I read the book Change by Design by Tim Brown at IDEO, a great book on the concept of Design Thinking. I won’t review it, but I will give you a few itty bitty glimpses of the core ideas within Design Thinking (according to Tim Brown). This list won’t sustain a full understanding of the concept, but hopefully it’s an ok introduction for those wanting to get aquainted with Design Thinking. These aren’t quotes, so it’s possible I got some of them wrong.

1. Use design to solve big problems. Apply design to things that matter.
2. All innovation should be user centric.
3. See the users not as consumers but as participators.
4. The keys to understanding the user are insight, observation and empathy.
5. Attend to the extreme users (young, old, impaired) to find inspiration for change.
6. Set out to find combinations of the desirable with the feasible and the viable.
7. Innovation is an iterative process.
8. Shift between divergent and convergent thinking. The former to create possibilites, the latter to reduce and make choices.
9. Always find sustainable solutions.
10. Explore many different possibilities. Lots.
11. Make ideas tangible through prototypes such as role-play, improvisation, storyboards, scenarios, customer journeys and service blueprints.
12. Fail early (and go on to find better solutions).
13. Work with a portfolio of incremental and revolutionary innovation. Incremental ideas alone are too easy to copy. Revolutionary projects are bold but seldom reach the market.
14. Combine function with meaning.
15. Use systems thinking. Everything is part of something bigger.
16. Embed design thinking. In the design team, in the boardroom, in the staff, in societies.
17. Create interdisciplinary teams to work on design problems.
18. Thinking like a designer doesn’t mean you have to be a designer.
19. Management should encourage experimentation and allow failure.
20. Innovation thrives within certain constraints (at least set deadlines).

And by the way, you probably should read the book (Amazon / Bokus).