EXPERIENCING DESIGN THE
INNOVATOR’S JOURNEY
JEANNE LIEDTKA, KAREN HOLD, and JESSICA ELDRIDGE
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CHAPTER 1
HOW DESIGN SHAPES US AS WE SHAPE DESIGNS
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. . . . It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” 1
— MARGERY WILLIAMS BIANCO, THE VELVETEEN RABBIT
3
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EXPERIENCING DESIGN
W
e want to start this book with a radical
beings, in a world that desperately needs more of
premise: that the transformational pow-
both of those.
er of design thinking (DT, as we lovingly
refer to it) lies not in what it encourages us to do, but
But the path there is not nearly as obvious as it might seem.
in who it encourages us to become. Like our childhood
In daylong hackathons and workshops, DT can seem
friend, the Velveteen Rabbit, DT gives us a chance to
easy. But our research demonstrates that doing it well
become more real—to get in touch with our authentic
is not easy. Practiced at a superficial level, even great
human selves, to restore some of the wonder and
design tools like ethnography and prototyping don’t go
creativity that we had as children, but have lost. Being
deep enough to create the shifts in mindset and skillset
a design thinker doesn’t rely on whether you went to
that achieving DT’s most significant impacts requires.
design school or not, or have innovation in your job
Novice design thinkers may do DT activities, but do
title. The path is there for all of us, if we are willing
not experience the shifts that reveal new and deeper
to make the journey. We become design thinkers by
levels of who they themselves are. It is the becoming,
experiencing design.
not the doing, that is key to achieving transformational
But like any journey to becoming anything that
results. Becoming involves changing how we see the
really matters, you need to prepare to get some
world and the rules we use to navigate it. It requires
hair rubbed off. It is a journey of jubilant highs and
challenging beliefs about ourselves (and others) and
frustrating lows. People who break easily—who lack
letting go of some deep-seated fears. Fully leveraging
the confidence and courage to be vulnerable and to
DT’s possibilities requires moving beyond performing
dream about what is possible; who have sharp edges
the activities it prescribes; it demands that we expe-
and think they already know everything they need to
rience it fully. More so than any other approach to
know; who have to be carefully kept because they
innovation, DT experiences create the space for us to
want to be in charge and in control—they may not
get in touch with our more authentic selves.
make it. We wrote this book for those who want to
You are probably wondering what authenticity has
try. We wrote this book because, after 10 years of
to do with innovation. A lot, it turns out. Many of the
dedicated research on the subject, we know that the
barriers to creating powerful new futures are personal.
payoffs to DT done well—to ourselves, our families,
Sure—the cultures and processes of organizations
our communities and our organizations—are also very
can foster them or get in the way. But organizations
real. DT makes us better innovators and better human
only change when the people within them change.
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HOW DESIGN SHAPES US
In explaining the challenges to building learning or-
figure in the Quality movement, observed. We need
ganizations, Fred Kofman and Peter Senge explain:
to be someone new to create something new.
“Creating organizations skilled at learning requires
Maybe we’ve been looking for innovation in all the
fundamental shifts in how we think and act as indi-
wrong places. Or we have just been overlooking some
2
viduals, as well as organizations.” All change relies on
of the right ones. We have looked outside of our-
personal transformation, Edward Deming, the central
selves to external forces—technology, customers, other industries—all valid and important, but what
AUTHENTICIT Y
have we missed by largely ignoring the creator and focusing on only what they create? How might we
The idea of authenticity has preoccupied philosophers and
tap into the wellspring of innovation within the inno-
psychologists for many years. For German philosopher
vator and unlock the creative potential in each of us?
