Introduction
The definition of design usually depends on the field that the definition applies. This is not very strange given the differences in opinion regarding the fundamental components of design. Design as a function applies to the fashion industry as well as to the manufacturing industry. This function is also vital in the software industry as well as architecture. This explains why it is almost impossible to find a single definition for use across different fields.
On the other hand, design thinking is becoming the uniting thread that ties all the design approaches found in different fields. This refers to the approach, rather than the specific methods that designers use to develop design options. This paper explores the implications of design thinking to businesses.
The fundamental inquiry that this paper deals with is whether marketers can benefit from design thinking. To achieve this, the paper examines design approaches and methods in order demonstrate their relevance to business.
Design Approaches and Methods
Design thinking is the overall philosophy that guides designers regardless of their fields. The first element of design thinking is that it focuses on people. The goal of design is to provide solution to various problems that people face. This means that any item that comes from a designer’s desk must meet the functional requirements needed to meet consumer needs.
However, the designer must also think about how people will interact with the product. This aspect is called “emotional design”. Engineers use ergonomics to ensure that final designs are pleasant and suitable to use, while software designers use concept like intuitive design to make software products easy to use.
The second element that governs design thinking is message. This concept arises from the realization that people interact with products, not just as functional items, but also as extensions of themselves. In this sense, people want products that feel right. People interact with products as an intimate part of their lives.
The products send out a message about them to the wider community. For instance, the clothes people wear determine how people look at them. Designers must ensure that whatever they design sends out the message that the customers want. Lawyers want suits that project power and self-confidence, while musicians want attires that demand attention and brand them as musicians.
The third element of design thinking is achieving balance between the art of design, and the science of design. The art of design refers to the freedom of thought, and the evaluation of possibilities in relation to a specific design process. The science of design ensures that the design options meet the constraints of a design project.
Design thinking requires setting aside considerable time to explore the possibilities, and then subjecting these possibilities to extensive analysis to determine whether it is possible to turn them into real products.
Design thinking is a disciplined process that has multiple manifestations. On one hand, engineering designers use linear thinking and iterated processes to develop products, while fashion designers tend to be free spirited. The level of linear thinking associated with design depends on the constraints associated with a design project. In engineering, the level of constraints is higher.
Successful production of a design depends on the availability of materials that can meet the design specifications, and the existence of manufacturing processes for production. In other fields such as fashion design and fine art, constraints are fewer. This means that the designers in these fields have more liberty to pursue intuitive designs.
Design thinking, regardless of the field, required designers to posses both intuitive design skills, and linear design skills because they complement each other. An engineering designer with intuitive skills will produce use friendly products. For instance, the design of a gamepad requires a high level of intuitive thinking as well as linear thinking to ensure that the pad is easy to handle, and is functional.
Implications of Design Approaches to Organizations, Managers, and Entrepreneurs
Managers and entrepreneurs can learn a number of lessons from design thinking. Essentially, managers and entrepreneurs solve problems on a daily basis. Some of the problems require novel solutions because of their uniqueness. Other problems need innovative solutions because of their impact on the business.
Entrepreneurs handle these situations more often because they usually have to develop the processes required to establish their businesses. Organizations also deal with various challenges that require attention. Design thinking can help them to deal with these problems.
Organizations, managers, and entrepreneurs can benefit from design thinking by making people their primary focus. Organizations exist to solve problems. These problems affect people. In this sense, a people centered approach to the development of solutions can help an organization to arrive at better solutions. In the case of managers, most of the problems they deal with concern their subordinates, and their customers.
The design thinking implications for managers is that all solutions they arrive at should take into account the fact that they are dealing with people. For instance, solving problems associated with lateness for work requires managers to find out whether employees who report late have other challenges such as small children, or unpredictable traffic, before creating rules.
Similarly, entrepreneurs should always bear in mind that while their primary objective is to make profit, they must meet all the people-needs in their businesses to guarantee long-term success.
