Thinking by design

Abstract

Design thinking has gained popularity over recent years through the investigation of practice adopted by design professionals. Providing definitions of creativity, innovation, design, the design professional and design thinking raise a number of questions. Such questions aim to link the terms and identify the adopted thought processes and behaviour, together with the stages involved in the implementat1on of the design thinking processes, usually occuring within a system. Through an understanding of its core components, design thinking could be applied in other business sectors as a means of developing creative and innovative practice. This study addresses the literature gap by exploring how design professionals, such as architects and designers, innovate through design thinking, applied as a tool within a design .firm and how it could be applied in other business sectors leading organisations into innovation. The research questions are addressed through a qualitative approach by means of semi-structured interviews with eight design professionals and observations of design practice application with four design professionals. The sample was therefore made up of nine design professionals in total. The results obtained through thematic analysis present themes which define and link creativity, design thinking and innovation. The themes explored the career progression of the design professional, which relies on ongoing personal development and knowledge acquisition leading towards the important skills needed for success. Skill required refer to communication, visual thinking, technical skills, creativity, developing a mind-set that shifts from problems to solution and risk-taking. The results provide a suggestive five stage design thinking process which requires the ideal design firm set up, identifying the benefits of design thinking. The study provides recommendations for further research identifying the possible use of idea generation tools within the process and its application within other business sectors as a means to further define the term and obtain more insight on the process.