Let’s Start Talking About Design Thinking as a Process… Not a Linear Path.
By: Avery Siegel
Tags: Design Thinking

My whole life I thought I understood what it meant to be a design thinker. I thought it is was simple. That anyone could be a design thinker. I think this mindset comes from the fact that I come from a very progressive and creative bubble of Los Angeles where my peers and I were constantly being encouraged to think outside the box and to not just do but to create. And to create all the time. In my bubble, the term design thinking has been tossed around, but, I realized that even though I have heard the term what feels like a million times, there has never been a clear description of what it really is. I have come to the realization that the lack of description is due to the fact that the term is largely misunderstood. Going into this semester, I thought I was a design thinker simply because I was creative, however, I realized there is so much more to the term than creativity. Design thinking is a process. A process that has no direct path or steps required to reach success. And above all, the process of design thinking is individualized in every scenario, taking into account not only the designer but the people the solution is intended for.

Currently, the most common model of design thinking is the d.school’s hexagon model. This model includes a five step process: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test.

While I do see why this method has been used for so many years, I think that it’s time that the model be adapted to fit the current times. As described in Natasha Jen’s “Design Thinking is Bullsh*t,” the current model is completed through a series of post-it notes. Everywhere. Jen discussed how somehow, post-it notes have become the universal designer tool no matter what the issue that is trying to be solved is. She argues that because every problem is different, we should use different mediums to solve each problem. By using post-it notes for every problem, it creates the idea that there is a universal solution to all problems. Personally, I agree with Natasha Jen’s opinion that designers should move away from post-it notes to create new and innovative ways of the thinking process. Besides the fact that using countless amounts of post-its is extremely wasteful, the world is moving to be primarily technologically based and the design thinking world needs to evolve with the rest of the world. Websites like Mural give a similar feel to post-it brainstorm sessions but allows the process to be a lot more eco friendly.

Additionally, Jen explains how design thinking needs to shift to be a process of human intention. The process of design thinking should be done with humans in mind and should not just be for checking off boxes. This point really struck a chord with me. If we aren’t thinking about human intention what are we thinking about? If we are trying to solve a problem for humans why are we NOT including them in the process? Design Thinkers need to think about the issue that is in front of them holistically.

Another popular approach of design thinking is solution based and problem based solutions. Solution based thinking is coming up with a constructive and effective solution to tackle a specific issue while problem-based thinking fixates on specific obstacles and limitations. When a designer begins their design thinking process, they must consider both types of solutions by asking themselves and the people they are working for these questions: Is it more important to solve the problem entirely? Or is it more important to focus on the things that are creating obstacles and limitations? Most importantly, as a design thinker it is essential to complete ongoing experiments until the issue is solved entirely. While this sometimes might be an easy task, it can at times be a challenging and time consuming mission.

Upon reflecting on this course and listening to interviews from various design thinkers, I have spent a lot of time considering what my design thinking method would be. At this current moment in my life, I would include 7 main steps: Recognize your position/Self Evaluation, Empathize,Understand, Create, Test, and Refine. My design thinking method is created in the shape of a flower because to me, flowers represent growth and I see design thinking as a path of growth. Similarly to a flower, in order for a project to be successful, it is essential that there are all the right components and that it has the space to grow and evolve. For my own design thinking method, I decided to include these particular steps through listening to and evaluating interviews by Marlon Darbeau, Michael Lee Poy, and Maria Rogal as well as considering Natasha Jen’s piece.

Design Thinking Flower By Avery Siegel

S elf Evaluation

In Marlon Darbeau’s interview about his design thinking career and his process as a designer, he discussed the importance of constantly reminding yourself who where you come from as well as always thinking about the people you are working to create a solution for. After listening to Darbeau’s thoughtful answers, I realized that self-evaluation is a key component of the design thinking process. Before starting a project, one must ask themself “What are my biases? and “Does my identity affect how I think about this project?.” After considering your own biases and position, it becomes easier to emphasize with the community in which your project is serving.

Empathize and Understand

I decided to include this step after considering Natasha Jen’s spoken word piece. In her piece, she reminds her listeners the importance of human intention. I agree with Jen in that it is essential to understand the person or group of people you are working with or for. In emphasizing, it is important for the designer to try to put themselves in the shoes of the community they are working with. Personally, I do not think that any project can be sucessful without these key steps.

Create

“If something goes wrong it will so for me, it is arriving at a shelter.”- Michael Lee Poy

Michael Lee Poy’s interview taught me the importance of understanding all aspects of your problem and solution and create as many different paths to success as possible. When you have a problem you want to solve, you must consider all of the possible things that could go wrong and create backup plans. Back up plans might be a different path of simply shelter until you can move back to the initial steps you were planning on doing. Once thinking of all the possible things that could happen, the designer can finally create their project.

Test

After a designer creates their solution, it is essential to test their product and get feedback. While feedback might be challenging to hear at times, it helps designs work to the best of their abilities. Without testing a product before releasing it to the client, the designer risks not providing an excellent solution to the problem they are trying to solve. I think at times, we get so close to our work that it is hard to put ourselves in the shoes of the client and see things from their prospective.

Refine

Lastly, my design thinking method was influenced by Maria Rogal’s interview in which she discusses how everything you learn you take with you which leads me to see the importance of the step of refining. After recieiving the necessary feedback, one must come back to the design portion of the project and implement the imporant feedback. In some cases, this leads designers to go back to the drawing board and start completley over with the process, while other times the refining process can be simple.

Now, after completing this course four months later, I can finally proudly call myself a design thinker. I am a design thinker not only because I am creative but because I understand that design is a process and not just something that happens in the blink of an eye. As I graduate Tulane in a few months and join the work force, I know that being a design thinker will help me in all aspects of my life. I am grateful for my time in this course and for everything Professor Noel taught us.

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