What Your Team is Missing About Design Thinking

The design thinking process is well documented and established.
In fact, our most recent podcast guest, Wayne Li, was at the
famous Stanford d.school when they helped create and document
design thinking in the first place. 


At a high level, design thinking is when a diverse group of
people with varying expertise can work harmoniously, steeped in a
culture of trust, to make cool things (products, solutions,
services) happen. 


However, even with a solid understanding of design thinking and
efficient design practices in general, many businesses still miss
the mark. Why? Because they forget two related things:
Validation loops are essential to great product
outcomesFlexibility in your development process is required 

By nature, design thinking is cyclical, not
linear.


The goal is to find the best possible solution or product to
solve a problem, right? That requires gathering your diverse
thinkers and brainstorming expansively. Then, going back to the
ideas raised in your brainstorming session and examining them
through a critical, deductive lens. 


You may need to go back and forth and round and round (hence the
validation loops) to land on the best possible solution.


See how design thinking needs to be flexible to work effectively?
Yes, there are prescribed phases. But ultimately, your team has
to be willing to evaluate what’s in front of them at any given
time, and even take a step backward before pushing on. 


And therein lies the problem. It’s hard for people to work in
this non-linear way. It goes against our neurological
instincts. 


In our latest podcast, host J Cornelius and guest Wayne Li talk
more on optimizing your design processes from a human
perspective.  
Topics Include: 

How those in academia (which brought us design thinking)
approach design challenges 

What football and improv comedy have in common — and what
they tell us about how we should handle projects 

How working as a unit — not in departmental silos — leads to
innovative ideas

About Wayne Li

Wayne Li is a professor of design and engineering at one of the
world’s premier design schools, Georgia Tech. There, he leads
joint teaching initiatives and advances interdisciplinary
collaboration between mechanical engineering and industrial
design. 


Prior to becoming a professor at Georgia Tech, Li worked for
Pottery Barn in innovation and market expansion. Impressively, he
also taught for Stanford University’s design program — the same
school that first ideated design thinking. 


Overall, Wayne generates significant profits, expands market
penetration, and drives innovation in all his roles. His strong
brand management, product differentiation, and design strategy
experiences are unmatched. 


Learn more about Wayne Li and connect on LinkedIn.


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