Design Thinking 101: Am I Doing It Right?
Lots of hype huh? Every “UX Designer” you meet now whether they have 35 years experience or 2 years experience is preaching “ Design Thinking”.
Design Thinking in itself is a learning mindset , a mindset which is then used to solve complex human-centered problems. It is an approach in complex problem solving not a play-by-play rulebook.
How do you know when someone is actually implementing and practicing Design Thinking or they are just caught in the hype?
- Look At How They Did The “Empathy” Part
Every great UX Designer knows when someone is faking empathy with fellow UX Designers. Consider the following statement :
“I can empathize with a struggling 18 year old , because I once too have been 18 years old. I know the struggles of being young.” — Senior UX Designer at Big Client XYZ.
What’s wrong here?. Firstly , the implicit bias that because you have lived through an event in your life , your inherent bias entitles you to believe your upbringing was/is going to be parallel with that of an 18 year old in 2017.
If being 18 years old in 2017 was the exact same as being 18 in 2007 , why are you even gathering User Research?. How is your socio-economic upbringing and social-conditioning clouding your judgement.
It’s easy for a Lead UX Designer working in air-conditioned offices in Umhlanga on a MacBook Pro to tell you they know the ins and outs of UX Design.
This person is not practicing Design Thinking as a UX Designer, they are caught up in the hype.
2. How Do They Define The Problem?
How have they defined the problem given they have shown a lot of “empathy”. Consider the above statement in more context , more “meat”:
“I can empathize with a struggling 18 year old , because I once too have been 18 years old. I know the struggles of being young. The problem is that these young kids want everything handed to them on a plate.” — Senior UX Designer at Big Client XYZ.
Once again , what is wrong here?. Sheer , pure unparalleled arrogance. If you have met a 18–25 year old who wants everything handed to them on a plate… it means the plate was there originally.
The inequality barrier as result of culture, language and upbringing is the problem to new and young UX Designers entering the UX Space.
Your UX Designer is not practicing Design Thinking, they are caught up in the hype.
3. Ideating
Ideas are a dime a dozen. In the world of consultancy it is pure cut-throat. Not a soul wants to be associated with any failing ideas let alone projects.
Clients are paying you to produce the best,latest and highest level of UX Design out on the market.
Any UX Designer who is contrary to this is actually counterproductive to the field of UX in my humble opinion , and even toxic for any team.
How often do they run Design Sprints, what techniques do they use to Ideate. Are their Design Sprint Plans simply a regurgitation of Daniel Burka and Brad Frost or are these their own original thoughts.
4.Prototyping
I am of the opinion that it is not the tools you have at hand, but how you use what is given to you at that moment in time.
Give a 23 year old spoilt man-child from “Xavier Preparatory School” a MacBook Pro with Sketch ,Figma and Framer installed . The only way they won’t produce a clickable working prototype is through an act of God literally.
However, a disadvantaged 18–25 year armed with only an out-the-box standard 2007 Windows PC is going to naturally produce a bad prototype. They will be relegated to Balsamiq perpetually till kingdom come.
If this in itself does not disturb you as UX Designer you are probaly not practicing Design Thinking, you are caught up in the hype.
Conclusion
It is easy for the king of the hill to say he got there because he was groundbreaking, innovate and game-changing.
UX Designers in our field who had access to the latest software,techniques and processes as growing UX Designers were bound to understand Design Thinking , not that they are practicing Design Thinking.
If a man does not have the sauce, then he is lost. But the same man can be lost in the sauce. — Gucci Mane
