Thursday, September 11, 2008

desing thinking, skills and creativity

Design thinking is a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that look for an improved future result. There are 7 stages to the design thinking process:

Define

  • Decide what issue you are trying to resolve.
  • Agree on who the audience is.
  • Prioritize this project in terms of urgency.
  • Determine what will make this project successful.
  • Establish a glossary of terms.

Research

  • Review the history of the issue; remember any existing obstacles.
  • Collect examples of other attempts to solve the same issue.
  • Note the project supporters, investors, and critics.
  • Talk to your end-users, that brings you the most fruitful ideas for later design
  • Take into account thought leaders opinion

Ideate

  • Identify the needs and motivations of your end-users.
  • Generate as many ideas as possible to serve these identified needs
  • Log your brainstorming session.
  • Do not judge or debate ideas.
  • During brainstorming, have one conversation at a time

Prototype

  • Combine, expand, and refine ideas.
  • Create multiple drafts.
  • Seek feedback from a diverse group of people, include your end users.
  • Present a selection of ideas to the client.
  • Reserve judgment and maintain neutrality.

Choose

  • Review the objective.
  • Set aside emotion and ownership of ideas.
  • Remember: the most practical solution isn't always the best.
  • Select the powerful ideas.

Implement

  • Assign tasks.
  • Execute.
  • Deliver to client.

Learn

  • Gather feedback from the consumer.
  • Determine if the solution met its goals.
  • Discuss what could be improved.
  • Measure success; collect data.
  • Document.
This was of thinking offers no judgment and out of the box thinking is encouraged. It is a fresh way of re-framing everyday projects and problems, involving creativity.

Creativity is defined as a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.

The design thinking process involves design skills, where the designer considers aesthetic, functional, & many other aspects, requiring research, thought, modeling, adjustment and re-design.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking

http://www.redhat.com/magazine/019may06/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity

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