design thinking

Design Thinking is an approach to innovation similar to that used by a designer. Inspired by the designer both in his way of thinking and in his means, Design Thinking encourages employee creativity and thus innovation.

While the method only became widely used in the early 2000s, as early as 1969, Herbert A. Simon spoke of design as "a way of thinking". The method only really developed in the 1980s at Stanford University. Finally, in 1987, Peter G. Rowe published Design Thinking, which is still the movement's reference work today.

Steve Jobs explains that "most people make the mistake of thinking that design is about appearance [...]. That's not how we define design [...]. Design is how it works."

Indeed, Design Thinking is intended to be a combination of thought, method and process. Taking into account the lifestyle and habits of consumers as well as their needs, this method is implemented in three stages.

First, it is a question of identifying the problem and the framework, then finding the concept that provides a solution to this problem, and finally designing a prototype that embodies this concept. It is therefore the experience that is at the heart of Design Thinking, since each idea or project is materialized.

In order to achieve this, the different skills within the company are combined: collective intelligence therefore plays a key role in the application of Design Thinking. Thus, this method has the advantage of strengthening cohesion within the company, and also makes it possible not only to increase the creativity of the teams but also to improve their organization.

Finally, it guarantees a proximity between the company and consumers. However, Design Thinking has been met with criticism, particularly from Nussbaum, who does not hesitate to talk about a "failed experience". According to him, some companies freeze because of their inability to receive disorder necessary for creativity.