Design Thinking - The Handbook

240mmx190mm
b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook
DESIGN THINKING
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240mmx190mm b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook
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DESIGN THINKING
THE HANDBOOK
Falk Uebernickel
Li Jiang
Walter Brenner
Britta Pukall
Therese Naef
Bernhard Schindlholzer
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Published by
WS Professional, an imprint of
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224
USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601
UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Uebernickel, Falk, author. | Jiang, Li, author. | Brenner, Walter, author.
Title: Design thinking : the handbook / Falk Uebernickel (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland), Li Jiang (Stanford University, USA),
Walter Brenner (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland), Britta Pukall (Milani Design & Consulting, Switzerland),

Therese Naef (Milani Design & Consulting, Switzerland), Bernhard Schindlholzer (Google, Switzerland).

Description: 1 Edition. | New Jersey : World Scientific, [2019] | Translation from German: Design Thinking : Das Handbuch. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019005287 | ISBN 9789811202148 | ISBN 9789811203503 (pbk)
Subjects: LCSH: Project management. | New products. | Management—Technological innovations.
Classification: LCC HD69.P75 U4313 2019 | DDC 658.4/063—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019005287
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright © 2020 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information
storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case
permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher.
ISBN 978-9-811-20214-8
Book and cover design: milani design & consulting AG, Thalwil, Schweiz
Type setting and lithography: Red Cape Production, Berlin
Translation: Rachel Ames-Brooks, Lawrence McGrath
Proofreading and addional editing: Padraic Convery
Project management: Andreas Vogel
Desk Editor (WSPC): Shreya Gopi
Printed in Singapore
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The English version of the book would have never been possible
without the help of these awesome people: Rachel Ames-Brooks,
Lawrence McGrath, Karina Fassbender, Laura Ferreira, Andreas Vogel,
and Janine Milstrey. Thank you all for your passion and dedication!
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THIS BOOK
This book is for those who want to generate ideas and create innovation in their organizations
in the fastest and most practical way possible. In a cookbook manner, this book provides recipes
that can be implemented immediately in daily business.
Design thinking is an innovation method that focuses on the customer in order to generate
product, service and business model innovations beyond the well-known paths.
The authors themselves know design thinking not only from the academic, scientific world, but
from numerous long-term applications at companies in a range of industries.
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CONTENTS
Imprint 4 1 METHOD OVERVIEW 15

Dedication 5 What is Design Thinking? 16

This book 6 The micro-cycle — how design thinkers work 24

Setup: Introduction and reading instructions 11 Overview 24

Thank you! 13 Problem definition and redefinition 26

Bibliography 294 Need finding and synthesis 27

Index 298 Ideation 30

The authors 302 Prototyping 31

Testing 34

The macro-process: the 7+1 phases of design thinking 36

Overview 36

Design Space Exploration 40

Critical function prototype and critical experience prototype 42

Dark horse prototype 44

Funky prototype (integrated prototype) 46

Functional prototype 47

X-is-finished prototype 48

Final prototype 49

The design thinking toolbox 50

The design thinking code 52

The team 56

Implementation in companies
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2 TOOLKIT 63 Observation 109

Setup 64 Engagement 111

Project planning 64 Benchmarking 112

Infrastructure 71 Frameworks 114

Team setup 73 Field notes 116

Post-its 78 Moodboard 118

DNA analysis method 82 AEIOU 120

Problem definition and redefinition 86 Empathy map 122

Defining the question statement 88 Netnography 124

Stretch goals 90 Persona 125

Framing and reframing 92 Why-how laddering 128

Get inspiration from the future 94 5 Whys 129

Need finding and synthesis 96 Point of view 130

Need finding cycle 98 Lead user 132

Guidelines for expressing needs 100 Camera study 133

Sampling techniques 101 Ideation 136

Target group identification 102 Brainstorming 138

Focus groups 104 Brainwriting 140

Interviews 106 Six thinking hats/lateral thinking 142

Power of ten 144

How might we 145

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Prototyping and storytelling 146 Testing 184

Prototyping 148 Consumer clinics 186

Wireframing 150 Usability testing 187

Mock-ups 152 NABC pitch 188

Open hardware 154 Pechakucha 189

Roleplay 156 Need-finding techniques 190

Bodystorming 158 Warm-ups 192

Paper prototyping 160 Spaghetti tower 194

Storytelling and storywriting 162 Yes but, yes and 196

Comics 164 Races 198

Rapid 3D prototyping 166 Assembly 200

Video prototyping 168 Stick figures 202

Service blueprinting 170 Feedback 204

Sketches and scribbles 172 I like, I wish, what if 206

Photoshop prototyping 174 Plus or delta 208

Combined prototyping 176 Feedback capture grid 210

Town planning 178 Critical reading checklist 212

Business model prototypes 180 Declaration of consent 213

Confluence dynagram 182

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3 THE DESIGN THINKING LAB 215 4 APPLICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS 257

Creative spaces 216 Design thinking in everyday projects 258

Golden rules for design thinking spaces 221 Design thinking as a toolkit 261

Workspaces for design thinking 224 Design thinking as part of the innovation process 262

Setting up design thinking workspaces
234 Design thinking for user orientation and innovation 263

Realization of design thinking workspaces
238 Levels of organizational transformation 264

