WEEK Four: Design Thinking
Main Ideas and Topics of the Week:
This week we focused on creating solutions to social innovation problems. Solutions focus on the root cause and create sustainable, long-term change. Long-term change is daunting, but the method of design thinking has the power to create or redefine complicated systems. Instead of thinking outside the box, design thinking empowers us to rethink how we use the box.
Design thinking consists of four key elements:
1. Define the problem or defining the right problem to solve (most important of the four stages)
a. Starts with observation- discern what people actually do rather than what you are told that they do.
b. Requires cross functional insight into each problem by varied perspectives as well as constant and relentless questioning.
c. Requires the suspension of judgement in defining the problem statement.
d. The goal of the definition stage is to target the right problem to solve and then frame the problem in a way that invites creative solutions.
2. Create and consider many options
a. No matter how obvious the solution may seem, consider many solutions.
b. Look at the problem from various perspectives- this creates richer results.
c. Better answers happen when 5 people work on a problem for a day, rather than one person for five days.
3. Refine selected directions
a. Promising results need to be embraced and nurtured- even strong ideas are fragile in their infancy.
b. Create an environment conducive to growth and experimentation- make mistakes in order to achieve extraordinary results.
c. Repeat the refining process as needed- loop until the right answer surfaces.
4. Pick the winner, execute
a. Commit resources and achieve objectives
b. Prototypes of solutions are created and testing becomes more critical and intense.
c. The problem is solved or the opportunity is fully uncovered.
Reflection:
This week we read chapter 9 in How to Change the World by David Bornstein. The chapter was titled, “What Sort of Mother Are You?” The chapter outlines the heroic journey of a mother who had a severely disabled son. When she saw the system was broken for helping her and others with children that had disabilities she flipped the system upside down with her never give up attitude.
This mothers fight for her son made me think of what I could be capable of if I saw a need and had a personal connection to it. Could I change an entire system, that in turn could benefit the lives of hundreds of people? Am I up for challenges and roadblocks on a path that seems impossible?
What would it take for me to have this kind of conviction to a cause?
Writing Prompt:
Why is design thinking an important part of social innovation?
I think design thinking is important because it emphasizes that solving “wicked problems” is not a straightforward process that follows a linear path. Rather design thinking allows social innovators the space to listen to understand different perspectives, evaluate what has been done before, and with that solution what can be built upon and what needs to be left behind.
Design thinking gets social innovators to sustainable long-term results.
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