Using Design Thinking Everyday
Practicing design thinking on my teams has sparked innovation, fostered a user-centric mindset, and gotten cross-functional teams working together towards our common goal. It started years ago with a talk at Ideo, which led to a class, which led to a quest to dig deeper and embed design thinking into my everyday work. With that, here are some ways to use it everyday with little fuss and fanfare.
Say yes. Thinking creatively is a tenet of design thinking. And Improv has a foundational exercise which starts with Yes, And (versus yes, but… or no). First, it places you in the moment to focus on listening to connect to the idea, versus plotting about your response and closing down the spark. It creates a culture of building and experimentation. It lets the idea take shape and for the group to co-create something together. So how do I make this work in everyday? First by modeling it. I work hard to be present and literally use the words Yes, And to start my sentences, particularly when I am collaborating with a team. If I notice someone isn’t listening or the team is getting to a solution too quickly, I ask them to spend 5 minutes talking about the idea, but only using the word yes to build, no matter how far out the direction. I explain the goal is to think freely and openly. At the end we discuss any ideas we want to pursue. Every time I’ve tried this we have at least 1 “out of the box” and compelling insight to follow up on. It also has the added benefit of infusing energy and fun into our team.
SMART Goals. My kids set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) goals as a natural part of their learning. And on my teams, I use them as well. Sometimes it starts with a colleague stating a challenge or need. I’ll then ask them to build out their goal or approach by using the SMART technique. We expand using some guidelines. Is the goal clear in terms of what why and who? What metrics will you use to know you’re making progress or have achieved the goal? Is this something within your ability to accomplish? Does the goal personally matter to you and is it worth your time and effort? Does this have some time-boxing and urgency? This practice has led to higher achievement and impact on our team.
User studies. Core to design thinking is deep understanding and empathy with your client or user. Too often we think about our work based on how we’re organized or how we’ve always done something. Becoming user centric makes the work not only meaningful, but impactful. What’s an easy way to be customer centric? Make a practice of engaging with and creating data driven approaches to your user engagement. Keep a running list of conversations, plotting trends. Go on a listening tour to hear what issues and concerns clients have. Shadow clients and observe a day in the life of study. And then build this knowledge capture and analysis into your everyday conversations and decision making. On my teams we have monthly check points on what we’ve learned and actions to serve our clients better.
Personas. Anytime I start any project, I create a series of profiles of the clients I am supporting. I create them based on interviews and build composite profiles. The profiles contain motivation, frustration, and other important info to help the team feel connected to the client we’re building something for. I am often shocked by how seldom this practice is used, especially given how important it is to driving results.
Prototypes. Creating a quick, low cost, early sample, model, or proof of concept allows the team to test and learn, take risks, and improve impact. I make prototyping a habit for our teams. Get something rough out early. No need for fancy software—use post-its, slides, or whatever to help visualize for your users what you’re trying to achieve. The point is to do a low cost, no frills model, for the purposes of helping the team align and learn, and helping your stakeholders give early feedback. Anytime I haven’t prototyped a new product or program has resulted in a longer cycle amongst other things.
There are so many ways to embrace design thinking on your team—these were just a small few, and I hope you dig into the topic and experiment. The rewards are many. And please do share your own everyday design thinking activities. I’d love to hear them!
