Is Design Thinking Just Designer Babble? Or a Collaboration Catalyst?
This morning, I, a designer and also design educator, found myself chuckling along to Natasha Jen’s YouTube video titled “Design Thinking Is Bullshit.” Her bold statement resonated deeply, bringing back memories of my own initial encounter with the concept. In the video’s comment section, I shared my two cents: designers already embody design thinking through their natural creative processes, and the term itself might be more for non-designers to grasp the designer’s mindset. This sparked an internal debate, prompting me to explore the nuances of this statement and the broader conversation surrounding design thinking.
Where I Agree with Natasha:
Natasha’s critique hits home. For seasoned designers, the five-step framework of design thinking can feel redundant. We often iterate, empathize, and prototype intuitively, without needing a formal label. Additionally, the linear presentation of the process can be misleading, as design is rarely a neat, step-by-step journey. The messy reality involves constant back-and-forth…
