Let’s Bring Home Even More Benefits from Design Thinking: Ideas for an Iterated Design Thinking Process Model

Authors: Julia von Thienen, Christoph Meinel
Abstract:
Design thinking research has provided two good reasons for a revision of the design thinking process model. (a) Prototyping is now considered an important means for facilitating communication in all stages of the design thinking process. Therefore, the “prototyping sign” in current process models is misleading. It seems to suggest that prototyping is a single stage or mode, which typically becomes important in the second half of the design thinking process. (b) While design thinking generates most promising innovative ideas, it has proven hard to push successful prototypes to large scale real life solutions, i.e. as products of the company who placed a design order. That is not too surprising given that current process models offer little help for further advancing successful prototypes. We suggest a revised process model that expands the end phase: (1) Explore, (2) point of view, (3) ideate, (4) test prototypes, (5) bring home. The last stage or mode prompts us to assemble methods for design thinkers to advance successful prototypes or to benefit in other meaningful ways, i.e. to extract the most from failures or to reflect and enhance personal innovation skills.