What is Design Thinking and Why is it So Popular?

While most people associate "design" with artifacts, design is a systematic approach to solving problems. It involves interviewing stakeholders and generating solutions that meet users' needs. While it can be frustrating to develop new ideas for a product, it can also lead to useful innovations. One example of design thinking is brainstorming. Infeasible ideas can generate the best solutions. Designers must balance the need for improvement with feature creep.

For example, Alessi kitchenware has brought new meaning to mundane objects. This was done in conjunction with a psychologist. Alessi based their kitchenware design on boundary object theories. Different models of design thinking have been developed to explain the process. The basic steps are to ask a user, think, and implement. Then, after the initial brainstorming, users' feedback can be collected.

Design Thinking requires designers to understand the users' needs and the problem statement, and to gather as much information as possible from them. After gathering the data, designers can create prototypes and test these ideas with real people. Through testing and learning, they can then refine their concepts and move forward with the process. The key to a successful design is to start with low-fidelity experiments and then increase their fidelity.