A different way to make a difference.
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Table of Contents
Context Defining the Problem Defining Design Thinking Overview Mission Audience Strategy Tone Arguments Social Methodological Economic
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12 14 16 18
24 30 36
Outcomes Publication Website Postcard Series
44 46 48
Consequences Forseen Unforseen
52 54
Identity Logo Color Sheme Icons Typography
58 64 66 68
Reflection Resources
70 72
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Context
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Defining the Problem
Non-designers, specifically workers in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and nonprofit organizations, often disregard design thinking as an applicable problem-solving process in their fields.
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Context
Why? This is because they may: 1. View design thinking as a visually driven activity primarily concerned with appearances; 2. Not view it as a transferable process for non-design related organizations; or 3. Feel unqualified to use design thinking.
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Defining Design Thinking
Design thinking is a structured, and repeatable problem-solving protocol. Through the use of design thinking, you arrive at solutions that are based on a comprehensive understanding of the needs of those who will use the resulting tools or outcomes. The approach takes into account the context and conditions in which the solution will be applied. The terminology, design thinking, comes from its origin as the processes and methods by which designers go about design activity. However, design thinking has transcended the design realm. Businesses and non-profit organizations have successfully used design thinking as a problem-solving method.
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Context
Why? In order for NGOs and non-profit organizations to use design thinking it is important to understand what it is. Traditionally, design has been considered as a visually driven activity. The lack of understanding of design thinking as a structured method for the practical creation of solutions keeps this approach out of consideration by many NGOs and non-profit organizations. By defining design thinking as a problem-solving protocol, Rethink disrupts this stereotype and uncovers the real scope and potential of this approach. Rethink’s end goal is for NGOs and non-profit organizations to integrate design thinking as a process for finding solutions to the social challenges they address. Understanding design thinking and its benefits is the first crucial step in achieving the integration of this problemsolving process.
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Overview What is Rethink’s mission and how will we achieve it?
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Mission
Rethink offers a different way to make a difference. By providing information about design thinking, Rethink promotes its use as a structured and reliable problem-solving process that combines empathy and creativity to formulate innovative solutions to social challenges. Rethink believes that the promotion of design thinking for social purposes will ultimately contribute toward social improvement.
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Overview
Why? When design thinking is understood as an analytic and creative process in which designer sensibilities and methods are applied to address people’s needs in ways that are technologically feasible and also economically viable (Brown and Wyatt 2010), the real potential of design thinking to address social purposes can be unveiled. Non-profit organizations, NGOs, and social enterprises can benefit from integrating this creative approach to help tackle the various complex problems they address in order to maximize improvements in human well-being. Design thinking will allow these organizations to combine their empathy for the context of a particular problem with creativity in the generation of a solution.
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Audience
My primary audience is leaders of NGOs and non-profit organizations. NGOs and nonprofit organizations address countless issues and have a wide range of missions. However, these organizations have an overarching social purpose and work towards the improvement of human well-being in some form. Rethink is also applicable to social enterprises. Even though social enterprises have an economic mission, they also work toward the improvement of society. My secondary audience is workers of NGOs and non-profit organizations who are not necessarily in high management positions.
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Overview
Why? NGOs and non-profit organizations want to make a
Rethink also targets other workers of NGOs and non-
difference. The missions of these organizations are
profit organizations who are not necessarily in high
rooted in finding solutions to end a problem or improve
positions but can first handedly use design thinking in
a current state of affairs. Because the ultimate purposeof
their work. Having more people use design thinking
design thinking is to find a solution, NGOs and non-profit
and seeing its positive results will result in it becoming
organizations can use design thinking to achieve their
more widely known and accepted.
respective missions. My audience is specifically the leaders of these organizations because research in the experiences of businesses adopting design thinking shows that the greater the requirement for design to prove its contribution upfront through detailed analysis, the more conservative the approach taken – resulting in design thinking having a lower impact (Warwick 2011). It is necessary for top management in these organizations to understand and trust the value of design thinking in order for it to achieve its full potential.
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Strategy
Rethink is a resource that provides information to leaders of NGOs, non-profit organizations, and social enterprises about design thinking: - what it is; - how it is transferable to their field; and - why it is beneficial. Through education in design thinking, Rethink encourages its use and incites new possibilities that result in the generation of effective solutions for social challenges.
