Design Think in my Company? How can I start?

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Design Think is simple. It’s the art of being creative in finding solutions to problems that generally are solved in a norm way. Or to take it one step further, a problem that has not been dealt with yet.  Big corporations spend time and money in creating solutions on a big scale.  So the question you should be asking yourself is why can’t I? Simply put, all you need is to think how have people approached this problem before and how can I do it better? Tweaking your thought process is the hard part but it gets easier as you practice.

If your mind set is in the norm, it is time to think big, bold and borderline irrational. Thinking big can help creativity skyrocket.  Introducing realism into the group of thoughts will help you bring them back to real world scenarios and streamline yourself to a workable solution! Take the workable solution and find technology and partnerships that can help streamline your business to provide your customers what they need and in turn solidifying your business is operating at an optimum.

When looking at clients that have request design think, the first step is to analyze what is the current problem and the procedure associated with it.  The next step is to talk to everyone directly involved.  Again this means EVERYONE and not just management. Your company is a team that includes the front line and most importantly your customers are part of it. With social media growing at an astonishing rate, talking to your customers has never been easier.  Being that they are not face to face, ugly truths are easier to be divulged.  They will tell you what needs to be changed. This is the stepping stones to Business Development.  The problem then becomes the how… that may just be the easy part!

Design Think Explosion? Why Now?

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Several factors can contribute to the reason as to why Design Think is being use now.  Technology and competition are probably the two biggest contributors.  As technology evolves so does communication.  Innovation in fundamentals breed growth and prosperity for companies and creative means is the key to this success.  Big companies like Apple, RIM, Proctor and Gamble etc. have relied on this design think to grow their companies and be competitive leaders. So, why now?

Firstly, direct results have been achieved as businesses increase outsourcing to third parties.  Businesses are turning their production to project based methodologies.  This project based methodology has allowed companies to shrink problems into workable dilemmas where companies can think creatively and find a workable solution.

Secondly, design think has increased with the growth of social media; word of mouth has evolved to exponential growth on steroids.  A customer can complain and in a matter of days sales have significantly dropped. On the other hand a customer can make a recommendation and sales increase.

Design Think can take both of these cases and work backwards to find a workable solution in real time; breeding innovation with a small turnaround time. Let’s not be discouraged.  Design think can be attractable not only to big business but small business too.

Design Think?

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Problems and solutions go hand in hand.  Dealing with a problem involves a solution that is well planned and executed.  Where do external parties come into play? Professionals such as consultants come into an organization when a problem exists. The consultant is an expert at dealing with that specific type of problem and provides a solution based on previous experience.  Almost always, bypassed is the team’s thoughts and potential solutions available through that team’s experience.  Is it a waste of money to jump to a solution specialist? Well not always.  Time and money always plays a role; how about another way?

Design Think is an old concept applied to new business concepts.  The simple word to describe it is abductive reasoning.  Usually we look at a problem in a deductive manor.  We conceptualize an idea, question it, create dilemma or problem and deduce a workable solution.  Abductive problem solving focuses on more creative resolutions involving other aspects of knowledge.  Hence, the “Out of the Box Thinking” is introduced. Buzz phrase of phrases. Out of the box thinking is being able to think outside of the normality to solving the problem.  This being said, creativity must be high in order to have out of the ordinary ideas.

Innovation is a direct result as solutions are created outside the regular norm.  To be innovated by definition, is to have a solution never used before.  More and more, companies have become well known for their innovation as different industries find solutions for their customers through innovation.  The reason why Design Think is becoming popular in everyday businesses begins from the ability to see the customer’s values first and solve inwards to the processes that deliver the product in an efficient cost affordable manner.