Ad-hoc design thinking work areas 238 Recommended actions and success factors for the

implementation of design thinking 267
Design thinking lab 240

Design thinking floor 244

Design thinking organization 248 5 CASE STUDIES 271

Design thinking material list 250 Deutsche Bank 272

Design thinking tools 252 Swisscom 276

Design thinking furniture 254 Haufe-Lexware 281

Marigin 284

Medela 288

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SETUP
INTRODUCTION AND READING INSTRUCTIONS
Families and couples often live for many decades We have been allowed to deal intensively with Chapter 1 provides a brief but comprehensive
in the same apartment or house. How can you these and many other questions over the past overview of all the elements and tools essential
design furniture that is attractive to both young few years. At first glance, they seem to have no to design thinking. Chapter 2, the toolbox, focus-
people and the elderly, including those with connecting element. From the finance and es on individual tools that are often used in

disabilities? insurance sector to pharmaceutical companies, design thinking projects. Chapter 3 gives an in-

but also from a functional point of view, these sight into our understanding of design thinking
Errors in the hospital system can be life-threat- questions cover a broad spectrum of topics, from spaces and how they should be structured.
ening for patients. How can you significantly marketing through product management to Finally, chapters 4 and 5 present practical
improve the traceability of samples through research and development. The focus is on prod- experiences of introducing design thinking in

digitization? uct, service and business model innovations. companies using a transformation model and
All these questions have in common that the real-world case studies.

You have developed a drug for people in emerging companies and organizations behind them
markets. It must not cost more than 1 euro per consider fresh, new perspectives on these topics The colored markings on the margins should

bottle. The available components already cost important and place customers and other help you to quickly look up and locate the methods
more than 2 euros today. How do you solve this parties — the so-called stakeholders — at the you are looking for.

problem? center of finding solutions. It requires empathy

to consider problems and challenges from the

In coming years, high-value assets will be customer’s point of view, which in turn creates
bequeathed by parents to their descendants new possibilities for ideas and solutions. The

in industrialized countries. Often, however, process and the way of thinking by which these
financial institutions have little attachment to questions are dealt with is called design

the younger generation. How can that be thinking.
addressed?
This handbook is a practical guide for beginners
and people who have already gained experience
in design thinking and would like to get to know
new perspectives on the methodology. And for
students, it provides a great practical basis to
learn the skills and methods involved.
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THANK YOU!
This book would never have come about We would also like to thank the design thinking
without the help of many people and the support alumni and students of the Universities of
of several companies. This list is certainly St. Gallen and Zurich. Without you, we would
not exhaustive, but our special thanks go to the not have achieved such fantastic results in
following people: recent years:
Jagat Adhiya, Manuel Ailinger, Samuel Beer, Tiziana Aiolfi, Dominik Alvermann, Amanda Lock, Mario Malzacher, Camille Martinache,
Henrik Beckmann, Kristen Bennie, Katharina Bachmann, Nicolas Beck, Nicolas Berchten, Tiziana Mauchle, Milena Mend, Petra Monn,
Berger, Fernando Bernal, Marc Binder, Sophie Nina Birri, Fabian Bischof, Jasmin Bissig, Alexander Muelli, Franziska Müller, Arjun
Bürgin, Daniel Cantieni, Tamara Carleton, Tobias Blum, Maximilian Bredow, Andreas Jürg Muralidharan, Edouard Papaux, Stephanie
William Cockayne, Alexander Eck, Martin Eppler, Breitenmoser, Ivo Brennwald, Marco Brunori, Petersen, Vanessa Pinter, Christine Popp, Carolyn
Christopher Este, Niels Feldmann, Michelle Michel Bürki, Andrei Cojocariu, Carlo De Pascalis, Ragaz, Martina Rakaric, Marc Rieben, Rico
Gaegauf, Nina Gandt, Stefan Gaus, Alexander Michael Denzler, Caroline Dohle, Franziska Dolak, Rinderknecht, Manuela Risch, Deborah Schaub,
Grots, Ramona Günzel, Marie-Christine Jaeger Philipp Elbel, Jessica Enstedt, Marco Eugster, Markus Schillinger, Dominic Schlegel, Marc
Firmenich, Jennifer Hehn, Jennifer Heier, Joscha Philipp Fleckner, Tobias Fuhrimann, Laura Schlegel, Manuel Schöni, Florim Shabani, Martin
Held, Friederike Hoffmann, Manuel Holler, Oliver Galamb, Marie-Charlotte Gasser, David Geisser, Spielmann, Patricia Steffen, Maximilian
Kempkens, Sebastian Kernbach, Marc Kohler, Simon Gensmer, Tobias Giger, Matthias Gisler, Steinbach, Andreas Stockburger, Emanuel
Michael Larsson, Volker Laska, Larry Leifer, Rouven Emanuel Gruenig, Naomi Haefner, Stoeckli, Daniel Strebel, Simon Streit, Arlene
Hans Tobias Macholdt, Bettina Maisch, Christian Christian Haeuter, Tatiana Hanz, Joscha Held, Struijk, Raphael Stücheli, Carina Them, Raphael
Michels, Boris Milkowski, Janine Milstrey, Nadine Hergovits, Anja Hovorka, Samuel Huber, Thommen, Lukas Troxler, Michelle Martina
Susann Müller, Timm Püller, Axel Raidt, Barbara Matthias Hübner, Wanja Humanes, Beatrice Tschumi, Timo Van Bargen, Eliane Vancura,
Rohner, Gerhard Satzger, Eric Schmid, Moritz Hutzli, Tobias Imwinkelried, Dominik Jocham, Andreas Vogel, Pasqual Vossberg, Harald
Schnewlin, Gerhard Schwabe, Frank Seifert, Alexander Jung-Loddenkemper, Pascal Kappeler, Weishuber, Johannes Weiss, Dominic Widmer,
Philipp Skribanowitz, Christian Steiger, Henning Astrit Kazimi, Patrick Keil, Will Kölbener, Yair Marianne Elisabeth Wiesli, Melissa Willhaus,
Strobel, Marion Uebernickel, Christophe Vetterli, Kollmann, Nicolas Kuhn, Daniel Alexander Kunz, Matthias Wittmann, Nikola Zic, Dominik
Matteo Vignoli, Livia Weder, Andrea Weierich Florian Kunz, Joel Kurmann, Adrienne Kristin Zurbuchen, Martin Zwahlen
13
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1
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METHOD OVERVIEW
What constitutes design thinking and what
does such a project entail? An overview of the
project cycle and the tools it uses.
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WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?
Design thinking is an innovation method that uses an iterative process to deliver user- and
customer-oriented results to solve complex problems. The term “design” has Anglo-Saxon

