Friday, June 14, 2019

Word of the Day: design thinking

Word of the Day WhatIs.com
Daily updates on the latest technology terms | June 14, 2019
design thinking

Design thinking is an iterative approach to problem solving that intentionally seeks out people with different perspectives, knowledge, skills and experience and has them work together to create a practical solution for a real-world problem.

Design thinking uses a process-based approach to solve problems and like any process, it involves a series of steps that are carried out in a particular order to achieve a goal. In this case, the goal is to identify a solution that is capable of succeeding, can be carried out in a timely manner and is likely to be accepted by all stakeholders.

The five steps in design thinking are empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test.

Empathize - This step involves interviewing stakeholders and asking open-ended questions. The goal is to learn more about the problem from multiple perspectives.

 

Define - This step involves synthesizing all the information that was gathered during the previous step and arriving at a group consensus that states what problem needs to be solved. The goal is to identify the scope and true nature of the problem.

 

Ideate - This step involves sharing ideas - however wild and impractical -- and using each other's ideas as triggers for continuing the ideation process. The goal is to brainstorm solutions to the problem.

 

Prototype - This step involves creating a mock-up that conveys the essence of a proposed solution. An important goal of this step is to help the design team weed out unworkable or impractical solutions and focus attention on ideas that are likely to be approved by stakeholders.

 

Test -This step involves presenting the prototype to stakeholders. The goal is to solicit feedback that will let the design team know if they have successfully solved the problem or whether they need to go back to the drawing board and repeat steps.

The concepts that form the foundation of design thinking are drawn from many branches of knowledge including engineering, computer science, the arts, social sciences and business. Depending upon the implementation, the steps may be called by different names, combined in different ways or carried out in different orders.

Regardless of the specific implementation, however, the principles of design thinking remain the same: gather information by talking to the stakeholders, brainstorm ideas, create a prototype and test it. Make sure that both creative and analytical ideas are perceived as having value and understand that failure is OK as long as it moves the team closer to a real solution.

Quote of the Day

 
"A good design thinking process demands that the designers and developers come together at the same table, and it recognizes that developing empathy among team members can ease that process." - Jennifer Lent

Learning Center

 

Google Empathy Lab uses 'design feeling' in search of a more human UI
What is design feeling? At the recent Wisdom 2.0 event in San Francisco, Google Empathy Lab's Danielle Krettek touted it as the way to infuse empathy into our interfaces. But will empathetic UIs make us happier?

Why SAP Leonardo depends on design thinking methodology
SAP Leonardo is more than the sum of its technologies. The key to it is the design thinking methodology, according to SAP's Mike Flannagan.

How trying a design thinking process can mean better Agile
A design thinking process is not about design, but rather a way to get developers to better understand their customers. Expert Jennifer Lent explains.

Design thinking ensures a better mobile user experience
The mobile user experience is crucial to successful application design, but is often at odds with enterprise mobility. Find out how design thinking can help.

How does design thinking with SAP help Fiori development?
Gavin Quinn explains why design thinking method with SAP apps is vital for SAP Fiori developers to create great user experiences that have empathy for the user at the center. Learn why it's the design approach you should take if you develop SAP apps.

Quiz Yourself

 
Taiichi Ohno studied supermarket operation for _______ before developing Toyota's rules for lean production.
a. awhile
b. a while

Answer

Stay in Touch

 
For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com

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