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Overview
Why? Rethink provides information to leaders of NGOs and nonprofit organizations about the benefits of design thinking and its potential to address social challenges. By doing this, Rethink encourages NGOs and non-profit organizations to reexamine assumptions about why they do things the way they do. Rethink encourages NGOs and non-profit organizations to step back and look at a settled praxis with a fresh eye by pointing at design thinking as an innovative way to take on old challenges. Design thinking relies on behaviors and mind-sets that feel foreign and uncomfortable to the habitus of problemsolvers in NGOs and non-profit organizations shaped by more traditional problem-solving methods. After designers, businesses have been known to adopt design thinking as a problem molving process (Brown and Wyatt 2010, Design Council 2012, Kelley and Littman 2001, Warwick 2011).
2011). For this reason, the potential of applying design thinking to the social realm has begun to be uncovered recently. The creation of thorough design thinking guides for non-designers has become more common (IDEO 2014, Kelley and Littman 2001, Liedtka et al 2013, MindLab 2009, Warwick 2011,Stanford 2014). This contributes to making design thinking more accessible and helps establish design as a methodological process not only concerned with appearances. Even though these resources are effective at breaking down the design process and teaching it to non-designers, there is a lack of resources that explain why adopting design thinking is not just possible but also advantageous. By providing information about design thinking, its benefits, and how it is applicable to the social realm, Rethink aims to increase the use of design thinking among NGOs and non-profit organizations.
But “design is applicable to just about any challenge- and its principles are accessible to anyone� (Berger 2009, Kelley and Littman 2001, Liedtka et al 2013, Warwick 17
Tone
Rethink is clear, informative, and serious yet not intimidating.
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Overview
Why? Rethink’s tone makes design thinking easy to grasp. The clear and informative tone serves Rethink’s educational purpose. Considering Rethink’s primary audience and the relatively new use of design thinking in social contexts, a serious tone helps build design thinking’s reputation among NGOs’ and non-profit organizations’ leaders as a relevant approach to address pressing challenges. Rethink restrains from using intimidating design vernacular to make design thinking approachable for non-designers.
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Arguments In order to communicate a comprehensive understanding of the advantages of using design thinking for social purposes, Rethink is organized into three main persuasive arguments: social, methodological, and economic.
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Social
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Solutions to social problems must be based on people’s needs. Design-thinkers go to the source: the actual people and communities who they are designing for. 23
Social
Design thinking starts with observing the reality of communities and the experience of individuals as they improvise their way through their daily routines. It is a powerful tool in gaining qualitative understanding of their dynamics and behaviors. Ultimately, design thinking will inspire powerful solutions fueled by observation and high-level insights.Your organization can benefit from design thinking’s research methods of contextual inquiry developed to sample human experiences. Research findings will then guide effective solutions determined by empirical data rather than theoretical debate. Using design thinking, your organization can better address the needs of the individuals and communities it serves by constructing an understanding of the social, cultural and economic context that will enable research-based solutions. 24
Arguments: social
Why? The social lens of the research highlights the human-
centered nature of design thinking as advantageous for NGOs and non-profit organizations.
Design thinking is a problem-solving approach based on a comprehensive understanding of the needs and interests of those who will later use the design solution (Brown 2009, Friess 2010, Liedtka et al 2013, Leinonen et al, Warwick 2011). Design thinking relies on 1) conducting good quality research of the people who will use the product in order to understand their perspective, context, and the problems they face, and 2) using that research to drive design solutions (Berger 2009, Friess 2010, IDEO 2014, Kelley and Littman 2001, Warwick 2011). Due to its focus on human necessity, design thinking has been identified
Research methods employed by design-thinkers are ethnographic in nature and include “participant observation, artifact analysis, photo and diary studies, contextual inquiry, cultural probes, and informal conversations and interviews” (Hanington 2010, IDEO 2014). Because this research must take place during the initial stages of the generation of solutions, design is no longer restricted to appearances and it is not only employed at the end of the product development process (Kimbel 2011, Warwick 2011). Also referred to as humancentered or user-centered design, this approach has been proven to “increase productivity, improve quality, reduce errors, improve acceptance of new products, and reduce development costs” (Cardella et al 2012).