Martin Heidegger, it involves accessing what he called the “withheld”—our higher and better self that lies awaiting
Accomplishing this involves helping them find their
emergence. There are preconditions for summoning our
higher, better self—the self who has the courage to
withheld. One is voice—the ability to express ourselves
ask “What if anything were possible?”, who doesn’t run
in ways consistent with our inner thoughts and feelings.
from any prospect of failure, who can detach their ego
Active engagement is another. The recognition of the power
from their idea, and who can listen to others through
of emotions to our sense of self is a third. Heidegger stress-
the perspective of what others want to say rather than
es that the withheld cannot be summoned—it can only be invited into a space prepared to welcome it. Finding our
what they want to hear.
authentic self is a developmental process—one of contin-
How can DT help us do that? By first shaping the
ually becoming. Influential developmental psychologists
experience of those who use it, before it shapes what
like Erich Fromm, Erik Erickson and Carl Rogers have all
they design for others. But success on this journey
stressed the power of authenticity and the enhanced
relies on much more than helping innovators to better
psychological benefits of acting in ways that are true to
understand their customer’s journey—it requires an
oneself, with Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and its apex of self-actualization, perhaps the best known. These theories provide useful insights into what the process
awareness of what is going on behind the scenes in their personal journeys.
of becoming entails and what it takes to encourage its
We live, we are told, in the “age of experience.”
exploration. When Heidegger’s invitation to bring what
Experience is not just about how we think, it is im-
we normally withhold into a conversation is accepted, the
mersive in a way that centers on what we perceive and
results are transformational—for us, for our customers,
feel. It is intensely personal and subjective. But whose
for our organizations and, quite possibly, for our world.
experience matters? Most discussions of DT focus on
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EXPERIENCING DESIGN
the experience of the customers we are designing
Within this story of us, we are part of a broader
for. But where does the inspiration and facility for
collective experience; our story lies at the nexus of
creating those new customer experiences come from?
a web of relationships. “De-centering” us from our
It comes from changes in the innovator as a person.
own story is perhaps DT’s most significant first step in
Their experiences—of empathy, of meaning, of col-
challenging us to become someone new. We are part
laborative co-creation, of transitioning from knower
of the world, not the center of it. “You’re not stuck in
to learner—set the stage for DT to work its magic.
traffic,” designer Kevin Slavin argues. “You are traffic.”4
Decades of research on adult learning are very
Without providing these kinds of de-centering ex-
clear on one point—we learn about what matters to
periences for the innovator, DT projects are likely
us. We learn because we care. DT’s human-centered
to generate mostly mundane ideas and lackluster
focus engages us by giving us experiences that matter,
results instead of powerful outcomes. DT might still
that impact us at a deep personal level. By connect-
feel good to use, but fail to produce the changes in
ing us with a more authentic version of ourselves, it motivates us to change. Change happens when we
THE WORLD ORBITING US
combine new knowledge with will. Many innovation methodologies bring new knowledge—few engage
Faculty gathered to hear one of our colleagues present
body, mind and spirit to forge will like DT does.
his research strategy. In his presentation, he offered a
Not to get too existential, but who is that self that we are connecting to? Who are we beyond a kind of
summarizing image: he and his research topic were at its center in a large circle. A variety of other faculty and their research surrounded him in smaller circles. After a
Freudian sense of ego and id? Psychologist Jerome
moment of stunned silence, the rest of the room erupted
Bruner argued that “the self is not a thing, but a point
into laughter. It was affectionate laughter—he was a great
of view that unifies the flow of experience into a co-
guy and we all respected his work. But really? Talk about
herent narrative.” So we are a story we tell ourselves.
ego on display! The funniest part of the story was that he
That story, that point of view, creates a personal
was totally baffled as to why we were laughing. Finally, a kindly colleague said, “Bill, the rest of us just never realized
stance that innovators carry with them into the pro-
that we were orbiting around you.” But our real problem
cess. “It is the personal stance that travels with the
(that remained unspoken) with Bill’s image was not that
researcher through the process of engaging with the
his model was wrong—we were all carrying around the
problem, thinking it through, reaching confident con-
same model in our heads—it was just that we
clusions and making these accessible to an audience,”
each thought that our name belonged in
argues designer João Ferreira.3 Of course, each of us
the center of the circle, not Bill’s.
is the lead actor in our story—we occupy its center.
