Design thinking is beyond a process for executing design projects, its processes can be devised as a strategy for solving complex problems even in our day-to-day activities. We live in a world where the problems we face are multi-faceted, differing from personal issues to governmental issues affecting us, career issues, and all kinds of social issues.
Ideation: Thinking-through
A design thinking culture starts from “Thinking-Through the Problem”, thinking through the problem is the activity required to know the weight of the problem, it enables you to feel the need for the solution which will in turn help how you can generate ideas for problem-solving.
Empathy
Sorting your thoughts to generate a solution, and feeling the weight of the problem is the empathy approach which will own turn birth Ideas on how to solve the problem for us. Feeling the weight of the problem doesn’t imply sulking, rather it implies looking at the damage the problem can cause, and feeling the extent of these damages, so ideas on how to resolve the problems can be developed.
Iteration
Also, iteration is important in problem-solving, your solution might not work the first time, observe where things went wrong, tweak the solution to address what you didn’t see before, and apply it again, you can even ask others about your solution, ask them what they would do if they were in your shoes, this would be you testing your “prototype” as it were.
The processes of empathy, ideation, definition, and iteration of prototypes can be imbibed as a cultural approach to other issues that might surround us. A design thinking culture is possible if you constantly employ the processes for problem-solving.