refine the content. You can expect it to improve .
・User perspective
Design thinking, which aims to meet user needs, requires an understanding of human-centered design and user experience. We put ourselves in the user's position and come up with ideas by understanding even invisible and essential issues.
・Nonlinear process
Since we iterate through each phase of testing from empathy, we do not follow the steps in a sequential order, but rather repeat and make adjustments over and over again within limited cost and time.
・Co-creation
By having members with different values and backgrounds share ideas with each other, we can expect the birth of original ideas. This variety of ideas is an important point as a trigger for the birth of innovation.
Empathize
First, we conduct surveys and interviews to understand the needs of users and stakeholders. We understand the concerns and needs from the user's perspective based on information obtained through actual feedback and observations collected from users.
▼
Define
Analyze the data collected through empathy, and use the results to specifically define user concerns and issues. It is important not to define a product based solely on the feedback gathered from actual users, but also to understand the latent needs that emerge from the feedback. Also, focus on which problem to solve at this stage.
▼
Conceptualization (Ideate)
Come up with ideas to solve the defined contents. We have a wide perspective and come up with many creative ideas from various fields. This allows you to consider approaches to solutions from a variety of perspectives.
▼
Prototyping
Based on the idea, we turn it into an actual prototype and verify whether the idea satisfies the user's needs. In this process, you can discover new issues and perspectives by giving shape to your ideas.
▼
Test
Test your prototype with real users and stakeholders, gather feedback, and improve based on that feedback. Testing is a very important step to hear from real users.
Design thinking can be made more effective by using an appropriate framework in the process. Here we introduce frameworks that are compatible with design thinking.
・Empathy map
It is a tool used to analyze and organize the user's thoughts, feelings, actions, and environment to understand the user's perspective. Utilize empathy maps to understand and gain insight into user needs and issues.
・Journey map
First, you set up a persona and visualize the user's step-by-step journey from daily life to using your product or service. Journey maps visualize user touchpoints, emotions, thoughts, and actions for each phase, making it easier to discover issues and areas for improvement, and helping to generate ideas.
・Business model campus
It is a framework that visualizes the business in order to understand the entire business, allowing you to identify business advantages, areas for improvement, costs, profits, etc. from all angles. Visualization allows you to clearly communicate the overall picture to your team, investors, and customers, making the information more persuasive.
・SWOT analysis
This is a method of analyzing the internal and external environments in order to evaluate the business situation by organizing them into four categories: Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat. It helps you understand the current state of your business and plan your business strategy.
・Business environment map
When formulating business and marketing strategies, we visualize and understand the businesses in which products and services are located from the perspectives of market trends, competitors, important trends, macroeconomics, etc. This allows you to develop a comprehensive strategy.
So far, we have explained design thinking in business. There are several other thinking methods besides design thinking, and here we will introduce three other thinking methods that are often compared.
・Art thinking
It is an approach that brings creative thinking into the business realm through artist-like sensibilities and original ideas, and pursues problem-solving without being bound by preconceived notions. It is suitable for completely new innovations that do not exist. In design thinking, the process revolves around how others feel , but in art thinking, it is all about one's own sensibilities and an artistic approach .
・Logical thinking
It is an approach that focuses on objective facts and issues, solves problems in a rational manner, and draws logical conclusions. We aim to solve complex issues by analyzing them one by one, organizing them, and resolving them using logical steps to avoid contradictions . Rather than information obtained from the user's perspective as in design thinking, in logical thinking the process proceeds based on objective data, premises, grounds, facts, evidence, information, etc.
・Critical thinking
It is a way of thinking that is based on logical thinking and further pursues the validity of information and solutions. We deeply examine the basis and consistency of data, evidence, information, and solutions based on logical thinking with critical opinions such as "Is it really good?" and "Maybe there's another cause in the first place". It is a way of thinking that expands knowledge that cannot be obtained through logical thinking alone. Design thinking involves digging deeper into needs based on opinions obtained from the user's perspective, but critical thinking is about objectively pursuing validity, such as whether a problem is really correct or contradictory.
We will explain the advantages and disadvantages based on the outline, points, and process of design thinking.
・Becoming strong in diversity
Design thinking emphasizes looking at things from multiple perspectives and coming up with ideas, so you can train the imagination of each team member. Also, by thinking about things from the standpoint of various people, you will gain the ability to respond to diversification, and it will be easier to respond to user-centered thinking .
・Enhance creativity
Because design thinking aims to create innovation, the process can strengthen your creativity to come up with new ideas and novel solutions . New innovations also increase the likelihood of seizing business opportunities.
・Improve teamwork skills
By exchanging opinions, you can improve your teamwork skills. By having opportunities to express diverse opinions over and over again, we can strengthen mutual trust and strengthen our strength as an organization. Design thinking may move back and forth between phases many times during the process, but it can quickly respond to such irregular flows.
・Lack of logical basis
Design thinking places the highest importance on the feedback received from users. Therefore, it may lack a logical basis. Care must be taken to balance the user perspective and the logical perspective so as not to overlook the market value aspect .
・Risks associated with starting something new
Creative ideas may be successful, but because they are undeveloped fields, they also carry the risk of failure. In the case of completely new development, there is a high risk and is said to be unsuitable because there is no data such as past user feedback.
This time, we will introduce two successful examples of companies that have adopted design thinking. In addition to this company, many other famous companies such as Sony and Nintendo have published examples of how they have adopted design thinking.
・Apple
Originally, Apple was in a financial crisis due to competition from competitors. However, we put a lot of effort into user behavior analysis, assigned an in-house designer, and began to thoroughly pursue design and functionality. Despite similar products being released by other companies, the iPod's portability, long battery life, easy-to-use user interface, and convenience of carrying it around made it a huge hit. The development of this iPod included external design experts and psychologists. It is said that the iPod was prototyped over 100 times. After that, the iPhone became Apple's biggest hit product in history, and remains so to this day. Apple is also known for its strong focus on user interface.
・IBM
IBM had an in-house design department in the late 1950s. There was a time when we found ourselves in a business crisis because we couldn't find a balance between design and service, but we used design thinking to improve our products, services, and work styles. When we then examined the potential return on investment that design thinking can provide, we were able to achieve significant savings in terms of money and time, regardless of the size of the project.
Design thinking involves understanding user needs and bringing together the creativity of each team member to create a product. Because design thinking is a user-centered approach and focuses on customer satisfaction, it is effective for improving existing products and services, and is increasingly being adopted by companies and organizations.
JIITAK not only undertakes new projects, but also renews existing services. We provide comprehensive support from discovering essential issues and user needs, to idea generation, to development and operation. If you have any concerns or concerns, Contact JIITAK!
.svg)