roots. In contemporary German-speaking regions, the term “design” is mainly associated with

the artistic, creative and especially formative and compositional activities in workplaces.
However, in today’s English-speaking areas the term also covers the conceptual and technical

creation of systems and objects. As a method, design thinking thus relates to a far broader field

than the purely aesthetic components of design. It is a method for engineers by engineers.
Design thinking opens a door for people of all age groups, who are (once more) playful and
curious about looking at and working on problem statements. The method lets us think about the
apparently illogical and unachievable, seriously discuss them, and arrive at surprising
realizations. Unfortunately, this ability is often removed by our upbringing and educational
institutions (Creuznacher & Grots, 2011).
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METHOD OVERVIEW
1
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The design thinking method is integrated into Empathy: It is decisive in design thinking that Fail often and therefore early: Connected
a cultural transformation of society — what people summon empathy for other people so with the principle of “fail forward”, the design

Richard Florida calls “The Rise of the Creative they can better understand problems and devel- thinking method provokes failures early in
Class” (Florida, 2014). Together with the techno- op better solutions. Empathy is not only central the course of the project through short iterative
logical advances of the western world, this has to interactions with clients, but also to internal cycles — particularly those failures that are

had a substantial impact. This shift reflects a communication in teams. It helps us to under- most common. If failure is seen as a source of
desire and demand for creativity. Not only in stand a dialogue from the point of view of our knowledge, failing often and early leads also to

society, but also in the workplace, creativity has conversation partner, and supports us in inter- an accelerated learning process within the team

become an economic requirement. Subjective pretation (Meinel, Plattner & Weinberg, 2009). (see Leifer & Steinert, 2011).
desires and social expectations of creativity thus
come together — “one wants to be and should be Fail forward: Failure is a fundamental part of Autonomy: Recent creativity research clearly

creative” (“man will kreativ sein und soll es sein”) the innovation process! Unfortunately, the shows that the people’s subjective perception of
(Reckwitz, 2012). Design thinking stands for word “failure” is generally used negatively to freedom of action plays a definitive role in decid-
making the new and is thus the embodiment of express breakdowns and a person’s lack of ing the success of a project (see Amabile, Conti,
creativity. The method fits current times because ability. Starting early, most of us were raised in Coon, Lazenby & Herron, 1996). Frustration and
it helps people make creativity manageable. a no-failure culture. Organizations have estab- demotivation are primarily found among team
lished countless assessment criteria. In contrast, members in restrictive environments, where
Basic principles design thinking sees failure and missteps as approaches to problem-solving, thinking or even

Design thinking is based on principles that are central parts of a learning process. Through complete solutions are determined in advance.

lived out in every project and department in recognition and evaluation of their failures, de- In such an environment, creativity diminishes
which they are employed, independent of pro- sign thinking teams can correct them more significantly. Therefore, a basic principle of the
cess implementation: quickly during projects and thus reduce risks. design thinking method is that teams have the
highest possible autonomy in decision-making
and action-taking.
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Test with your customer and user: Customers and Make it tangible: In design thinking, all results Optimistic and curious: Team members must
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
users validate prototypes — not management or should be visible and tangible in the form of a have the internal impetus to search for new

the project director! Operationally and method- prototype. While ideas do not exist in reality, pro- question statements and approaches to prob-
ologically, this means that prototypes of ideas totypes enable them to be seen and experienced lem-solving. Even when the project’s procedure
are tested early with clients and users in a design (Brown, 2009). While demand for tangibility in appears to be set, team members should not
thinking project. With the help of the results, technical systems is understandable, when it lose their will to develop a good solution.
teams can make decisions about the continued comes to services, this demand may appear
development of the idea, or rejection. This princi- absurd. Scores of projects with service organi Experimental: Design thinking is a pragmatic

ple also actively fosters understanding of the zations have nonetheless shown us that services approach that prefers experiment to theory.
client (Leifer & Steinert, 2011). can also be made tangible and comprehensi- Concretely, this means that in projects, solutions
ble—by storytelling, for example. Furthermore, it are developed and tried out early with the help
Collecting feedback: “Yes, but…” is the standard has been shown that in many situations, proto- of prototypes, and the client and tester decide on
phrase in many organisation’s workshops and typing contributes to making the complexity of a given prototype’s success.
meetings. In conversations, this phrase acts as a a problem manageable for design thinking teams
brake on the flow of ideas. Ultimately, the use of (Uebernickel & Brenner, 2015).
the phrase shows only that one would rather ex-
press doubt and concern instead of going into Interdisciplinarity: Design thinking lives off differ-
the idea with his or her conversation partner. ent perspectives and interpretations. Teams are
However, design thinking teams try to give elabo- therefore put together with attention to interdis-
rative, and thus connected, constructive feed- ciplinarity. Often, team members have different
back. An effective technique is to say, “Yes, and…”. educational backgrounds — for example, engi-

