Design Thinking: Research and Observations (September 2019)

This essay first appeared in the September 2019 issue of Choice (volume 57 | issue 1).

Introduction:

Design thinking inexpensively and collaboratively helps bring innovation to an organization to develop new products or services. It is an iterative process by which diverse work teams first observe what customers need and desire rather than do simple customer surveys. Those surveys tend to focus on the qualities of existing products. What are the problems that a completely new product or service would solve for potential customers? Teams can generate and visualize possible ways to solve those problems. Solutions generated evolve as a result of further interactions with potential users through interviews, judgment, and intuition. Eventually, teams develop quick and …

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About the author:

Gundars Kaupins is a professor of management at Boise State University. Along with humor and creativity research, he has coauthored the textbook “Design Thinking and Strategy” as well as a how-to book on creativity, “Business AHA! Tips on Creativity.”