MarsDevs' Introduction to Design Thinking

Published on:
August 29, 2022

Did you know where Edison's genius lies? It is not the invention of the bulb but the ability to create a fully developed system of electric power generation and transmission. Developing functional systems is the key to revolution. And design thinking is the way forward.

But, what is design thinking? 

You can define design thinking as an agile, iterative process carried on during a design process. It is an innovative process that promises to center users' desires, wants, and needs, so you can enable your company to pivot alongside the evolution of technology and, therefore, the industry. Design thinking avoids following rules and suggests that there is never one way to solve a particular problem. 

Design thinking process
Design thinking process

Instead of one set methodology, design thinking encourages the idea of questioning, observing, experimenting, and innovating to survive in an environment that constantly evolves. The good part is that it always embraces diverse, innovative approaches and ideas.

When you involve design thinking, you would not have to rely on the old-school corporate hierarchy that needs similar kinds of ideas and continuous approvals. Instead, this time, you will be able to foster an innovative culture that would encourage your employees to challenge, break, and reform norms and corporate traditions while facilitating smart and calculated risks.

How can you implement design thinking in technology?

Design thinking implementation
Design thinking implementation

Your team will make you go through the four main design thinking phases while you develop solutions or products. So, rather than just offering an old-school prescription, design thinking presents you and your team with a loose structure that can evolve as you need for your business.

  • You need to get the inspiration right first:  
    Finding the right and relevant inspiration usually counts as one of the initial phases of the design process. During this process, you will be able to try and understand what the problems or opportunities are, precisely. You'll want to establish objectives, benchmarks, critical contact points, technology needs, and the product-market fit.
Finding product market fit
Finding product market fit
  • You need to understand your users' personas and integrate empathy into this process:  
    Empathy is arguably one of the most critical principles that support the design thinking process. When designing solutions for specific products or services, you must understand what the client truly wants. Businesses often assume their customers wish for something while they do not even care about it.
  • Once you understand your consumers and find the product-market fit, you can get going with strategy and creativity:  
    This phase involves developing as many ideas as possible using both divergent and convergent thinking. You can keep switching between these two models. Divergent and Convergent thinking involve diverse groups of people brainstorming and zeroing in on the best ideas you want to select and follow through.
  • Finally, when you know what you are doing and why, get ready to implement and prototype:  
    Say you have already established some of the best ideas one could ever think of, and get ready to model and prototype by creating actual products and services that you can test, evaluate, and refine.
Creative thinking in designs.
Creative thinking in designs.

MarsDevs Tips: Implementing Design thinking in Development.

  • Start with the basics. There are two ways to go about it. The first step includes learning design thinking from someone who already knows. The second way is the more practical one that allows you to hire a team that already knows design thinking and its implementation.
  • Start creating and conducting low-risk experiments with your team. Get fast feedback by asking questions that you do not have answers to right now.
  • Get the user's experience in the spotlight every time.
  • Help teams as they unlock provocative insights while you innovate by reframing existing problems and generating ideas in response to your user-centric research.
  • Encourage getting multiple sponsor users that can help you get various perspectives as you work on the project. This way, you can reframe the constraints into opportunities and check consistently so you do not make unnecessary assumptions.

What are the principles of design thinking?

Design thinking principles
Design thinking principles

Design thinking is a way for companies to stop assuming and creating simple human-centered designs that seem user-friendly and deliver the technology to users in a way that feels effortless, intuitive, and natural. 

Several core principles define design thinking in a better way. Design thinking as a process is never meant to be a step-by-step instruction, rulebook, or plan, but you need to know and understand the principles that act as the founding pillar of your design thinking strategy.

  • Spotting, analyzing, and targeting real wicked problems:   
    The design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber founded a phrase known as "wicked problems." This term stands for the ill-defined or tricky issues for which we fail to have clear solutions. These problems require you to rely on creative thinking or innovative strategies.
  • It all starts with framing the problem:  
    When you implement design thinking, there will always be more than just one way to look at a problem. Issues are not taken at their face value anymore. Instead, they are recontextualized as you restructure and re-interpret them to find a solution.
  • Get going with clear solution-focused thinking:  
    We have discussed problems a lot. However, instead of focusing only on problems all the time, a design thinking model prioritizes the solutions first while you note the problems still. This approach can even help get a better understanding of the wicked problem.
Solution focused design thinking
Solution focused design thinking
  • Note the importance of abductive reasoning:  
    Abductive Reasoning is a form of logical inference that starts with an observation or just a set of words and then asks you first to find the simplest or the most basic explanation for your observed problems. It is an essential style of reasoning that you must use in design thinking to reframe issues or ideas and find various ways to address the opportunity.
  • Integrate the co-evolution of problem and solution:  
    When you work on a problem and implement design thinking, you will have to switch between thinking about the issue and looking at the ideas for newer solutions that can help you come up with even more solution-focused ideas.

Say "Hi" to innovative design thinking and excellent UIs with your favorite development team at MarsDevs.

Getting a developer that also takes care of your site's design and User Interface is tricky. You can hire the best and find out they do not fit your team. Hiring is a long, tedious, and costly process. And now, think about the number of times you need to hire and fire before you land with the perfect fit. Well, as a friend in need is a friend indeed, MarsDevs can chip in anytime you want.

Besides being an excellent development team, MarsDevs takes care of the overall development process, including the look and feel of what we are working on with you. MarsDevs streamlines your operational systems and saves you time, money, and resources. So, let us connect and discuss possibilities next. 


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