## 5 How Can Design Thinking Help?  
Design thinking presents itself as a promising tool to tackle the multifactorial challenges to overcome for the efficient and sustainable application of marine organisms in a more sustainable global food chain, allowing systematic problem analysis and innovative solution propositions, where more viable and impactful outcomes can be achieved. Design thinking is a widely recognized approach in the innovation process, facilitating a rapid and precise research and development process that can help organizations regain market leadership. It provides structured methodologies and fundamental principles for identifying requirements, generating ideas, and developing solutions [60]. Typically, this human-centered approach focuses on the needs of users and other stakeholders to create new products, services, and processes [61]. By employing design thinking, comprehensive and targeted solutions can be developed to address the core challenges in marine-based food production, leading to sustainable and impactful advancements in the industry.  
A design thinking tool widely used to better understand the core issues is a problem tree [62], considered the problem-finding phase in design thinking, helping in breaking down complex issues into manageable parts, facilitating a deeper understanding of the problem space, and guiding the ideation process [63; 64]. Using a tree as a metaphor, it helps separate the causes (roots) from the effects (branches) of a primary problem (trunk), and potentially frame problem statements in a new and better way. To visualize and identify the primary problem, its main causes, and the resulting effects in the context of challenges for sustainable and rapid biotechnology-based development, a problem tree was constructed and is presented in Figure 1.  
Based on the insights from the problem tree, a problem-solution value proposition to address these challenges was developed (Figure 2). A value proposition is a concise report that summarizes how a product solves a specific problem or delivers a unique benefit for the customers or stakeholders. A problem statement provides a clear description of the pain point or gap that the product addresses [62]. In this case study, the identifiedproblem is defined as the inefficient and unsustainable extraction and utilization of bioactive compounds from marine sources for food production and the main solution to develop and implement innovative technologies and strategies to address the extraction, purification, scalability, regulatory, and consumer education challenges.  
The proposed problem-solving value proposition offers tailored benefits to key stakeholders involved in the utilization of marine-based bioactive compounds [63]. For food producers, adoption of innovative marine bioactive solutions promises to enhance operational efficiency, reduce production costs, introduce product differentiation in competitive markets, and broaden market penetration with novel, health-enhancing food offerings. Consumers are proposed to benefit from access to marine-derived food products that ensure both health advantages and assurances of safety and sustainability, aligning with increasing consumer demand for nutritious and environmentally sound choices. Regulatory bodies play a crucial role by facilitating adherence to rigorous safety standards and promoting innovation in marine-based food technologies, fostering collaboration and compliance with streamlined regulatory frameworks, thereby promoting sustainable growth in the sector.  
Figure 1: Problem tree illustrating challenges and solutions for marine-based bioactive compounds depicting the root causes and impacts of inefficient and unsustainable extraction and utilization of marine bioactive compounds. Key challenges include consumer skepticism, contamination, scalability issues, regulatory hurdles, and extraction difficulties, leading to environmental, health, marketability, and economic impacts.