This technique leads one to engage with his or neering, architecture, design, business adminis-
her conversation partner, and give feedback that tration, etc. (Meinel, Plattner & Weinberg, 2009).
helps to further develop the idea. The team can benefit from expertise in various
subjects, but also the different strategies of its
individual members.
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The history of design thinking Subsequently, a whole design thinking method Clear problems (tame problems)
The design thinking method introduced in this set was developed, drawing strongly from the Tame problems and problem statements are
book was developed in the ‘70s and ‘80s at root ideas of the earlier foundational period. characterized by an ease of definition and speci-
Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. In This set of methods considered human psycho- fication. The starting condition (A) and goal con-
the context of educating engineers, professors logical factors (desirability), as well as technical dition (B) are both comprehensible. Accordingly,
noticed that focusing purely on the technological and processual factors (feasibility), and eco- most people agree on the situation in tame prob-
aspects of their students’ training was not nomic factors (viability) (Brown, 2009). Design lems, and root cause analysis is comparatively
enough to prepare them for the market needs thinking balances all three dimensions, but easy. However, tame problems still often require
and challenges of the future. While traditional places the human psychological factor at the creative solutions.
training focused on the “what” and “how”, expla- center — following the motto “innovations are by

nations of “what for” and “why” were missing. people, for people”. That said, economic and In tame problems, design thinking focuses more
However, these exact two questions are essential technological factors are not neglected, rather on the analysis of customer needs and the
in order not only to develop technically their content is aligned around the human generation of ideas and prototypes than deep

challenging innovations, but also to successfully component. background analysis. It is not the final goal to

place them on the market. The recognition of develop disruptive solutions, but rather to imple-

purpose, that is, for what an innovation is neces- The question remains — for which kinds of prob-

ment incremental yet creative developments.

sary, marks the current success of the design lems is design thinking appropriate? In the sci- In practice, design thinking has shown itself
thinking method. Based on this recognition, the entific community, we distinguish between at especially to impact speed, agility and client

curriculum for engineers at Stanford University least two classes of problems: “simple or clearly orientation in projects. With this approach, we

was extended two decades ago, placing the cus- structured problems” (tame problems) and developed new service center processes and
tomer, as the product and service user, at the “complex or multi-layered problems” (wicked software solutions for a German bank. In this
center. problems) (Buchanan, 1992). Both classes of
problems can be successfully addressed using
design thinking.
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project we profited from the iterative approach cannot be classified as right or wrong. At best, In practice, design thinking is increasingly estab-
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
that design thinking enabled. The short cycles they can be placed on a scale from good to bad. lishing itself as a structured method for complex
connected with frequent client interaction Additionally, wicked problems are frequently innovation and development processes. Well-
resulted in an innovative solution in a short time. dependent on, and of mutual influence with, known companies such as SAP, Deutsche Bank,

The design thinking process served to limit other wicked problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973). UBS, Allianz, Volkswagen and Roche, among oth-

drawn-out discussions about abstract concepts. The question of how heavily-indebted people ers, use these methods to develop new solutions

Instead, we quickly made prototypes and placed can be supported in becoming debt-free is (Zydra, 2014).
them before service center employees in deci- exemplary. Answering this question is very com-
sion-making roles. plex and has posed a challenge to experts for
decades. There will not be just a single solution
Complex, multi-layered and diffuse problems to this problem.
(wicked problems)
In contrast to tame problems, wicked problems From the beginning, wicked problems require an
are difficult to name and define. The client en- approach such as that which design thinking en-
counters difficulties in explaining the problem ables. Heeding all possible perspectives, the
and determining its cause. Depending on how the problem space must be explored and defined be-
problem is grasped and understood, different fore drawing any single solution into consider-
potential solutions could lead in completely ation at all. Even when solutions are found, these
different directions. Therefore, there is generally generally lead to controversial discussions and
no consensus between people regarding what is disputes. In some cases, they can place the guid-
causing the problem, even when they work within ing principles of an organization in question and
the same organization. Another characteristic of thereby provoke strong opposition with which the
this problem class is that possible solutions design thinking team must be prepared to cope.
Therefore, in parallel to developing solutions, the
team must foster and achieve respect, trust and
thoughtfulness.
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What value can organizations expect to gain from The right questions: At first glance, this benefit Divergent thinking: Management frequently or-
using design thinking? seems almost banal. However, our experience ders employees to think outside the box. In oppo-
shows that at the beginning of a project, the sition to this demand, organizations often have
Innovative solutions: Organizations firstly expect questions that should be answered through its processes and structures in place to systemati-
innovative solutions from the method. Our expe- course are often not clear. This is also completely cally reduce or even prevent exactly such risky
rience shows that design thinking is suitable for normal when talking about innovation and future activities. Design thinking is an appropriate in-
both radical product, service and business model developments. Usually, the client has a rough strument for promoting divergent thinking and
innovation, as well as the incremental adaptation idea regarding the area in which changes are ambiguity in projects in a controlled manner.
of existing solutions. Through proven methods, needed. At this early stage in the process, how The phase model sets a framework for explicit

teams are equipped to accomplish both. ever, the questions to be answered can be only activities, such as the dark horse prototype (see
vaguely expressed. page 44), that allow for engagement in new and
Customer orientation and integration: The cus- sometimes eclectic perspectives on question
tomer orientation and permanent integration of Design thinking helps us to express questions statements and problems.
the client in the innovation process definitively more precisely, or even completely revise them
demonstrate the high value of the design think- through its explorative, customer-oriented ap- Tangible results: Design thinking fosters and
ing method. On one hand, this helps ensure that proach. In contrast to many other innovation and requires communication through tangible proto-
results with which the client is in agreement are development methods, design thinking provides types. Building results and ideas into tangible
developed. On the other, this process also reduc- an explicit process step in which redefinition or forms is an integral part of the method, be it as
es project risks because testing with customers more precise delineation of questions is product prototypes or service prototypes. This
detects and eliminates incorrect assumptions conducted. not only strengthens communication with the
and failures in design early. client, but also within the design team and
the organisation. In many projects, instead of
preparing time-consuming presentations, we
have simply brought along prototypes to show to
management. The reactions to these have been
consistently positive. Instead of talking about
possibilities and concepts, the discussion was
immediately focused on concrete aspects of
the proposed solution.
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Agile approach: With its iterative approach, de- 1. Design thinking as culture, philosophy and
1 METHOD OVERVIEW