as successful at tackling social problems (Buchanan 1992, IDEO 2014, Kimbel 2011, Liedtka et al 2013, Mindlab 2009). Design thinking allows designers to gain empathy and drill down to the essence of an issue by observing and conducting research. 25
Social
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Arguments: social
Reflection My research on human-centered design shed light to a completely different use for design I had never considered before. In this part of the research I read about many different examples where design thinking has been used to address social challenges. Even though I never thought design was only concerned with appearances, I had not explored the potential of using design thinking to solve social challenges until this project. Social causes have always been something I am passionate about therefore the possibility of using design thinking for social purposes is something I am interested in perusing personally and professionally. While learning about the social nature of design, I was able apply this knowledge into my project by letting research guide my solutions or outcomes.
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Methodological
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Non-designers can be design-thinkers
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Methodological Why? Once it is grasped, the design thinking process is repeatable and offers an end-to-end problem-solving approach applicable to varying types of problems. Because it is a process, design thinking can be learned and applied by non-designers. The social challenges your organization aims to end or improve are complex and might not have a clear right or wrong solution. These types of challenges require problem-solving that involves: empathy, experimentation and, creativity, all distinctive features of design thinking.
Rethink emphasizes that design thinking is a structured method that has very clear guardrails, making it
approachable for NGOs and non-profit organizations.
This argument serves to prove that NGOs and non-profit organizations are qualified to use it as a problem-solving approach to tackle social challenges. It is doable The creative process is closely linked to design thinking. Non designers, and even some designers, view this process as something unexplainable, irrational and even magical (Gilbert 2009, Kelley and Littman 2001, Rowe 1990). While it is important to note that the design process is not completely linear, the term design thinking refers to a clear account of this creative process. Design thinking delineates “the underlying structures of the shifts, contingencies and staggered progressions that characterize the design process� (Rowe 1990).
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Arguments: methodological
Rethink promotes design thinking as the demystification of
methodological approach that allows designers to collect
the creative process. We understand that when trying to
information, record, synthesize and analyze data and then
change people’s behavior, in this case the way NGOs and
contextualize the research to guide design inspiration
non-profit organizations problem-solve, it is necessary to
(Hanington 2010). The process involves the use of
start off with a lot of structure. By emphasizing that design
scientific research practices that “attempt to isolate
thinking is a structured method that has clear guidelines,
cause and effect, eliminate bias, maintain objectivity,
Rethink makes design vernacular approachable for leaders
and generalize findings” (Hanington 2010).
of NGOs and non-profit organizations.
Rethink draws a connection between scientific research
It is reliable
practices and design thinking by highlighting it’s
Rethink presents design thinking as a “mean of inquiry
methodological nature and its research based solutions.
equal in stature to those more widely accepted methods
Seeking a scientific basis for design allows for the
of structure thinking like the scientific method and the
“integration of knowledge from the arts and sciences in
benefit/cost analysis” (Rowe 1990). In “Solving Problems
ways that are suited to the problems and purposes of the
with Design Thinking,” various organization leaders share
present” (Buchanan 1992) making design thinking an
their experience in successfully adopting design thinking in
effective approach to tackle social challenges. Not only
non-design related organizations. Through each case study,
quantitative research but also the qualitative research, can
design thinking is proven to be like a scientific method
lead to new ideas for products or services.
involving: 1) developing a hypothesis, 2) testing it and, 3) refining it (Liedtka et al 2013). Design thinking provides a 31
Methodological
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Arguments: methodological
Reflection The methodological lens of the research helped me better understand my own creative process. Initially, I did not view design as a necessarily structured process. However, when I got further into my research on this topic I started analyzing my own process and seeing patterns and a repeatable aspect of how I, as a designer, go about addressing design challenges. Research on this topic helped me better understand my creative process and made me realize of the importance of designers “demystifying� this process, not just for the purpose of teaching it to non-designers, but more for designers themselves to grow and understand how they arrive at solutions.
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Economic
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“Providing the
most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least.” —Charles Eames
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Economic Why? Innovation, a capacity inherit to design, has become an increasingly valued asset in the for-profit sector. The growing acknowledgment of innovation as a key to economic success has proven design thinking to be an important engine for corporate profit.
