“From Inspiration to Innovation: Unleashing the Power of Design Thinking”
During my design thinking course, I was given several tasks that enabled me to develop in terms of my knowledge of design theory. Here are concise reflections on a few impacting activities that demonstrated both how they intertwined with my previous experiences and how they generated new insights.
Firstly, I noticed “Drawing circles” to be a simple yet stimulating activity. Everyone was provided with a simple circle made of flour in the beginning stage, then they were instructed to form various funny shapes, such as a car brand name, a ball, or the Earth it. This little project not only showed me how people regard the same set of instructions differently, but it also taught me the role of user perspectives in product design and making. It pointed out that with the target of innovation and problem-solving comes a necessity to consider design solutions from different users’ perspectives, which is vital for their success too.
While playing the team Lego building activity, I came to know the essence of team communication and cooperation without verbal language. We had to rely on those non-verbal cues and body language to work as a team, which was opposite to the traditional communication methods. Thus, we were learning that there is a much deeper role played by visual and other sensory information in collective problem-solving under low communication conditions. I realized the importance of this scenario; it placed me in an environment that employs real-life work conditions and difficulties of working as a team with insufficient information or communication being available.
Finally, the prototyping challenge became my first detailed practical experience translating complex and abstract ideas into tangible, area-sensitive models. This had an impact not only on my problem-solving but also on my visual and functional design skills. Having the privilege of designing and building prototypes allowed me to gain the realization of the most important phase, which is iteration. Each cycle of feedback and revision would get you a step closer to having a product that would satisfy the needs of the consumers. This was the idea I did not utilize while I was working at a fashion e-commerce startup. It caused me to face many setbacks due to a lack of proper end-user testing and product iteration in the initial phase.
Apart from improving my skills in both the design and innovation process, my participation in these events also equipped me with useful tools in the application of design thinking to confront real-life problems, especially when put into practice in the startup business I am planning to venture into in the coming years. I have no doubts, though, that these insightful learning and practical activities will have a powerful influence on my career progression, and these experiences will help me to be successful whether in marketing or any alternative user-centered field.
