However, we hope that a mindset can also spread on a bottom-up and transversal basis in an organization. When we look after our day-to-day tasks tomorrow morning, we should try to live the new mindset or think about which mindset might fit our organization. So heads up and get going!
We have noticed that the training and the application of design thinking at universities and colleges are spreading very fast. Problem-based learning is an important experience for many participants and students not only in a design thinking course—it’s a contemporary way of conveying learning content in general! They learn how agilely and radically teams work and network with other participants in the course of actively processing the problem statements. Often, this gives rise to connections that help to find suitable co-founders for the implementation of business ideas. Companies should also become more involved and have their problem statements prepared by the students. Such possibilities are offered by the ME310 course at Stanford University: in the framework of SUGAR, various international student teams are searching for the next great market opportunity. In addition, well-known programs are offered in Europe and Asia plus at numerous institutions in North America.
Tschüss, Peter! Zàijiàn, Lilly! Bye-bye, Marc! Hello, Future!
Peter, Lilly, and Marc have accompanied us as personas through the Playbook. And we hope that some of you have recognized yourselves in the day-to-day challenges, problem statements, and character traits. We have grown fond of the trio!
Lilly has now fleshed out in detail her design thinking consulting services and has dared to found the company. The tagline of her consulting boutique is: “The future is not enough.” Jonny has sent her way an initial project at the bank for which he works. This customer is an excellent reference for Lilly’s value proposition. For this proposition, Lilly relies on the soft approach of design thinking and the lean start-up methodology. In addition, she integrates a number of models from the old world in her own design thinking approach—“Shaken, not stirred”—something that is quite well received at least by global banks. After all, some bankers drive an Aston Martin like James Bond in the old days. A proposition that would better incorporate Asian ways of conducting business is unfortunately still lacking. Moreover, Lilly is three months pregnant and looks forward to little James completing her happiness in the near future. By the way, Lilly didn’t tell us in the beginning that she is such a big Bond fan!
Peter is increasingly focusing on design challenges, which are on the agenda as part of the digitization efforts of his employer and his customers. He especially likes the new smart topics—from smart mobility to smart city. He dreams of a multimodal mobility platform for Europe. On this platform, all public and private mobility providers would offer their services. The people in the European Union and their visitors would have a unique customer experience to plan their trips optimally, book flights and train rides through state-of-the-art technology (e.g., blockchains), and process payment transactions. In addition, unique movement and behavior data will be made available to individual countries and cities in order to make everything a little bit smarter. Thus not only traffic would be directed optimally but also the planning of the urban space. This would be a first step toward a “smart nation” that is second to none! Peter is very well aware of the fact that this design challenge is a wicked problem, but maybe the challenge might be solved by design thinking in combination with systems thinking, the hybrid model, and, of course, the right mindset.
Marc and his start-up team continue to think big. They want to revolutionize the health care system! The team realized the first functionalities of their idea for a private blockchain for patients. The current MVP has only limited functionalities but they are used in the MVE and it already provides the patients with information about which data has been created for the “health record” and when and where it was done. In the meantime, the start-up also cooperates with an established technology company that has shown interest in taking on the development for the analytics in the field of health metadata. The cooperation partners use the hybrid model for their innovation projects. Thus sound solutions emerge iteratively with the perspectives of the business team and data analytics teams.
Within the framework of the Start-X at Stanford University, Marc and his team also had the opportunity recently of pitching their business idea and the first MVP/MVE of their solution. At the end of it, several companies wanted a personal meeting with the team. In particular, the multidimensional business model in the business ecosystem, in which the benefits were clearly worked out for all stakeholders, won over the attendees and potential investors. Blockchain as a technology component was also recognized and appreciated as a suitable technology. Marc had invited Linda to the presentation of the business idea and presented her as a health expert. The start-up ultimately was able to realize another round of financing and create a lot of attention in the community. The matter is clear to Marc and his team. They continue to live their mindset, to iterate the next set of functionalities in their MVP fast and with agility, and test the functions on the MVE. The goal is to generate more capital for the venture in a couple of months with an Initial Coin Offering (ICO).
THANK YOU!
to Jana, Elena, Mario, Daniel, Isabelle …
Our thanks go to the many experts who have highlighted many facets, tools, and extensions of design thinking so that this Design Thinking Playbook could be produced for you.
Combine design thinking with systems thinking and the hybrid model—even complex problems can be solved, agility heightened, and the range of solutions enlarged through the integration of various approaches!