This lens of my research points at the economic benefits
For-profit and non-profit organizations share the pressure to: 1. Fulfill their mission, whether it to grow economically or to create positive impact; 2. Increase user satisfaction and effectiveness, whether the user is a costumer or a community in need.
into its potential if adopted by NGOs and non-profit
of design thinking by relying on research findings
from the business sector. Rethink constructs a parallel between for-profit and non-profit organizations in order to translate the benefits that have resulted
from adopting design thinking in the for-profit world organizations.
Design thinking can be used as a problem-solving model by non-profits just as effectively as it has been used by for-profits. The human centered nature of design thinking matches NGOs’ and non-profit organizations’ missions of
Considering these similarities, design thinking’s
serving individuals and communities.
conduciveness to innovation is as of much
What is growth?
value to profit driven companies as it is to organizations trying to create social change.
In the case of NGOs and non-profit organizations, growth is not referred to in economic terms like it is in for profit organizations. NGOs and non-profit organizations measure growth in terms of the progress in the achievement of
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their mission. For this reason, nonprofits can’t measure
Arguments: economic
their success in purely economic terms. However there
Innovation has been proven to promote economic growth
are pragmatic approaches through which non-profit
and has become a centerpiece of corporate strategies
organizations can measure their success by metrics such as
and initiatives (Brown and Wyatt 2010, Design Council
fundraising performance, membership growth, number of
2012, Kelley and Littman 2001). Businesses are embracing
visitors, people served, and overhead costs (Sawhill and
design thinking because it helps them be more innovative,
Williamson 2001). In this case, growth will be referred to
better differentiate their brands, and bring their products
as an organization’s progress in achieving their mission,
and services to market faster (Brown and Wyatt 2010).
whether it means to increase profits or have a larger
These economic advantages have put innovation at
positive impact on society.
“the tippy top of the requisite core competence list for
Innovation leads to growth Because the ways designers problem-solve is of value to companies trying to innovate, design thinking has become of great interest in the for-profit sector (Brown 2009, Brown and Wyatt 2010, Kelley and Littman 2001, Kimbel 2011, Martin 2009, Warwick 2011). Rethink promotes the use of design thinking as NGOs’ and non-profit
companies of all shapes and sizes” (Kelley and Littman 2001). The correlation between design thinking and innovation has also captured the attention of business schools at Carnagie Mellon University, Helsinki School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Toronto, among many others, that now offer modules or courses on the subject.
organizations’ problem-solving process by emphasizing its
Studies show that design is directly linked to economic
innovation-driving quality.
growth (Berger 2009, Design Council 2012, Kimbel 2011, Pires and Cerejo 2013, Warwick 2011). Research by 37
Economic Why? In your organization, design thinking can lead to innovative solutions that address social problems by matching the needs of the communities and individuals you work with in ways that are technologically feasible and economically viable.
Peer Insight shows that in the past 10 years, design-driven companies outperformed the Standard & Poor 500, a stock market index of 500 large publicly traded companies, by 228% and a ten to one margin (Berger 2009). Designdriven British companies outperformed competitors by 200 percent (Berger 2009). Design Council research has shown that, on average, for every £1 businesses invest in design, they gain over £4 net operating profit, over £20 net turnover and over £5 net exports (Design Council 2012). The Danish National Agency for Enterprise and Housing performed a study that shows a marked correlation between the use of design and economic performance of companies and subsequent macroeconomic growth. The study proves that “companies which have experienced an increase in design activity (i.e. in investments in designrelated employee training or external procurement of design services) achieve an additional 40% gross revenue increase compared to companies where design activity is either constant or has decreased” (Pires and Cerejo 2013).
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Arguments: economic
Statistics prove design to be beneficial to businesses whose
influenced model that “goes out to the people before
missions are rooted in economic growth. However, design
making anything. And instead of persuading those people
thinking can also be beneficial to NGOs and non-profit
about what they want, business shuts up, takes a seat in the
organizations whose missions involve addressing complex
corner, and starts paying attention”
social challenges.
(Kelley and Littman 2001).
