Design Thinking – the Skill Every Business Student Needs
When BMW sells a car, it knows what customers want. But the company also steps back to understand why they want it. What does a car mean to someone? How does it fit his or her lifestyle? How will people feel about their cars in the future?
BMW wants to understand the emotions behind owning a car, and the process of buying it – how customers can find out what they need, without feeling “sold” to by staff.
They got here through design thinking – creative strategies used by designers that can be applied to finding solutions for other issues. It has been around for decades and has grown out of a creative approach originally used in industrial design. But it can be applied across so many types of businesses. It lends itself to identifying and solving ambiguous, complex human problems.
Design thinking starts with real empathy – putting yourself in your customers’ shoes to understand problems and uncover new and unexpected solutions. Companies might think they know what their clients want, but often they do not – because they have used old fashioned, rigid methods of market research to find out. These are no longer applicable in today’s environment.
Traditional business processes do not typically foster empathetic engagement with customers. Design thinking has nothing to do with data-driven analyses, efficiencies and cost cutting, and it is not relevant for anything without a human angle.
I will bet most business people do not have a clue what real empathy is, but business students cannot afford not to learn it.
When BMW sells a car, it knows what customers want. But the company also steps back to understand why they want it. What does a car mean to someone? How does it fit his or her lifestyle? How will people feel about their cars in the future?
BMW wants to understand the emotions behind owning a car, and the process of buying it – how customers can find out what they need, without feeling “sold” to by staff.
They got here through design thinking – creative strategies used by designers that can be applied to finding solutions for other issues. It has been around for decades and has grown out of a creative approach originally used in industrial design. But it can be applied across so many types of businesses. It lends itself to identifying and solving ambiguous, complex human problems.
Design thinking starts with real empathy – putting yourself in your customers’ shoes to understand problems and uncover new and unexpected solutions. Companies might think they know what their clients want, but often they do not – because they have used old fashioned, rigid methods of market research to find out. These are no longer applicable in today’s environment.
Traditional business processes do not typically foster empathetic engagement with customers. Design thinking has nothing to do with data-driven analyses, efficiencies and cost cutting, and it is not relevant for anything without a human angle.
I will bet most business people do not have a clue what real empathy is, but business students cannot afford not to learn it.
Think about the experience of joining a bank. Companies such as Deutsche Bank are in the process of using design thinking to innovate. They “force” employees to act as customers and use the same services and products as if they were clients.
PepsiCo’s chief executive, Indra Nooyi, has embarked upon a transformation of the company using design thinking. She says rather than thinking as a chief executive, she puts herself in the shoes of a consumer – a mother buying groceries for the family – and she encourages all employees to do the same.
This human-centred approach highlights problems you may not have known existed, and then uses them as stepping stones to innovation. If you want to be inspired, you must get away from processes and assumptions that do not give you original insights, or you will be ill informed.
Vocabulary:
steps back – stops for a moment to consider a situation from a broader, more detached perspective, “The manager steps back from daily tasks to look at the company’s long-term goals.”
lifestyle – the way in which a person or group lives, including their habits, possessions, and choices, “She changed her lifestyle by eating healthier foods and exercising every day.”
emotions behind – the true feelings that cause someone to act or behave in a certain way, “The psychologist wanted to understand the emotions behind the boy’s sudden anger.”
process – a series of actions, steps, or stages taken to achieve a specific result, “Learning to play the piano is a long process that takes years of practice.”
feeling “sold” to – feeling like a salesperson is forcing or pressure-tricking you into buying something, “I left the clothing store because I didn’t like feeling “sold” to by the staff.”
design thinking – a creative, human-centered method used to solve complex problems and find practical, innovative solutions, “Our team used design thinking to build an app that truly helps elderly users.”
strategies – detailed plans or methods used to achieve a specific success or goal, “The coach talked to the players about new defensive strategies to win the game.”