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HOW DESIGN SHAPES US
individual mindsets and group dynamics that lie at the
and email—seem to damage, rather than enhance, our
heart of its transformational value. In our decade of
ability as humans to collaborate, especially across dif-
teaching DT to thousands of managers, engineers,
ference. Social media seems to produce the opposite
scientists and others not trained in design, and study-
of the social technology we need: rather than helping
ing scores of organizational DT projects as well, we
us leverage our differences to find higher-order solu-
have learned that going deep with design—where the
tions, it inflames them in ways that make productive
crucial payoffs are—requires more than changing the
(or even just civil) conversation even more difficult to
activities that innovators do; it involves creating the
achieve; it divides and polarizes.
conditions that shape who they become, that create
So we think the time has come to liberate the term
the space that invites their best selves to emerge.
“technology” from its modern meaning, bring back
Understanding what the foundation of DT’s success—
the missing human dimension, and create a different
its social technology—looks like and means for creating
kind of technology—one that catalyzes collaboration
powerful developmental pathways for learners is es-
and encourages conversations for change across dif-
sential for innovators and their leaders.
ference; one that helps us locate our better (rather than worse) selves by creating a space for respectful
WHY A SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY?
and inclusive conversations that invite all of us to make what we withhold visible to each other. The more
Today we think of computers and smartphones when
artificially intelligent our world becomes, the more
we hear the term “technology,” so it may seem a
important it is that we access what makes us human.
strange term to describe the very human phenomena
Acknowledging this human element doesn’t mean
we are talking about here. In fact, the juxtaposition of
rejecting technology: it means complementing it
the digital with the human is what makes DT so pow-
with a human dimension. Derived from the Greek,
erful! Think about the incredible advances in digital
meaning “science of craft,” a technology is a collection
technology that we have witnessed over the past 20
of techniques, skills, and processes for transform-
years or so. Decades ago, capturing the computing
ing knowledge into practical outcomes. Therefore,
capacity of the latest iPhone would have required a
understanding innovation as an intensely personal
tall building covering multiple city blocks. But what
and social process—with an accompanying need for a
about corresponding advances on the human side?
social technology—ties it to human emotions, to the
Not so impressive. Some of the “advances” made
complex interactions of people, and to the way the
possible by the digital revolution—tweeting, texting,
best solutions emerge from interactions with each
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EXPERIENCING DESIGN
other. It highlights the need for a human-centered
diverse as global corporations, start-ups, govern-
collection of tools and processes that foster enhanced
ment agencies, hospitals, and high schools, it makes
inclusion, empathy, collaboration and productivity.
possible the kinds of changes in the innovation space
Such a human-focused technology needs to be
that TQM did in quality. It is democratizing innovation
teachable and scalable to achieve for innovation what
and unlocking hidden opportunities—not just to tap
Total Quality Management (TQM) did for quality in
into new sources of value that senior leaders simply
the 1980s and 1990s: invite people at all levels of
cannot see, but also to explore new dimensions of
an organization to become involved in making an
ourselves. Creating transformational experiences for
abstract concept real in practice. DT is innovation’s
others on the outside first requires transformation
equivalent of TQM. Practiced by organizations as
on the inside.