sign thinking enables both quick delivery and the mindset: A large number of those who practice
capability to modify outputs. Solutions and par- design thinking consider it a culture and philoso-
tial solutions are developed and tested in small phy. Free of stiff models and processes, this
steps. As a result, the process can be constantly group is primarily led by innovation principles in
managed and guided. their search for products, services and business
models. Often, this group cannot be identified
Risk reduction: Design thinking contributes to with one clear understanding of the process.
reduction of project and development risks.
Through the agile process, failure can (and must) 2. Design thinking as a process: Design thinking

be encountered as part of the learning pro- as a process has the goal of making the method
cess — and early on. Faulty assumptions can be practical and manageable for a large number of

corrected early, which reduces risks in projects. people. The structuring of design thinking in
frameworks, activities and techniques makes it
In this book we describe the design thinking possible for beginners to quickly and repeatedly
method with defined processes and supporting put its principles into practice.
techniques. Each design thinking project also ini-
tiates cognitive changes for the participants in- 3. Design thinking as a toolkit: The third perspec-

volved, so that in a broad sense, we can view de- tive sees design thinking as a toolkit. Techniques
sign thinking from three perspectives and learning can be drawn during the course of
(Schindlholzer, 2014). supplying design thinking projects to
organizations.
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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

OVERVIEW
The way design thinkers work is best described Reflection in action Creativity
in comparison to traditional modes of working. Within organizations, many managers criticize Within the context of design thinking, creativity
The latter are defined by their rationalism, ana- the lack of agility in their teams. Design thinkers can be understood in two ways. On the one side,
lytics and intellectualism. The empathetic, inter- and the design thinking method embody action design thinkers have the ability and aptitude to
pretive, and intuitive approach of design thinking and agility. In the philosophy of a design thinker, continually bring new ideas to the fore. Through
stands in stark contrast. The following character- exploration and reflection first happen through this lens, creativity is related to a preference for
istics distinguish working in a design thinking action. Action triggers trains of thought — practi- the new over the old. The preference is for that

team: cal action thus drives a diversification of which deviates and differentiates itself from the
thoughts. New insights are achieved, and creativ- status quo. The goal is permanent renewal — on a

Practical ity increased. Design thinking teams that incor- continuous basis. On the other side, design
Design thinkers are generally practical and prag- porate this basic principle are agile and, in com- thinkers experience creativity as a constructive
matic. Instead of theoretically discussing con- parison to other teams , often extremely quick. and artistic work. Similar to artists, work goes

cepts at length, design thinkers prefer to build beyond the purely technical development of the
prototypes and place them into reality. Through Tame and wicked problems new. In addition, the experiential world is also
prototypes, abstract concepts and ideas are Both clearly structured and complex problems pulled into the context of making (Reckwitz,
provided with a tangible, haptic expression. On belong within the consideration set of design 2012). Today, we often talk about precipitating a

the one hand, this supports communication with thinkers. However, the latter are often problems so-called “user experience” — that is, creating an

clients and stakeholders, and on the other, the for which there appear to be neither a possible experience for the user and customer in their use
literal tangibility of prototypes enable practical, solution, nor a clear definition of the task or of products, services and business models.
pragmatic conversation and internal communi- problem statement. To deal with complex, diffi- Design thinkers embody both aspects of
cation within the team. With the help of proto- cult situations, design thinkers have to learn to creativity.
types, uncertainties can be seen, discussed and, tackle ambiguity. Our experience has shown that
when necessary, changed. Prototypes make con- this ambiguity poses serious challenges to proj- Visual and interactive
cepts palpable. ect managers. Project managers typically learn Design thinkers prefer to work visually. Instead of
to focus projects and reduce risks as early as logging data and information into computer sys-
possible. However, when the problem is recog- tems, they cover walls with Post-its. Instead of
nized only in a vague sense, traditional project talking about abstract concepts, they quickly
management tools fail. build prototypes.
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010_DT_Methods.indd 24 30-04-2020 21:37:56

Instead of writing only text on Post-its, they
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
generate sketches that better imprint into The micro-cycle

memory. Visual communication not only makes

conversations easier, but also helps design
thinkers themselves put their ideas in order
and think in new directions.
These characteristics are the basis of the central Problem definition and
redefiniton
process of design thinking — the micro-cycle. The

micro-cycle consists of five steps, which will be
elaborated upon below.
1. Problem definition and redefinition

2. Need finding and synthesis
Need finding

3. Ideation Testing
and synthesis

4. Prototyping and storytelling

5. Testing

This cycle establishes the basis of the design
thinking method. It is always repeatedly run
through, in every single phase of a project.
Repetition of the micro-cycle gets us closer to
the goal step by step. It is an iterative approach.
Prototyping and Ideation

storytelling
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PROBLEM DEFINITION AND REDEFINITION
Every successful design thinking project begins Framing conditions: The question should take Horizontal adjustment
with a good, goal-oriented question statement. framing conditions, which influence a given In some projects, conversations with clients
Good ideas come from good questions! project at its outset and potentially in the future, make it apparent that the initial framing of the
into account. These framing conditions need to question does not address the client’s needs.
But how can we formulate good questions? In be considered in the solution. In this situation, design thinking enables us
design thinking, it is attempted to formulate to reformulate the question upon the basis of

questions as neutrally as possible. If a certain Finished state: The final state of the object to be data collected.
solution is focused upon too early, there is a risk achieved should be defined.
of restricting the solution space in which we In the toolbox of this book, you can find numer-
search for ideas. Instead, the question and prob- An example of the formulation of a question ous problem definition and redefinition tools.
lem definition should fuel the team’s appetite statement within the context of design thinking
for more information by evoking emotions, and could be:
curiosity at what might lie outside the box.
How might this object be newly made so that,
Most good questions contain four basic under the framing conditions A, B and C,

components: the target audience can achieve end state X?