industrial design – the professional service of creating and developing concepts for manufactured products, “He studied industrial design to learn how to create beautiful and useful furniture.”
lends itself to – is suitable for or easily adapts to a particular purpose or activity, “The spacious hall lends itself to hosting large wedding parties.”
ambiguous – unclear, confusing, or having more than one possible meaning, “The instructions were so ambiguous that nobody knew what to do next.”
empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts, or experiences of another person, “A doctor needs to show empathy to make patients feel cared for and safe.”
putting yourself in your customers’ shoes / puts herself in the shoes of – imagining what a situation feels like from another person’s point of view to understand them better, “Before judging his decision, try putting yourself in his shoes to see how hard it was.”
uncover – to find, discover, or reveal something that was hidden or unknown, “The archeologists hope to uncover ancient treasures beneath the sand.”
rigid – stiff, unyielding, and difficult to change or adapt, “The school has a rigid schedule that does not allow students to choose their own classes.”
market research – the activity of gathering information about what consumers want, need, and buy, “The company did lots of market research before launching their new soda flavor.”
applicable – relevant, suitable, or appropriate for a particular situation or person, “The new safety rules are applicable to everyone working in the factory.”
foster – to encourage, support, or help something grow and develop over time, “The teacher tried to foster a love for reading by filling the classroom with fun books.”
data-driven analyses – careful examinations of information based strictly on numbers, metrics, and statistics, “The company relies on data-driven analyses to see which products sell the best.”
efficiencies – ways of doing tasks quickly, smoothly, and successfully without wasting time, money, or effort, “The new factory machines created great efficiencies in production.”
cost cutting – the act of reducing a company’s expenses to save money and increase profit, “The business used cost cutting methods like using less electricity and paper.”
relevant – closely connected, important, or appropriate to what is being discussed or done, “Please only ask questions that are relevant to today’s science lesson.”
human angle – a focus on the personal, emotional, or human side of a story or business problem, “The newspaper article focused on the human angle of the flood rather than just the financial damage.”
have a clue – to have any knowledge, understanding, or idea about something, “I don’t have a clue how to fix a broken car engine.”
cannot afford not to – must absolutely do something because the alternative would cause too many negative problems, “If you want to pass the final exam, you cannot afford not to study every day.”
innovate – to introduce new ideas, methods, or products to create positive change, “To stay successful in a competitive market, tech companies must constantly innovate.”
embarked upon – started a new, important, or exciting project, journey, or activity, “After graduating from college, she embarked upon a new career in journalism.”
transformation – a complete and big change in the appearance, nature, or character of something, “The old town went through a huge transformation with beautiful new parks and buildings.”
consumer – a person who buys goods and services for their own personal use, “The modern consumer spends a lot of time shopping online using smartphones.”
groceries – items of food and household supplies sold at a supermarket, “He went to the store to buy groceries like milk, eggs, fresh vegetables, and bread.”
human-centred approach – a strategy that prioritizes the needs, behaviors, and experiences of real people when designing solutions, “The hospital adopted a human-centred approach to make check-ins less stressful for patients.”
highlights – draws special attention to or makes something very easy to see and notice, “The yellow marker highlights the most important sentences in the textbook.”
stepping stones – events, experiences, or stages that help you make progress toward achieving a larger goal, “Making minor mistakes can serve as stepping stones to future success.”
inspired – filled with an urge or a feeling of excitement to do something creative, meaningful, or good, “Watching the Olympics inspired her to start running every single morning.”
assumptions – things that are accepted as true or certain to happen, without any real proof or evidence, “You shouldn’t make assumptions about someone’s personality before getting to know them.”
insights – deep, clear, and valuable understandings of a complicated problem or situation, “The market research gave us valuable insights into what teenagers want to buy.”
ill informed – having or showing a lack of accurate, reliable, or sufficient knowledge about something, “If you don’t read the instructions, you will be ill informed about how to assemble the desk.”