ABOUT THE RESEARCH This book reflects the cumulative learning from over a
and qualitative results into more quantitative ones that
decade of work researching DT. In our first study, more
demonstrate and quantify the impact of DT in practice.
than 10 years ago, we set out to explore the role that
We will share some of those results in Chapter 2.
operating managers in large organizations played in inno-
Throughout this research journey, we have been inter-
vation. We interviewed more than 70 successful growth
ested in how nondesigners learn DT. We’ve developed a
leaders, focusing on identifying the specific practices
methodology (Designing for Growth) and project handbook
leading to their success. We reported these results in our
(Designing for Growth: A Field Guide), and helped thou-
first book, The Catalyst: How You Can Lead Extraordinary
sands of people learn and practice DT, both in person and
Growth. Meanwhile, DT was on the ascent. As we examined
online. Our big Aha! came when we looked seriously at
the behaviors and mindsets we observed in our growth
competency building, rather than just teaching tools and
leaders, the parallels between these and the formal DT
process. The key to deep learning, we realized, was using
methodology became obvious. Could teaching the DT
tools and process to facilitate a series of experiences for
toolkit help less intuitively growth-oriented managers
our learners. These experiences, we saw, did more than
see new opportunities? We hoped so then and know so
skill building; they created personal transformations. As
now. Over the next seven years, we created a database
we dug deeper, we also saw that student personalities and
of in-depth studies of DT projects in action (reported in
preferences impacted their learning path in significant
two books, Problem Solving with Design Thinking and Design
ways that we needed to recognize and support. (Stay
Thinking for the Greater Good). For the past several years,
tuned for more on this in Part 4.)
we have been on a new mission to translate these cases
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Praise for EXPERIENCING
DESIGN
“Here is the code to transform yourself, your team, or your whole organization. A true landmark book rooted in design thinking— meticulously evidenced, easy to read, and, above all, actionable for frontline change agents, CEOs, and everyone in between. I guarantee much nodding and many an aha moment. Better still, you’ll finish with your own personal profile and plan!”
—DAVID KESTER, M ANAGING DIREC TOR, DK& A , AND FORMER CHIEF EXECUTIVE, UK DESIGN COUNCIL “This is an amazing book. It is not just another design thinking ‘how-to’ guide. Experiencing Design is about you—how embracing design thinking as a way of being will transform the way you see, approach, and navigate the digital age. Experiencing Design is a liberating journey: it will enhance your cognitive, emotional, and behavioral abilities to think, explore, discover, create, listen, and collaborate in order to experience the joy and wonder of life more often.”
—EDWARD D. HESS, PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, DARDEN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, AND AUTHOR OF THIRTEEN BOOKS, INCLUDING HYPER-LEARNING: HOW TO ADAPT TO THE SPEED OF CHANGE
“As design thinking gains in popularity, it risks being reduced to a set of rote steps that users naively assume will magically produce a fabulous solution. In Experiencing Design, the longtime design theorist Jeanne Liedtka and her coauthors argue persuasively that the design thinker, not a particular set of steps, is the key to design thinking effectiveness. With thoroughness and clarity, they lead the reader through the experiential journey a design thinker must take to achieve the desired breakthrough solutions.”
—ROGER L . MARTIN, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, ROGER L . M ARTIN, INC. “Experiencing Design is a must-read for anyone seeking to build more change-ready and adaptive organizations. Liedtka and her team have effectively unlocked the secret to not only developing but also assessing the behaviors and mindsets that are essential for success in a fast-changing world.”
—ADAM BILLING, FOUNDER OF TREEHOUSE INNOVATION AND SPRINTBASE “Looking for a practical guide on how to cultivate and integrate an enterprising spirit into any enterprise? Experiencing Design will show you step-by-step how to unleash the innate creativity that resides in all of us and channel it toward a purpose-led outcome. It is a marvelous read based on sound research. I’m recommending Experiencing Design to everyone in my company to read and relish.”
—MAUREEN THURSTON, CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER, AURECON “Liedtka, Hold, and Eldridge make the case for how individuals are transformed through design thinking, allowing them to make greater innovations. The focus on how the process changes those who use it is a unique and needed contribution.”
—MATHEW D. DUERDEN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EXPERIENCE DESIGN AND M ANAGEMENT, BRIGHA M YOUNG UNIVERSIT Y, AND COAUTHOR OF DESIGNING EXPERIENCES
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