Design Thinking Fundamentals: Innovation and Creativity

What is Innovation?

• Innovation refers to the creation of new ideas that result in the development of new or improved products, processes, or services which are then spread or transferred across markets.
• It is the ability to generate and execute new ideas, which starts with creativity.

Creativity vs. Innovation

• Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something, and it's difficult to measure.
• Innovation is the introduction of new or improved goods, services, processes, etc., and it can be easily measured.
• Innovation follows creativity.

Design Thinking Approach

• Design thinking is a user-centered approach to problem-solving that combines both creative and analytical thinking.
• It's a problem-solving approach that is user-centric, creative, and analytical.
• Design thinking is not just about aesthetics, but also about how it works.

What Design Thinking is Not

• Design thinking is not merely aesthetics, but also about problem-solving.
• It's not a linear and rigid process, but a multidisciplinary and intentional approach.
• It's not just about a quick fix, but about building empathy and encouraging collaboration.

Design Thinking in Action

• Example: LGU vs COVID PH, a platform that serves as an accessible repository of information, innovations, inspirations, and best practices by local government units (LGUs) in their fight against COVID-19.
• Example: Digital Farmers Program, a ladderized training program designed to create future-ready farmers by teaching them digital skills and smart agriculture.

Why Design Thinking Works

• It has a user-centric focus, which reduces risk and encourages collaboration.
• It builds creative confidence and addresses biases and behavior.
• It encourages rapid prototyping and adapts across industries.

Use of Design Thinking in Startups

• It can be used in product development, market testing, service innovation, business model design, customer experience, and user research.

Mindsets and Methodology

• The mindsets of design thinking include putting people first, thinking visually, radical collaboration, and embracing ambiguity.
• The methodology of design thinking is a non-linear, wayfinding tool that guides the design process.

Design Challenge

• A design challenge may be a "How might we" question that encourages creative solutions to a problem.

Empathize

• The first step of the design thinking process is to empathize with the users, which involves putting oneself in the shoes of others.
• The goal of this step is to gain a deep understanding of the users' needs, experiences, and challenges.
• Tools used in this step include customer personas, journey maps, and open-ended questions.

Define

• The second step of the design thinking process is to define the problem, which involves synthesizing observations and insights to articulate a clear and actionable problem statement.
• Tools used in this step include How Might We questions.
• Good HMWs are broad, yet specific, and take into account different directions.

Ideate

• The third step of the design thinking process is to ideate, which involves generating a wide range of creative ideas to address the defined problem.
• The goal of this step is to value quantity over quality and generate as many ideas as possible.### Ideate
• Note and Vote is a democratic and structured method used in the Ideate phase to encourage individual ideation followed by collective decision-making.
• Participants take time to note down their ideas independently, followed by silent voting to prioritize ideas.

Prototype

• The goal of the Prototype phase is to turn selected ideas from the Ideate phase into tangible forms.
• The mindset in this phase is to "build to think".
• Prototypes will evolve over time as ideas evolve.
• Types of prototypes include:
  • Digital Prototypes (e.g., wireframes, interactive models) for digital products/services
  • Physical Models (e.g., 3D printing, clay modeling) for physical products
  • Role Playing or Service Blueprinting for service experiences
  • Flowcharts or Storyboards for systems or processes
  • Interactive Prototypes (e.g., InVision, Figma) for software interfaces
  • Business Model Canvas for business models
  • Mockups or Storyboards for marketing campaigns

Test

• The goal of the Test phase is to evaluate the effectiveness of the prototypes and gather feedback.
• This phase involves testing prototypes with real users to assess their response and gather insights for further refinement.
• Testing is used to evaluate assumptions made during the design process.
• Types of testing include:
  • Usability Testing to evaluate user experience and ease of learning
  • A/B Testing to compare two versions of a product or feature
  • Think Aloud Testing to understand user thought processes
  • Focus Groups to gather diverse feedback on a product or concept

Design Thinking

• Design Thinking is a people-first approach to problem-solving.
• A Design Thinker is someone who has the capability to see opportunities behind problems.