Object: These are the products, services, strate- What makes design thinking unique is that newly
gies or business models that need to be newly defining the question is allowed, and even en-
taken into consideration or developed. couraged. Redefinition can take two primary
courses:
Audience: The question should speak to specific
target audiences to whom the results of the proj- Vertical division
ect are expected to be relevant. Through project implementation, we quickly gain
more knowledge than what we had at the onset
of the project. This makes it possible to divide the
initial question into subquestions to reduce
complexity.
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NEED FINDING AND SYNTHESIS
Need finding is the design thinking phase in Interview: Conversations on concrete situations 2. Observation: Carrying out and recording
1 METHOD OVERVIEW

which the needs of clients, users, and other and future changes are had with customers, ex- observations.
stakeholders, as well as insights (foundational perts and stakeholders. 3. Interviews and participation: Carrying out

realizations), are identified. The goal is to use the conversations and taking part in concrete work,

needs and insights to generate possibilities to Engagement: The design thinking team places client and user processes.
newly develop or rework products, services and itself in the situation of a customer or stake 4. Synthesis: Collecting, interpreting and

business models. holder so that team members may experience analyzing information. Consolidated information

the persona’s position first-hand. helps us, in some cases, to adjust our initial
However, needs and insights cannot be equated questions (reframing).
with solutions. While the need of a client or Benchmarking and business model exploration: In
stakeholder suggests a need for a change to an addition to investigating users, customers and For successful need finding, we must pay
existing situation, a solution already presents a additional stakeholders, design teams also focus attention to the following points:
concrete implementation. Need finding concen- on objective-oriented analyses of competitors
trates on the identification of needs; solutions and their business models. The objective is gath- Planning: A good need finding process requires
are built and developed only once we have ering knowledge to support the team’s own solu- good planning before implementation. It is
entered the ideation and prototyping phases. tion space. In the benchmarking process, design important not only to include clients and stake-

thinkers search for situations comparable to the holders, but also the techniques and questions
There are four techniques categorized under one on which they are working, which could help to be used.
need finding. them to frame relevant questions.
Environment and respect: Achieving an environ-
Observation: Situations are observed in order to These four techniques can again be found in the ment conducive to observation and carrying
come to conclusions about customer behavior, four steps of the need finding cycle (Becker & out interviews is crucial, especially in situations
product usage and context. Patnaik, 1999): with confidentiality needs. Protecting the rights
of individuals always takes precedence over all
1. Framing and preparation: Defining the re- other goals.

search goals of the need finding process.
Determining the customer and user groups to be
investigated.
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Conversation partners: Conversation partners

with a range of interests are ideal.
Synthesis concludes the need finding process.

The data collected from and about clients must
be intensified, built upon and expressed as learn-
ing. Techniques for synthesis, such as frame-
works, support design thinkers in condensing
new knowledge. A good synthesis, conducted over
enough time, supports the ideation phase.
A large number of techniques are available for

carrying out effective need finding and synthesis.
Among these are camera studies and interviews.
Many come from the field of ethnography and
have been adapted for the purposes of design
thinking over the past few decades.
Analysis of need finding interviews,

UBS London (2015)
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
010_DT_Methods.indd 29 30-04-2020 21:37:59

IDEATION
Ideation is the phase in which we build on need Curiosity: Curiosity is a characteristic that every
finding and synthesis by generating ideas for team member should allow to thrive within him
solutions. Brainstorming is definitely one of the or herself. By being continually curious in trialling
best-known techniques. However, there are new situations, products or services — even when

numerous additional techniques we can use to they may not appear promising at first glance —

simultaneously draw on the data collected in the team members gain additional perspectives and
need finding phase and think in new directions. further inspiration. When ideating, curiosity
helps us engage with our teammates’ perspec-
Furthermore, there are basic principles that help tives, and to expand on them.
to foster and implement the ideation phase.
Reflection: Reflection is the ability of each team
Techniques: The techniques for finding ideas in member to reconsider his or her own actions, or
design thinking are easy to use, even for begin- the actions of others, against the backdrop of the
ners. Brilliant ideation results depend not only process as a whole. The examination of actions
upon the use of techniques, but also the knowl- often leads to the recognition of fundamental
edge and experience of each individual partici- principles, mechanisms or causes. The ability to
pant with regard to the particular topic. reflect strengthens the ideation process through
the recognition and advancement of thought and
Customer integration: In many methods, not only behavioral patterns.
design thinking, the customer or user is involved
in the generation and evaluation of ideas. In de- It may seem astounding that design thinking
sign thinking, this is facilitated by the continuous does not immediately begin ideation at the
production of prototypes representative of ideas outset of a project. The philosophy of design

and their direct testing with customers. This rethinking is, however, that before we can ideate,
sults in an evaluation process that in many cases we have to learn about the customer, user,
awakens creativity in the testers. These often and additional stakeholders. Ideation becomes
lead to new ideas that in turn lead to new proto- useful only when we know what needs the
types. A virtuous circle results. customer may have.

