What is Design Thinking and How Can You Use it to Build Success
Before I began researching for this article, I initially thought that design thinking was a form of creative view on product development or innovation. I quickly learnt that this was only the tip of the iceberg.
The concept of design thinking can be applicable to a variety of industries, from law to medicine and business to the arts. It is the idea behind solving problems in creative ways, and ensuring that the customer is at the center of any enterprise — sitting as the solar force with all else rotating around it.
Kaan Turnali in “What is Design Thinking?” listed a variety of “interpretations for design thinking:
- Success comes from designing integrated solutions in which each part completes the system in whole — not designing fragmented pieces that make up a stack.
- By getting closer to current or potential users and going beyond distant observation, we have a chance to design by looking out from the inside — rather than outside in.
- Empathy opens up nerve endings so we can feel what it is like to be in another’s shoes — a prerequisite for customer-centric design. We need to get as frustrated as the users/customers so we can better understand the pain points.
- By bringing multidisciplinary teams together at the table, we leverage the power of collective expertise.
- Embracing ambiguity opens the door for human ingenuity — allowing us to chase opportunities for new ideas we would otherwise miss.
- Promoting the philosophy of “fail early and often” is the key to harnessing the power of rapid prototypes that resonate and encourage feedback from actual users and customers”
Building upon Turnali’s views, I have outlined 3 points to summon the muses of how you can implement design thinking into building a successful enterprise.
- Feedback is Important
Quick client surveys or check ins are great to monitor customer satisfaction. If your industry is technology and your company has developed an app, set a program that for every certain amount of times the customer uses your product, a quick survey pops up with one or two questions before they can access the app. This allows for client engagement, that only takes the consumer seconds to complete.
At ROSS, we remain conscious of our users and take their feedback to assist in creating what they are looking for. This includes not only what other features ROSS would have that would make their life easier, but also what areas of law we should explore next. Client feedback is vital — especially when in a customer service industry. As we continue to build out a whole suite of legal AI’s it’s feedback from our partners that reigns supreme.
2. Diverse teams win
This is a point that some industries may find difficult. If you are within the legal industry, the majority of hires have gone to college, law school, then worked in law. However, when putting together teams for firm growth, product development or marketing campaigns, it is important to include individuals from a variety of backgrounds to ensure numerous perspectives are heard. This feeds into Turnali’s view that design thinking is empathetic in nature — we must continually put ourselves into the consumer’s shoes. Diversity does not only encapsulate professional backgrounds, but also cultural.
We are proud at ROSS to have an incredibly diverse team with backgrounds including Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, Mexico, Belgium, Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil, Nigeria, Philippines, China, Korea, Canada, America, Australia, England, and Vietnam. Needless to say, when soccer tournaments come around, it makes office dynamic interesting! (Yes, Andrew, we know Portugal won the Euro Cup 2016.)
3. Dry Erase Boards Help Plan Your Attack
You may scoff at this suggestion, but the beauty of dry erase is that you can get out brainstorming quick, and make changes easily as conversation flows and ideas blossom. Having a number of different colored markers is also a plus as you can track where ideas stemmed from or have a variety of projects being discussed at once, but with each color coded to keep a bit of organization. We here at ROSS love our dry erase boards (just ask VP of Strategy & Operations, Thomas Hamilton)!
Whether you are at a firm with 1000 employees, or a sole practitioner, the practice of law is a customer service industry. Client care and ensuring satisfaction is at the cornerstone of our success, thus design thinking can’t be ignored.
Make sure to keep the client in the forefront of your mind, and continue to nurture that relationship. Moreover, when putting together your team, make sure to hire individuals with varied backgrounds and be inclusive! On that note, check out my colleague Lindsey’s excellent article on inclusion and why it matters here.
Happy Holidays!
