Page 29 - Transforming an Idea Into a Business with Design Thinking

8 ◾ Transforming an Idea Into a Business with Design Thinking

1.4.5 Collaboration with Diverse Perspectives

Design Thinking is based on the power of diverse perspectives. Getting
such input means bringing key stakeholders from different lines of busi-
nesses, expertise, experience levels and backgrounds together in one room
and facilitating an environment where judgments are deferred and as many
ideas as possible are considered. This again highlights the importance of
diversity of ideas for ideation before using convergent thinking to select the
best ideas for possible solutions.

In addition, the diverse stakeholders are also brought to the same page in
terms of understanding of the key stakeholders relevant for the business and
the user’s needs.

1.4.6 Build Prototype

Another key aspect of Design Thinking is its bias toward action. Instead
of talking about the concept to death, building a prototype is required. A
prototype could be as simple as a sketch on a piece of paper or as complex
as a mock-up using design tools on a computer. The whole idea is that as
you prototype, you see how the solution might actually be used in real life.
It also reduces the need to invest tremendous resources to get user feedback.

1.4.7 Get Feedback from Target User

The beauty of this approach is its involvement of the user/key stakeholder
throughout the design cycle. In this process, you do not just obtain feed-
back from the users on the prototype but you also involve them in coming
up with ideas and doing the prototyping. In this process, you show (not
tell) what a solution might look like for the users and get their feedback
with an open mind.

At this point, you also obtain feedback from the business and technology/
operational side to ensure the idea is both viable and feasible.

1.4.8 Iterate

And finally, be ready to fail and try again. The advantage of this approach
is that you’ll know fairly soon whether your process for finding a solution
is moving in the right direction, unlike the traditional approach, where the
user is the last person to have a glimpse at the solution.

Fail early, fail fast.