Human-centricity leads to growth
This results in “high-impact solutions to bubble up
The positive economic impact of design thinking can be
from below rather than being imposed from the top”
greatly attributed to its human centricity. This quality of
(Brown and Wyatt 2010).
design thinking stresses the understanding of communities and individuals by “spending time at the front end of the process to explore the question and its context” which then pays big dividends in producing more effective solutions (Liedtka et al 2013). This approach has resulted in a shift from companies that “produce what they’ve always made and use marketing to try to foist it on the world to more of a listening-learning-adapting mode” (Berger 2009). The existing business process is evolving from a process that “has focused on inventing stuff and then saying, ‘Now who can we sell this to?’” into a design-thinking 39
Economic
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Arguments: economic
Reflection The hardest part about researching design thinking through an economic lens was trying to tie it in with the benefits it can have for organizations that are not driven by economic growth. However, once I wrapped my mind around the concept that both businesses and non-profit organizations share the desire to be sustainable, I was able to draw a parallel between the already proven benefits of design thinking in the business world and how this can be translated to the not for profit sector. To do so, as a visual person, I found it helpful to draw diagrams that explain this relationship, allowing me to organize my research in a way that made sense. In addition, I was surprised at how big the economic impact of design can be and at how many studies that show concrete data about the benefits of design are out there. This gave me reassurance about my field of study.
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Outcomes
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Publication
The publication is a document that thoroughly communicates what design thinking is and what are its benefits when adopted by NGOs and non-profit organizations. It will be based on research on the effectiveness and transferability of design thinking and will contain graphics to explain design thinking’s benefits and how the process can be applied to social challenges. The publication will be organized into three persuasive arguments: methodological, social and economic.
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Outcomes
Why? The publication is a resource that informs the audience about design thinking and how it is applicable and effective in the social realm. A printed publication appeals to Rethink’s audience that is many times bombarded by information online. Because Rethink is trying to change a behavior and offers a new possibility for something, having a tangible object gives a sense of seriousness and reliability and helps in the establishment of both Rethink’s and design thinking’s reputation. In addition, a publication is the most suitable form to organize and communicate such a large amount of research and content. The publication will be mailed to leaders of NGOs and non-profit organizations and will be found online.
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Website
The website will contain information that communicates the benefits of design thinking to NGOs and non-profit organizations. It will contain an online version of the publication as well as a page where NGOs and non-profit organizations can order a publication for free. The website will also have a resources page that link to design thinking guides and other helpful materials for organizations trying to adopt design thinking.
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Outcomes
Why? The website is a more interactive way for NGOs’ and non-profit organizations’ leaders to learn about design thinking. It can more easily be shared with other NGOs and non-profit organizations as well as with workers within the organization. Having the publication online is a more economic way of reaching a larger audience.
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Postcard Series The postcards will have a brief explanation of what design thinking is and how it is related to addressing social challenges. On the front part of each postcard, there will be short content that will communicates Rethink’s different persuasive points. The postcard is a very condensed version of information that communicates the benefits of design thinking.
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Outcomes
Why? The postcards will be used to hand out at events. It is a resource that will explain design thinking very briefly in order to grab the interest of the viewer and lead them to the Rethink website where they can learn more about design thinking and order the publication.
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Consequences
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Forseen
Positive Rethink will contribute in the achievement of the missions of NGOs and non-profit organizations by suggesting a fresh approach to difficult questions and opening new avenues for social change. These organizations will envision new possibilities and turn ideas into effective solutions. By informing NGOs’ and non-profit organizations’ leaders about design thinking they can opt to adopt it as a problem-solving approach and ultimately formulate more effective solutions to address social challenges. Rethink offers a different and effective way for NGOs and non-profit organizations to address social challenges, aids them in creating positive social impact, and helps them in achieving their mission.
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Consequences
Negative Some NGOs and non-profit organizations have highly ambitious and abstract goals. This makes it hard to measure the real success of an organization in achieving its mission. Taking this into consideration, it can be difficult to measure the direct impact that design thinking can have on helping NGOs and non-profit organizations achieve their mission. As a result, leaders and workers of these organizations can become skeptical about the effectiveness of design thinking.
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Unforseen
Positive By promoting design thinking in the non-profit sector, Rethink is indirectly contributing toward social improvement. In addition, an increase use of design thinking to successfully address social challenges further validates the status of design as a source of competitive advantage.
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Consequences
Negative Rethink is an advocate of the notion that design thinking is transferable to non-designers and supports the idea that anyone can practice it. Some designers can view this as devaluating designer sensibilities and methods or diminishing the skills of designers. However, Rethink presents design thinking as process to reach a solution to a challenge. It is important to understand that designers can master design thinking to respond to design challenges while non-designers are using it to respond to different kinds of challenges.