Use the lean canvas to summarize the findings—it is the link between the final prototype of design thinking and the lean start-up phase!
The design of business ecosystems becomes a key capability in networked structures—think in value streams and win-win situations for all stakeholders to create a minimum viable ecosystem (MVE)!
New design criteria are essential in digitization. With the use of artificial intelligence and human–robot interaction, there is an exchange of information, knowledge, and emotions—design this interaction consciously and accept that complex systems require more complex solutions!
Design not only the space but also the work environment. Make sure that the creative spaces are not overloaded —less is more!
Put interdisciplinary teams together consisting of T-shaped and Pi-shaped members—the transparency of the thinking preferences helps to build winning teams!
Create an organizational structure without silos and a mindset that matches the organization—this is the only way to disseminate design thinking transversally in the company.
Apply strategic foresight as the ability to plan and design the desired future—successful companies have a clear strategy and leaders who promote these visions!
Internalize the mindset and the design thinking process, work in short iterations, and develop an awareness of the groan zone—it is critical in order to be successful in the end!
Build up empathy by understanding the actual needs and the background of potential users—this is the only way to realize true innovations!
Create prototypes under time pressure and test them as early as possible in the real world. Integrate the various stakeholders in the testing—the principle is: Love it, change it, or leave it!
PRESENTATION OF THE EXPERTS
RÉSUMÉS
Michael has had different roles over the last few years. He was responsible for strategic growth, acted as Chief Innovation Officer, and laid the foundation for numerous growth initiatives in sectors that are in a transition.
He teaches Design Thinking as a visiting professor at various universities. With his help, a number of international companies have developed and commercialized radical innovations. He postulated a new mindset of converging approaches of design thinking in digitization.
Patrick has been Professor for Product Innovation at the chair for Industrial Enginee
ring/Innovation at Lucerne University of Applied Science–Technology & Architecture since 2009. He studied Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich, then worked as a Project Engineer before receiving his doctorate in the field of innovation management at ETH Zurich. After eight years at Siemens, he now teaches product management and deals intensively with the advancement of agile methods in product management, design thinking, and lean start-up.
WHY ARE YOU A
DESIGN THINKING
EXPERT?
I came into contact with design thinking for the first time in Munich in 2005. At the time, it was a question of supporting start-ups in the development and definition of new products. In recent years, I attended to various company projects, seeing them through at Stanford University. In the context of my various functions in different industries, I was able to initialize a multitude of co-creation workshops with major customers, start-ups, and other actors in the ecosystem and thus advance various methods and tools.
When I first became acquainted with design thinking, I quickly realized the potential of this approach for interdisciplinary collaboration. Since then, we have used the approach in many training and advanced training modules. In particular, the combination of intuitive, circular approaches and analytical methods is very instructive.
Together with colleagues from industry, we advanced design thinking and other agile methods and offer workshops and courses.
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT
DESIGN THINKING TIP?
I know many experts who practice the prevailing design thinking approach with heart and soul and great commitment. For this very reason, we must constantly reflect upon and advance our design thinking mindset. New technologies and progressing digitization offer new opportunities for the development of ideas and the design of customer experiences. I have two tips: Use big data/analytics and systems thinking more extensively in the individual design phases, and integrate the new design criteria of digitization today in the development of innovations for tomorrow.
There is a danger—especially in inexact sciences—that experts proselytize and want to convince others of their approaches. The mindset and its adaptation to the respective context are more important than the process or method. Because all agile and lean approaches have basically the same mindset, you can learn a great deal from the other approaches and experts.
Try out the combination of design thinking with other approaches (hybrid model).
RÉSUMÉS
Since 2015, Armin Ledergerber has been a Service Designer with a focus on social media and cognitive computing in Customer Interaction Experience at Swisscom, the leading telecommunications company in Switzerland. Prior to that, he was a project manager and research associate at the Institute for Marketing Management at Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
Beat is an interdisciplinary inventor, founder, and lecturer at various universities. His research areas are service excellence and business innovation. As a graduate electrical engineer with postgraduate studies in microelectronics, software design, and business administration, he has experienced the whole value chain from R&D to top management. With his consulting company ErfolgPlus, he accompanies companies in the digital transformation. In the startup TRIHOW he researches the use of smart, haptic aids in the design thinking environment.
WHY ARE YOU A
DESIGN THINKING
EXPERT?
