Is design thinking just hype or is it an indispensable success factor in the digital age? How can this method help to master the challenges of digitalization? This was the topic of discussion for the more than 70 participants of the Museum Talk, at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein on October 26, 2017.
"What is the difference whether a startup, a software company, a design agency or a telecommunications giant uses design thinking? And how do they benefit," asked presenter Falk Uebernickel, principal lecturer for strategy and design at the University of St. Gallen. Answers came from Tobias Haug, Head of the Design and Co-Innovation Center, EMEA, at SAP, Markus Schwarzer, founder of startup Groovecat and the innovation agency Lapidar Innovations, and Dietmar Mühr, Designer and founder of the agency Plexgroup. Chief Product and Innovation Officer Christian von Reventlow represented Deutsche Telekom. One thing was clear from the start: everyone is on a first-name basis. While the design thinking community continues to grow steadily, its practitioners know each other.
A few selected statements from the discussion:
"Design thinking is a method for injecting creativity into antiquated corporate structures," is how Dietmar Mühr summarizes his understanding of the method.
Claudia from the audience adds: "It's a mindset and a method for developing something from the customer's perspective." For the designer, digitization is the reason why the method is being hyped so much: " Digitalization is leaving many companies perplexed. For many SMEs, design thinking is an emergency response to finding a solution for the market of the future."
Markus Schwarzer says the method has helped his startup tremendously: "The feedback from test subjects is very helpful for understanding what works for the customers." His innovation agency advises large corporations in the application of design thinking methods. "In my experience, the method helps to change from the bottom up, by empowering employees."
The advantage of design thinking is that it gets people working relatively quickly. In turn, creation sparks the power of thinking. "Ultimately, design thinking should teach engineers how to think like designers, to develop new products," says Christian von Reventlow. "The reinvention of customer-centricity under the name 'design thinking' is opening up entirely new possibilities for business management." Based on the example of a study involving children, he showed how doing handicrafts is sometimes the right way to develop the products of the future.
For Tobias Haug, from SAP, the method has a direct influence on the cultural transformation at companies and in society: "We've lost our humanity in the digitized world. Design thinking is a way for getting humanity back into focus, because it overcomes silo thinking and changes the culture on teams and throughout the company." In turn, this requires the right attitude and the freedom to try new thinks, he adds: "You don’t need a mandate, you need a movement."