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PROTOTYPING
In this model of design thinking, prototyping is to a lack of tangibility of the object under dis- Reducing project risks: The early building and
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
neither a plaything nor a craft session for cussion, prototypes already offer a bridge from testing of functions leads to the early recogni

employees. Prototyping is a technique in which concept to product early in the project process. tion of new needs, challenges, and problems.

real products, services and business models are Using this tool, the design thinking team can Especially during the early phases of a project,
simulated in the form of prototypes. The goal is articulate themselves and achieve mutual this knowledge helps to reduce project risks —

that a development department directly affiliat- understanding. or even prevent them from ever arising.
ed with the design thinking project can realize
these prototypes. Uncovering previously unforeseen problems Testing assumptions: Particularly in early phases,

and challenges: Both the prototyping activity the project team frequently works upon the basis
As a phase in design thinking, prototyping de- and prototypes help us to quickly identify prob- of assumptions rooted in their own experiences.
scribes the concretization of ideas. As an activity, lems and challenges. Through the tangibility With the help of prototypes, assumptions can be
it is the transformation of pure ideas into tangi- of prototypes and the work required to generate tested on customers and revised early, if needed.
ble objects. The prototype is the object that them, new challenges come to light. Some of
emerges — the concrete instance of an idea. these would be otherwise discovered only Refinement: Prototypes help us to more rapidly

through lengthy discussion and deliberation; expand and refine our ideas and conceptions.
As a phase and an activity, prototyping connects others would likely never be revealed until too
many users (Ulrich & Eppinger, 1995). late. Customer feedback-based decisions: Prototypes
tested with customers help us to make decisions
In-team communication medium: Prototypes Raising new questions: The involvement and de- about next steps on the basis of concrete data.
allow discussions to move from the conceptual bate that accompanies the process of building
and abstract to a concrete, tangible, and thus prototypes forces new questions to arise. The Trust and gut feeling: Finally, prototypes develop
verifiable level. While conversations over con- phrase “learning by doing” is completely applica- trust in the team’s own work and a feeling for the
cepts often lead to misunderstandings due ble here. direction of further development.
“Prototyping is problem solving. It’s a culture and a language. You can prototype
just about anything — a new product or service, or a special promotion. What counts

is moving the ball forward, achieving some part of your goal. Not wasting time.”
(Kelley & Littman, 2001)
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The six “golden rules” of prototyping have these situations, one is often inclined only to Break the rules: Teams should knowingly break
emerged from numerous completed projects. partially redevelop the existing solution, instead rules in order to try out new, alternative sce

Alexander Grots summarizes them below: of starting again from the beginning. narios. These rules can be externally imposed or
may have developed internally over time.
One question — one prototype: The team should Push boundaries: Prototypes should be used to

try to develop the prototype in response to one try to transcend existing boundaries (technology, Numerous techniques are available for proto

single question. The fundamental principle of usability etc.). The team should not take state- typing: Their variety reaches from rudimentary
“stay focused” is at the center here. ments like “that won’t work, we already tried prototypes using paper, cardboard and Post-its
that” as demotivating, but rather as provocation to complex prototypes made of electronic com-
Don’t perfect: Prototypes are prototypes, not to overcome hurdles. ponents, mechanical parts or software.
products or services (yet). The team should focus
only on the characteristics and level of detail that Provoke to convince: Prototypes should not be Fundamentals: At the beginning of the design

are relevant at that moment — and not more familiar, but provocative to the tester. New devel- thinking process, the development of low-

(Brown, 2009)! In early phases of the project, this opments tend not to inspire enthusiasm at first. resolution prototypes is useful. They are cheap,
means focusing on predetermined functional- Therefore, the team should be brave! For our easy to build, and quick to complete. Moreover,
ities; later in the project prototypes should be project with a soccer organization, we focused on the design thinker does not run the risk of falling

riper and thus able to combine multiple aspects of soccer player registration. The existing too deeply in love with his or her own work
functionalities. system stipulated that soccer players always (Uebernickel & Brenner, 2015). In the later
be registered by their soccer club. Nevertheless, phases of a design thinking project, more de-
Don’t fall in love: Team members or the team as our team intentionally provoked by building a tailed, high-resolution prototypes are built. These
a whole should not “fall in love” with their proto- prototype system in which players could register are generally demanding in terms of content and

type (Uebernickel & Brenner, 2015). Results of other players without the involvement of the technology, therefore their materialization takes

testing with customers can show that ideas do soccer club. As expected, this prototype provoked longer. The goal of the high-resolution prototype
not work. In such cases, the team also has to be some stakeholders — and we thus gained valu- is to offer a template to guide the development of

able to let go of failed ideas and prototypes. able insights, especially regarding the behavior a real product or service, and offer the customer

It can be difficult to let go, especially when lots of of young soccer players. For this, the provoking a real working simulation of the solution
time and energy has gone into a prototype. In approach was perhaps the most effective. generated.
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
2
1 3
1 Putting paper bikes together at Radicand Labs, Palo Alto (2014)

2 Prototype of a 3D printer for electronic components (2014)

3 Testing a software prototype for a financial service provider in Cali, Colombia (2013)

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TESTING
In the testing phase, ideas and prototypes are first architectural prototypes and their inspira- to develop a feeling for the views
tried out and evaluated by customers and other tion was awakened. The feedback sessions and ideas of resident soccer associations and
stakeholders. This means that the previously helped them to improve results in further players.
made assumptions and initial approaches to iterations, and find their own interpretation for

solutions are tested for validity. Feedback from the automobile manufacturer. As with need finding, certain framing conditions

tests is optimal when it inspires team members apply to testing:

and pushes them to develop new ideas — without Evaluation: Prototypes are assessed with refer-

them being strongly attached to the prototype —
ence to key criteria stipulated in advance, such Planning: Testing prioritizes the tester. Appoint-
whilst simultaneously helping them to under- as application speed, user friendliness, shelf ments for conversations and focus groups need

