...can help us systematically extract, teach, learn and apply these human-centered techniques to solve problems in a creative and innovative way – in our designs, in our businesses, in our countries, in our lives. (What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular?, Interaction Design Foundation, July 2020)
Reading how Design Thinking emerged to what it is today, I found it interesting the earlier methods leading to Design Thinking such Wick Problems in the 60s, Rapid Prototyping a precursor to A.I. in the 70s, and Designerly Ways of Knowing in the 80s, were all just before the emergence of the internet and personal computing. All of the previous methods didn't have the freedom to be as agile as Design Thinking because the technology that supports the cognitive processes required for Design Thinking wasn't easily accessible or available. The article, Design Thinking: Get a Quick Overview of the History (Interaction Design Foundation, November 2020), describes the related fields and methods that lead to Design thinking were not possible until certain societal changes had taken place to allow it to happen. I am curious what the author thinks those society changes are - but I have a hunch that most of it was driven by technology and innovation.
The Harvard Business Review, Why Design Thinking Works by Jeanne Liedtka, coins the Design Thinking processes as "social technology" as the technology used during this process helps diminish unfavourable biases and psychosocial barriers to find a solution. This makes sense to me and explains maybe why Design Thinking didn't emerge earlier. As a leader, can you think of how technology helped with a solution with different stakeholders and personalities to solve a problem? Is technology necessary? Likely not, but my bet, as Jeanne Liedtka observes, the success rate increases a lot when confronted with biases and/or barriers.
(updated January, 2024)
With the recent emmgence of AI, the Design Thinking model will continue to pivot and evolve into something and no doubt further accelerate solutions in creative and innovative ways. What will be coined as? Here are some fun guesses:
- Adaptive or Enhanced Design Thinking: Signifying the adaptive nature of design thinking when enhanced with AI
- Intelligent Ideation: Emphasizing the use of AI intelligence in the ideation phase of the design process
- CogniCraft: Merging "Cognition" with "Craft," (synonymous to design) indicating the cognitive craftsmanship involved in design with AI
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