Design thinking is often thrown around as a buzzword in corporate innovation meetings, but what does it actually mean in practice? More importantly, how can it be applied to everyday work and decision-making—not just product launches or digital transformation projects?
Breaking Down Design Thinking
So, what is design thinking in practice? At its core, it’s a human-centered approach to problem-solving that prioritizes empathy, experimentation, and iteration. It involves, first and foremost, understanding the needs and experiences of the people impacted by the problem and its potential solution. Only then, do we start brainstorming creative solutions, prototyping and testing those solutions, and refining them based on feedback.
Originally championed by companies like IDEO and Stanford d.school, design thinking has since been widely adopted in business, technology, and even personal productivity.
The five key stages of design thinking are:
- Empathize – Understand the needs of those you’re designing a solution for.
- Define – Clearly articulate the problem you’re solving.
- Ideate – Generate a range of possible solutions.
- Prototype – Create simple, low-cost versions of your ideas.
- Test – Gather feedback and refine your solution.
This structured yet flexible process helps teams cut through assumptions and focus on real user needs. But how do we apply this outside of structured innovation workshops?
HDD is Life
I am not a fan of buzzwords at the best of times. Every decade, some expert or other will coin a “new” concept which, when looked at more closely, is merely a reframing of an age-old practice. Unfortunately, a good amount of jargon slips in quickly in an office setting and, particularly when working closely as a team, it’s easy to end up communicating in a string of buzzwords that sound great together, but that seem to hold little meaning.
Perhaps one of the advantages of working with a team whose first language is different to my own, is that it forces you to explain and describe concepts in more detail. It also gives you the opportunity to compare ideas to similar terms and jargon that may be used in different parts of the world or that was popular in different eras. Mostly, I find it pushes me to give clear examples; to not just explain a concept, but to paint a picture, drawing parallels to situations my team may find more relatable.
When we initiate new team members to Hypothesis Driven Design, I will inevitably at some stage scrawl on the whiteboard that “HDD = Life”. Once you become familiar with the design thinking process, it becomes clear that it is our natural approach to understanding the world around us. Some people are more naturally talented, some intuitively apply a structured approach, others are more haphazard or fail to interpret the “test results”, but ultimately, we all learn through iteration.
Design Thinking is how we refine our skills, habits, and decision-making over time. Whether it’s an athlete perfecting their technique through continuous feedback or a musician tweaking their performance based on audience response, iteration is how we improve in all aspects of life. The key is developing the ability to recognize patterns, assess what works and what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly. The best leaders, creators, and innovators aren’t the ones who never fail—they’re the ones who refine their approach every single time.
Applying Design Thinking to Everyday Work
Even if you’re not a designer or product manager, the Design Thinker’s mindset can dramatically improve decision-making and problem-solving in your daily routine:
- Empathy: Before making a decision or solving a problem, take the time to understand the perspectives of those affected. Ask questions, listen actively, and try to see the situation from their point of view.
- Ideation: Don’t settle for the first solution that comes to mind. Generate a wide range of ideas, even if they seem unconventional or impractical at first.
- Prototyping: Create quick and dirty prototypes of your ideas to test them out. This could involve sketching out a concept, creating a mock-up, or role-playing a scenario.
- Testing: Get feedback on your prototypes from users and stakeholders. Observe how they interact with your solution and ask for their honest opinions.
- Iteration: Use the feedback you receive to refine your solution. Don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board if necessary.
By incorporating these design thinking principles into your daily work, you can approach problems with a more creative and user-centered mindset. This can lead to better decision-making, more innovative solutions, and a greater focus on the needs of those you serve:
- Running More Effective Meetings: Begin by understanding the needs of each participant before diving into discussions. Clearly define the meeting’s goal, brainstorm solutions collaboratively, and be open to adjusting the approach based on feedback received.
- Managing Teams: Leaders can use design thinking to create better team cultures. Seeking direct feedback from employees (empathize), defining issues clearly before acting, and iterating policies based on real-world effectiveness ensures continuous improvement.
- Solving Business Challenges: Instead of relying solely on top-down decisions, teams can utilize design thinking to experiment with solutions, measure outcomes, and continuously refine their approach. Whether streamlining operations or improving customer experiences, businesses that continuously test and iterate on solutions stay ahead.
The Power of Iteration
One of the biggest takeaways from design thinking is that no solution is perfect on the first attempt. Our public tagline is “Connecting The Dots”, referring to the holistic approach of our methodology. Internally though, our tagline is “Iterate to Obliterate”. By applying the very basic stance that we will get better the more we do things, we have been able to deliver replicable results for ourselves and our clients. Not just as a one-off either, but year after year.
In a fast-moving business environment, adaptability is key. Whether you’re improving a process, refining a strategy, or even deciding how to structure your workday, iteration is essential.
Design Think Your Way to Resilience and Success
Design thinking isn’t just for designers—it’s for anyone looking to approach problems with creativity, empathy, and flexibility. By applying these principles to everyday work, individuals and teams can become more innovative, resilient, and effective problem-solvers. The next time you face a complex challenge, step back and ask: Am I approaching this with the right mindset?