In today's world, there's no shortage of tools and technologies aimed at enhancing business value. Investing in flashy new solutions can be tempting, if not just plain exciting. You want to give your customers a great experience, and heck, you at least want to feel like you're keeping up with the Joneses. But how can you ensure that your choices are the best for your customers and the most worthwhile for your business?
Mark Lotter, Design & Customer Success Leader at Summa, speaking at Design Matters: Introduction to Design Thinking at the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Wednesday, January 11, 2017.
Understanding your customers is key to developing new value for your business
Design thinking makes sure that when you innovate, you innovate in a way that has the best chance of boosting your business value. This increasingly popular methodology puts customer needs first and incorporates the input of stakeholders from across the business. Once the need in question is understood in a holistic way, constant iteration and feedback guides the team towards a truly innovative solution.
Design Thinking Fundamentals
This week, Mark Lotter, Design & Customer Success Leader at Summa, presented an introductory lesson in design thinking at the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Check out some of the design thinking fundamentals he shared, and consider incorporating them into your practice.
Design thinking isn't just for designers
"[Traditionally] things are 'figured out' and given to 'the designers' to make. That's not really effective," says Lotter. Design thinking demands collaboration, so that multiple aspects of the business are doing the "figuring out" and the "designing" together.
Design thinkers learn by making, which helps them think more intently about what's "right"
Design thinking preaches constant iteration and feedback from the people who really know what "perfect" looks like—your customers. Sure, some of your experiments might fail, but those failures will guide you towards more innovative alternatives.
Understanding the problem is also about understanding the systems where the problem lives
No problem exists in a vaccuum. Getting the context around a problem is critical to choosing the right solution.
Empathy is everything
Design thinking depends on putting yourselves in your customer's shoes. Ask questions of your customer's experience, and don't just stop with what they need or want. Who they are, what things they care about (time, money, security, health, their community), where they are in the world, what they do for a living—these things can have unexpected impact on how they engage with your business.
Design thinking requires synthesizing analytical and creative thinking
Data can give us incredible insights, but being too reliant on data can limit our willingness to break out and try something new. Creative thinking and brainstorming can open fresh, exciting pathways for business, which can be instrumental as long as we don't get overwhelmed or off track. Both types of thinkers are critical in the design thinking process—welcome them with open arms, but be sure to strike a balance.