I came into contact with design thinking when doing my master’s degree, especially in the area of customer journey mapping and the development of personas. Since then, I have had many opportunities to apply other methods of design thinking in various projects in order to design, test, and finally realize user-centric solutions iteratively.
I have always been fascinated by humans and technology. I have found deep chasm between people and technology in many companies. One talks a lot and understands little. Tangible prototypes in design thinking enable us to better understand, unleash creativity, and create magical team moments. A big concern for me is to bring back the haptics into the work processes. It is probably the most important ingredient in digital transformation and combines people, business, and culture.
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT
DESIGN THINKING TIP?
Get out on the street and to the user or potential customer as early as possible. Ideally, you confront the user already with the first idea or concept outline so that inputs can be integrated in the next iteration. Put simply: Don’t wait too long to venture into the real world.
Design thinking uses all the senses. Think again and again how you can optimally incorporate them. Be brave and quickly overcome the hurdle from thinking to doing. Use the space and be skillful with all the expressions that make your thoughts touchable. This way of working is the ideal track for the pathway from the ego to the we.
RÉSUMÉS
As a facilitator, design thinker, and graphic recorder, he is out and about with his own company, Osterwalder & Stadler GmbH. In conjunction with companies, he developed various thinking labs in which participants also learn to persevere in the somewhat unfamiliar emergence of such laboratories. He is also known for his very impressive graphic recordings on meter-long paper strips.
Dominic teaches at Bern University of Applied Sciences, Innovation and Change Management, and is the founder of INNOLA GmbH, which addresses innovations for life in old age. His journey led him through a wide variety of occupations and locations: gardener in Ireland, care professional in Antigua in the Caribbean, instructor at the AIDS Federation in Bern, and process manager in the Swiss financial industry. In design thinking, Dominic saw an opportunity to deploy his T-shaped personality to create an impact.
WHY ARE YOU A
DESIGN THINKING
EXPERT?
As a facilitator and volunteer coach in professional sports, I’m mainly interested in the way the coaching and support for innovative processes and projects is done as well as the question of how peak performances can be achieved over and over. In addition, I teach design thinking in the context of facilitation change, so that the big picture of a transformation does not get lost in the shuffle.
I got to know design thinking during my master’s degree studies in 2010. Since then, I have been practicing design thinking in a wide variety of projects and a wide range of areas, including the health care sector, insurance, and education. The challenge in the context of design thinking switched from a focus on methods to conveying the mindset in a zero-error culture, especially in large companies.
YOUR MOST IMPORTANT
DESIGN THINKING TIP?
Dialog begins with listening. It is—as William Isaac said so wonderfully aptly—the art of thinking in common and—I’d like to add—acting in common. When you manage design thinking projects, you should be present but low key; be there, follow things with every fiber of your mind and body, and pay the utmost attention to how you can promote and encourage this way of thinking in common.
Human beings have two ears and one mouth. Thus the ratio is set: Listen twice as much as you speak. One big mistake: “I know what my customer wants. I don’t have to ask him.” Don’t be afraid of people’s eyes rolling and the feeling you’re the pollo (Spanish for chicken). Only those who ask questions will get an answer and the opportunity to learn. Another mistake: “My customer can say to me what he wants.” Customers usually express what they would like or what gets them angry. Only rarely do they suggest an innovative solution. Empathy is the key.
RÉSUMÉS
As a partner of Innoveto, Elena supports her customers in their innovation projects. Time and again, she comes up with new ideas to make the journey instructive and inspiring. Design thinking and agile innovation form the core aspects and are enriched with her own inspirations. Previously, Elena produced fresh ideas with BrainStore and learned to switch on the ideas machine for the challenges of customers.
Emmanuel is the founder and managing partner of neueBerating GmbH, a leading consultancy firm for the development and expansion of ne
w business fields and business models. Ever since graduation, he has been passionately involved in the development and implementation of new business models.
WHY ARE YOU A
DESIGN THINKING
EXPERT?
Since 2013, design thinking has been my professional life. I support clients in their innovation processes using approaches from various disciplines. In addition, I design new projects in which I translate theoretical knowledge into practical skills. I discovered the design thinking discipline when doing my master’s and was quickly totally taken with it. I have deepened my knowledge analyzing several scientific papers.
I experienced design thinking initially in 2011. I was thrilled that so many of the individual components I was already familiar with were embedded in an overarching concept and thus developed an entirely new momentum. Basically, design thinking combines many existing elements and links them successfully. This is why it is more than just a pure innovation tool.
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