#4 Design Thinking Micro Course

Choosing the innovation

Part #4 of 6  | 5 minute read

So at this point you’ve defined the problem, you’re continuously researching and validating the design or innovation, you’ve successfully generated a broad range of ideas and solutions, and have refined those ideas into prototypes. Awesome- now you’re at the ‘choosing’ stage of the design thinking process.

Problem Solving as a process

After the ideas have been examined with respect to outside stakeholders, it comes time to choose optimal solutions. Essentially, it entails reviewing the objective of the problem solving initiative and selecting powerful ideas. This step requires an effective degree of decision-making ability, that’s no surprise. At the core of this though is a need to effectively problem solve.

And it’s not problem solving in the traditional sense. It’s not a matter of coming up with one concrete solution that is the ‘best’ option. A key distinction in design thinking problem solving is that a number of solutions may be chosen at this point, and simultaneously developed. Rather than ‘setting and forgetting’, design thinking challenges you to constantly be on the look out for more suitable solutions to your problems.

So in this regard, you need to think of problem solving as an ongoing process, not a task. It can’t be ticked off a to-do list.

Remember the rules?

The ‘choosing’ phase is a really good time to reflect on the design thinking rules that we’ve explored previously. This is where they really come into play.

Firstly, the choice of solutions must be a social process. Understanding the impacts of the innovation, consulting stakeholders and collaboratively problem solving are all by nature social processes. Creating effective and meaningful consumer experiences and designing innovations that motivate employees are therefore important considerations in this phase. Here we see the human-rule in effect.

Secondly, the key notion to design thinking is that the brainstorming and feedback loops are ongoing, and never limited or concluded. This should remind you of the re-design rule. 

"How many ideas do you have to have at the start of something? Then, that's whittled down to good ideas, then it's whittled down to a few that you actually try, then it's down to just one or two that you might make prototypes and try in the market, and then it's down to one, which at the end of the day, will actually stand in the market"

Prof. Robin Batterham AO - Chief Scientist, Australia (1999-2005)

Ducere Global Leader

Key Takeaways

• A key distinction in design thinking problem solving is that a number of solutions may be chosen at this point, and simultaneously developed
• Design thinking challenges you to constantly be on the look out for more suitable solutions to your problems
• Remember the human-rule and the re-design rule

Tomorrows chapter will start to look at putting these solutions into practice – from Design Thinking to ‘design doing’