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Identity
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Logo
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Identity
Design thinking is a relatively new approach for NGOs and
the interaction of the lines within the logo show that
non-profit organizations. The sans serif font of the logotype
design is a complex process and is not necessarily linear.
conveys this sense of new and innovative. The simplicity
Yet the shape of the logo, like design thinking, has a clear
the font is ideal for representing the process of design
structure and is methodological.
thinking as something clear and approachable for nondesigners. At the same time, the clean edges and balance of the logo make it approachable but convey a degree of formality because Rethink promotes design thinking as a serious process.
Radial Design is an activity tied to human needs and concerns and is therefore considered human centered. Whether it is for the design of products and services for consumer goods or for the betterment of society, design revolves around
Interconnected Lines
the needs of humans. Like design thinking, the lines of the
The mark is formed by the repetition of lines inspired by
Rethink logo radiate from a common center.
the shape of a Venn diagram. This shape represents the overlap of knowledge from the design field with the knowledge from NGOs and non-profit organizations that Rethink believes will result in more effective solutions to social challenges. The interconnectivity of the lines serves to imply that solutions to social challenges must transcend disciplinary boundaries and knowledge fragmentation. In addition,
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Logo Development
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Identity
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Logo Development
rethink
re think 62
Identity
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Color Scheme
Yellow C2 M 14 Y 100 K0
R 252 G 212 B4
# FCD302
Violet C 50 M 96 Y0 K0
R 144 G 49 B 146
#903192
R4 G 96 B 169
# 085FA7
Blue C 94 M 66 Y3 K0
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Identity
Triad
Phase 2 and Methodological lens
A triad represents the most commonly used three-phase
The second step of the design process is coming up with
design thinking process. In addition, it stands for Rethink’s
ideas and creating solutions by taking the knowledge
three arguments to promote the use of design thinking by
gathered from the first phase of the process. This second
NGOs and non-profit organizations.
phase of design thinking involves using creativity, originality
Phases The three-phase approach was developed by IDEO in collaboration with nonprofit groups that have used design thinking to address social challenges. The purpose of the methodology is to understand a community’s needs, find innovative solutions that meet those needs, and deliver solutions. Phase 1 and Social lens The first phase involves doing research to fully understand the community or people you are designing for. Yellow is
and imagination, all of which are qualities represented by the color violet. Phase 3 and Economic lens The last phase of design thinking is the implementation of the ideas and solutions found in the second phase of the design thinking process. This phase involves ensuring the successful and sustainable implementation of solutions. Blue, associated with intelligence and sustainability is representative of the final phase of design thinking.
a stimulating color associated with curiosity and perception and is therefore used to represent the initial phase of design thinking. 65
Icons
Social
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Methodological
Economic
Identity
Icons will be helpful to organize and categorize the information within Rethink’s publication. The publication will be divided into three lenses or persuasive points. For this set of icons, I incorporate each separate part of the logo within a circle that emulates a camera lens in a minimal fashion. Each icon will be used to represent a persuasive point and make it easier for the reader to scan through the publication and find the information they are looking for more easily and efficiently.
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Typography
Aller: Logo and Headings abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstu vwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Avenir: Body Text abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
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Identity
Logo and headlines: Aller The smoothness and curves of Aller are effective at showing the flow of the design thinking process and making it look more playful and fluid but still serious and modern. Aller creates an approachable aesthetic, this is important to convey that design thinking can be learned by non-designers. Body Text: Avenir The font is simple and modern. Design thinking is new and innovative so it is effectively communicated using a typeface that represents this. The simplicity of the font makes Rethink look clean and easy to read.
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Reflection
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As se senior graphic design student I am well versed in the design thinking process. However, researching this process in depth and understanding its benefits applied to something that is not specifically design related further uncovered its importance and scope. The research for this project made me feel more confident about the possibilities and the potential of design thinking used in different contexts. Overall this project gave me a wider view of design thinking and contributed to my understanding of the value of the design process. I have mostly been exposed to design thinking in a practical sense but while learning about the theory behind it I was able to refine it in my practice. This project was a learning experience in regards to organizing and synthesizing research and communicating it to a target audience. After this project, I am more confident on how I go about tackling design challenges and how I translate my expertise in design thinking to other fields that are not necessarily design related. 71
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