How design thinking influences our methodology
This week I was asked by a client on our future of work project to share how we used design thinking in practice. They understood the theory and how it manifested in our outputs, but wanted to get under the skin of our methodology to see how we got from Point A to B. Here’s our conversation framed through three questions.
What is Design Thinking?
Here’s the high-level theory:
Design Thinking is a method to approach complex problems and begin to untangle them through an iterative creative process. It’s commonly split into 4–5 stages, with each step driven by a particular mindset.
The process follows a pattern of alternating divergent (thinking broad and unconstrained) and convergent (bringing focus and detail) thinking. Different thought patterns produce different outcomes: divergent thinking opens perspectives, pathways, and ‘what ifs’ while convergent thinking condenses those ideas to build structure.
Fluctuating between the two brings a well-rounded multi-level awareness of the problem that drives thinking into the next stage of the process.
But here’s the reality: the thinking doesn’t always follow a set direction. Organic thought processes jump around, circle back, and lurch forward in loops — which can be disorienting and difficult to manage. While design thinking can seem prescriptive and rigid, it really provides a framework to either open you up to possibilities or weave ideas together.
Then there’s the human-centric side to design thinking, which doesn’t mean it prioritises human experience over all else; it’s more a constant reminder to include and inform who is involved, who needs help, and who can give it. As our work is mainly focused on behavioural change and mindset shifts, keeping in tune with perspectives is crucial.
How are you using Design Thinking on the project?
Design thinking is both a mindset and a set of tools that inform and produce our work. The nature of this project is that it is future-facing, so we’re dealing with a lot of ambiguity and instability. It requires a degree of discomfort both from us and our stakeholders as co-designers. Now, we didn’t start this project as experts on the future of work — but we are experts in guiding people through problems to arrive at tangible solutions that work with them. DT framed our project scope through a combination of external research, internal conversations, and a healthy dose of experimentation. Once the scope is defined, the tools we use break down areas of interest into manageable chunks we can start to pull apart through workshops and discussions. These tools are heavily participatory and play into convergent/divergent thinking within an environment that actively encourages ideas/thoughts with stretch. As the project evolves so does our process, as we cater to different needs, input, feedback, and issues.
How can we use Design Thinking in day-to-day working?
Design thinking is incredibly scalable, and I incorporate aspects of it every day to help keep me on track. Here are five ways I use it:
- Structure — it gives me focus points that I structure my tasks and projects around. This is where a visual diagram of the DT process helps me.
- Prototyping — it helps me physically work through a hunch or niggle by giving me space to experiment.
- Reset — it reminds me to come back to or redefine the problem when I’m stuck and veering off track.
- Stretch — it reminds me of scope and helps me judge whether I’m too close or thinking too wide.
- Connection — it brings me closer to my stakeholders and helps me engage with new ones.
