From Concept to Creation: My Journey Through Design Thinking

It’s a wrap! With this post, a whole semester and journey through the subject of design thinking come to an end. Throughout the course, I gained different perspectives, got inspired, and learned a lot! But the main learning that sticks with me is:

Trust the process!

It all started on a Flixbus ride in January between Mannheim and Frankfurt. The snowfall canceled all train rides, and instead of comfortably arriving at home and doing my bidding there, I had to do it cramped in a seat, still in my winter coat, with my laptop in my lap. However, I was excited about the prospect of the next semester. I explained to my friend, who I was traveling with, that I could not take any more strategy courses and had found the perfect course where I could both become creative and have an impact in social innovation! Decision made – Design Thinking in Social Innovation it should be, and with 109 points, I got in!

Starting with the course, I was prepared to craft something with my hands, think outside of known patterns, or even draw some sketches. What I was not fully prepared for was the social innovation part. When the Lisbon Project and their mission entered our course, this fun, creative way of expressing oneself suddenly became a useful and promising tool for approaching complex socio-economic situations. In other courses, I encountered innovation always from a fictive and unrealistic perspective, but here in the room were consultants who came to us with real challenges, and both they and the Lisbon Project relied on our help. To be honest, in the beginning (and also later on), I often thought: We are just a bunch of students who complain about group assignments and the lack of good food options during lunch break. How could we be of. any help? But I said to myself, “Okay, Karen – trust the process.”

Twelve sessions filled with collaborating, contextualizing, researching, sketching, prototyping, actively listening, playing with playdough, bridge-building, sense-making, co-creating, laughing, and iterating. Here are three key learnings that I will take with me from the experience (because three is my lucky number, not because there are only three learnings):

1. Get feedback often and don’t take it personally. Emotions deserve a place, as being attached to an idea gives you extra motivation to pursue it further. However, don’t make the mistake of confusing your project process and outcome with your own worth. A good combination of attachment and detachment offers the best perspective and most valuable outcome.
2. Active listening is a high-quality skill. In a world dominated by social media, where extroverts are often viewed as the ideal and insecurity abounds, noise is prevalent and silence is scarce. Some individuals (probably including me) take up more space than others. Becoming silent allows room for others to own it, and when they do, listen carefully and empathetically.
3. Draft and iterate a lot, but select carefully. At the beginning of the process, one often limits the options because of the fear that nothing is feasible and there will be no outcome; this is a mistake. Go big and bold! In later stages, you can then select ideas that you feel comfortable with and that are feasible. But again, don’t make the mistake of pursuing something just because you think it is the desired outcome of others.

Now, four months later, we wrapped the course up at KPMG hall and I was so impressed by how we as a team and as a class where able to come up with ideas and even have impact! And as I look back I have a profound sense of accomplishment but also a lot of gratitude. Thank you to my team who pushed through and co-created a really cool (and even feasible!) outcome. I enjoyed the team dynamic and love how everybody brought in different perspectives. Thank you Beatriz and Al for organising fun activities but also for challenging our ideas. And thank you Mercy and Lisbon Project for trusting us as a group of students that we can also create value and contribute to your mission.

With every session and every feedback loop, I evolved not just as a student, but as a thinker equipped to challenge the status quo and aim for impact. It’s truly been a wrap, and I am happy that I decided not to go for another strategy course but to leave the comfort zone and trust the process.