A different way to make a difference.
About Us What we do 8
How we do it
10
About Design Thinking What is it? 16
How is it Beneficial?
18
23
Methodological
25
Economic
29
The Advantages Social
about us
What we do 8
We encourage 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. We believe that the promotion of design thinking for social purposes will ultimately contribute toward social improvement. 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 an d potential of this approach.
How we do it 10
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.
If you would not consider using design thinking to address social challenges because:
1 2
You feel unqualified
You don’t view it as applicable or transferable to the social realm.
1. Design thinking is a clear account of the creative process. This structured method has clear guidelines, making it possible for non-designers to learn and apply. 2. 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.
about design thinking
What is it? 16
Design thinking is a structured 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.
How is it beneficial? 18
Thinking like a designer can transform the way organizations develop products, services, and processes. 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.
The Advantages 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.
Social Design-thinkers go to the source: the actual people and communities who they are designing for.
Methodological Non-designers can learn to be design-thinkers.
Economic “Providing the most of the best for the greatest number of people for the least.� —Charles Eames
Social Design thinking starts with
Due to its focus on human
observing the reality of
necessity, design thinking has
communities and the experience
been identified as successful at
of individuals as they improvise
tackling social problems. Using
their way through their daily
design thinking, your organization
routines. It is a powerful tool in
can better address the needs of
gaining qualitative understanding
the individuals and communities
of their dynamics and behaviors.
it serves by constructing an
Ultimately, design thinking
understanding of the social,
will inspire powerful solutions
cultural and economic context
fueled by observation and high-
that will enable research-based
level insights. This problem-
solutions. Your organization can
solving approach is based on a
benefit from design thinking’s
comprehensive understanding
research methods of contextual
of the needs and interests of
inquiry developed to sample
those who will later use the
human experiences.
design solution
23
Methodological Once it is grasped, the design thinking process is repeatable and offers an end-to-end problemsolving 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 characteristics of design thinking.
25
It is doable
It is reliable
The creative process is closely
Design thinking provides a
linked to design thinking. Non
methodological approach that
designers, and even some
allows designers to collect
designers, view this process as
information, record, synthesize
something unexplainable and
and analyze data and then
irrational. While it is important to
contextualize the research to
note that the design process is
guide design inspiration. Research
not completely linear, the term
methods employed by design-
design thinking refers to a clear
thinkers are ethnographic in
account of this creative process.
nature and include participant
Design thinking delineates the
observation, artifact analysis,
underlying structures of the shifts,
photo and diary studies,
contingencies and staggered
contextual inquiry, cultural probes,
progressions that characterize the
and informal conversations
design process.
and interviews.
hear
create
deliver
Economic For-profit and non-profit
Innovation, a capacity inherit
organizations share the pressure:
to design, has become an
1. To fulfill their mission, whether it to grow economically or to create positive impact; 2. To increase user satisfaction and effectiveness, whether the user is a costumer or a community in need. Considering these similarities, design thinking’s conduciveness to innovation is as of much value to profit driven companies as it is to organizations trying to create social change.
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.
29
The Parallel Design thinking contributes to:
1 achievement of mission
2 growth
3 user satisfaction
nonprofit
forprofit
economic
social
mission
mission
increase in
increase in
user is
user is
market share or profit
the consumer
positive social impact
the community or individual in need
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. Innovation has been proven to promote economic growth and has become a centerpiece of corporate strategies and initiatives. Businesses are embracing design thinking because it helps them be more innovative, better differentiate their brands, and bring their products and services to market faster.
Human-centricity leads to growth. Design thinking is human
mode is being experienced as a
centered, meaning it promotes
result. Design thinking produces
the understanding of communities
high-impact solutions that bubble
and individuals by spending time
up from below rather than being
at the front end of the process
imposed from the top.
to explore the problems and its context. This pays big dividends in producing more effective solutions. Design thinking is revolves around the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product, service or process. 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
Facts & Figures Economic advantages of design.
Design-driven companies outperformed the Standard & Poor 500 by
228% For every
ÂŁ1
businesses invest in design, they gain over
ÂŁ4
net operating profit.
Companies that experience an increase in design activity achieve an additional
40%
gross revenue increase
compared to companies where design activity is either constant or has decreased.
For every
£1
invest in design, businesses can expect over
£20 For every
£1
invest in design, businesses can expect a return of over
£5
in increase exports.
increased revenues.