The element of message in design thinking is very applicable to organizations, managers, and entrepreneurs. Organizations must ensure that everything they do communicate a consistent message to all stakeholders. The reason for this is that if an organization does not communicate a consistent message, stakeholders lose faith in the purpose of the organization.
On the other hand, managers must also ensure that all the efforts they put in the management of their employees communicate the correct message to the employees. The message the manager should communicate is not the sloppiness of employees, if the problem lateness. This can damage the working environment. Any measures adopted to curb lateness should communicate the exact problem. In the case of entrepreneurs, the challenge is even greater because of the variety of stakeholders.
The balance between the art of design and the science thereof is also very vital for organizations, managers, and entrepreneurs. With growth, organizations tend to drift towards rigid processes that result in bureaucratic tendencies. This often stifles innovation and slows down decision-making. In other words, too much reliance on linear thinking can results in a monolithic structure that is unresponsive to environmental stimuli.
Organizations must allow a healthy coexistence of structured processes, and unstructured initiatives especially in segments that have high growth potential. For managers, the difference between the science and the art of design is the degree of reliance on proven theories and operating procedures checked against the need for flexibility in decision-making.
The willingness to institute flextime policies to help curb lateness is a good example of this balance if some employees can have manageable schedules by either reporting later or earlier for work. Entrepreneurs on the other hand tend to be intuitive. Many of them will thrive on the art side of design, at the cost of the science side.
There is need to institute systems necessary for running the business. For instance, entrepreneurs should have predictable financial systems that allow them to receive payments and pay suppliers with ease. Successful businesses are contingent on strong financial management.
Shaping Personal Approach to Learning, Knowledge and Design
The discussion presented above illustrates how design thinking can help to strengthen other areas of business. While the second section deals with the possibilities presented by design thinking to the running of the organizations, they equally apply to marketing. In short, marketing deals with people just like the design process.
All marketing efforts must focus on the people who are likely to buy a product. This fact demonstrates the need to look at design as a possible source of learning for marketing students. In particular, every marketing student needs to learn about people.
On the issue of message, the relationship between design and marketing is very close. Marketers are very keen on the message that they put across to potential clients. In fact, marketers frame the language that an organization uses to market its products. This is a very intimate connection with design thinking because message is also a fundamental part of design thinking.
The implication for marketing student and learners is that it is beneficial to understand the message the designers of a product or process intended to communicate when they designed the product. This can help a marketer to market the product more effectively. It also means that marketing practitioners need to pay attention to designers because designers infuse messages into products that marketers send to consumers. Collaboration can only improve the efficiency of marketing.
Design thinking abhors constraints and promotes possibilities. The use of design thinking relegates the evaluation of ideas based on constraints to a later stage. In current marketing practice, the development of marketing strategies starts with the consideration of constraints. Marketing managers start by looking at the marketing budget, and the size of the marketing team.
The application of design thinking to marketing means that marketers should evaluate the actual marketing needs, and consider how best to meet these needs, before considering the constraints. The reality is that many companies have very strict budgets. Budgets are however justified by the results. If a higher marketing budget results in a more effective marketing campaign, then it is naĂŻve to limit marketing efforts to constraints.
Conclusion
It is clear that marketers can benefit from design thinking. In fact, design thinking is a welcome dimension in the operations of organizations as well as the work of managers and entrepreneurs. The main benefits that marketers can get from design thinking include the opportunity to focus on opportunities rather than constraints.
Secondly, design thinking can help to improve the process of developing a marketing message. The third benefit is that design thinking can help marketers to perpetuate people-centered marketing.
Reference List
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Martin, RL 2009, The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage, Harvard Business Press, Boston, MA.
Robert, GB 2007, Bringing User Experience to Healthcare Improvement: The Concepts, Methods and Practices of Experience-based Design, Radcliffe Publishing, Oxon.
Verganti, R 2009, Design-Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean, Harvard Business Publishing, Boston, MA.