stand the problem statement and thus learn how life and others. The evaluation typically takes to be planned and organized early, and kept.
a solution might be implemented. Testing as- place within the team and not (yet) with users Teams can seldom expect testers to be available
sumptions and filtering out misassumptions are and customers. For example, in 2005 we had the at their convenience. Although business-to-

important in the start phase of design thinking opportunity to work with a product similar to an consumer questions and testing can often take
projects. Through these tests, the team learns iPad. Early in the project, we tested the maximum place on the sidewalk, experience has shown
about important aspects of the problem and acceptable weight of the product with users. that planned testing often yields more productive
solution spaces. Reflecting on this as a team can Thereafter we could always refer back to this results, and leaves less to chance.
lead to a better solution. tested weight limit when evaluating newly con-
structed technical prototypes for weight. Politeness and respect: Test participants should
Testing serves three purposes: be treated with respect. In addition to profes-
Validation: After assessing prototypes on use sional responses to disagreeable results, this in-
Inspiration: Prototypes should inspire not only and function, we test whether or not the charac- volves protecting individuals’ personal rights.
the team, but also customers and testers to teristics evaluated actually add value for the
think about further improvements, further party the prototype addresses. In numerous situ- Well-known testing techniques include “consum-

themes or new question statements. An example ations, validation calls for us to directly interact er clinics” and “usability testing”. However, need
was a reconception of the assumption of how with customers on location. In the aforemen- finding techniques, such as interviews, can also
cars might be received for repairs in large cities tioned project for a soccer organization, we be employed.
such as Shanghai and Beijing. The team drafted a traveled around several countries in order to test

new concept in which cars were received in new approaches to managing soccer players. The
shops with a design similar to Apple Stores. experiences in countries such as Ethiopia and
During testing, customers were presented with Uruguay were absolutely necessary for the team
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
1 2
1 Paper Bike Challenge at Stanford University,

Palo Alto California — paper bike testing
(2014)
2
Prototype testing at Tongji University,
Shanghai (2015)
3 Testing a software prototype for a financial

3 services provider in Cali, Colombia
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THE MACRO-PROCESS: THE 7+1 PHASES OF DESIGN THINKING

OVERVIEW
The macro-process structures the design think- The entire macro-process of divergent and con- Dark horse prototype
ing approach and is worked through once over vergent stages is divided into seven steps: The goal of the dark horse prototype is to encour-
the course of the project. The macro-process age the team to become even more open to new
is spread over seven steps, each of which Design space exploration approaches, ideas and potential solutions. While
contains one or more iterations of the micro- Design space exploration is the starting point for the critical function prototype sees the team tak-

cycle (see p. 24). The macro-process is sepa- a design thinking project. In this step, the project ing the project’s framing conditions into account,
rated into two stages: the diverging stage in plan is not only laid out, but early explorative the dark horse prototype calls for the team to
the first half of the project, and the converging need finding is conducted with customers and ignore or perhaps even knowingly pursue the

stage during the second. other stakeholders. opposite of what the context elicits. Specialized

reframing techniques help the team to widen the
The diverging stage has the goal of systemati- Critical function prototype / boundaries within which they search for ques-

cally expanding the conceivable space in which critical experience prototype tions and answers. Through this process, teams
a question statement can be formulated. The During the critical function and critical experi- are able to consider solutions unable to receive
purpose is encouraging the team to widen the ence prototype phases, potential solutions for attention in the context typical of the client orga-
solution space. During the divergent stage, as the functions considered critical are built into nization. These tensions result in dark horse pro-
many ideas as possible are generated, con- prototypes. Critical function prototypes are totypes typically generating the most controver-
structed as prototypes, and tested with users neither final nor comprehensive, but instead sial discussions during testing — dark horse

(Uebernickel & Brenner, 2015). Even when an propose individual pieces of a wider potential prototypes propose solutions perceived as having
idea or solution is very positively received by us- solution. The goal is to make single elements low probability or feasibility. However, it is exactly
ers, the design thinking team nevertheless tries of a potential solution testable as quickly as this tension within both the team and testers that

to continually expand the solution space. possible. Critical experience prototypes concen- creates the potential for new discoveries. As the

trate on the perceptions of customers and users, project is still in the diverging stage at this point,
The focus of the converging stage is evaluation of rather than a function. As with all prototypes, numerous prototypes continue to be built.
all the results produced during the diverging the team should use both critical function and
stage with the intent of building a (single) final critical experience prototypes as an opportunity Funky prototype (integrated prototype)
prototype. Both positive and negative results to experiment, gain new experiences, and learn. Funky prototypes form the bridge between the di-
from the prototype testing of the preceding stage verging and converging stages of a project. The
are evaluated. The aspects considered relevant solution space for ideas and solutions continues
are combined in a comprehensive final prototype. to be widened, however the primary objective of
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diverging converging
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
Paper bike Design space Critical function Dark horse Funky Functional X-is-finished Final
challenge exploration prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype
the funky phase is the combination of the diver- Functional prototype X-is-finished prototype
gent phase’s most successful solutions and inter- Functional prototypes should already lay the The x-is-finished prototype is the last step before
esting learning. The focus of the funky phase is basis for future extrapolation into complete final the final prototype. The goal is to completely build

the functionality rather than the aesthetics of a prototypes. The functional prototype forces the one single function or component of the finished
solution. Funky prototypes are higher resolution team to examine the technical and managerial prototype. The component selected should not be
than the prototypes generated in preceding details of a solution and address questions that trivial, and must contain complexity. The main
phases — and thus more demanding in terms of may have remained unexplored up until this purpose of this phase is to assess the time, re-

their construction. In practice, it has proved useful point. In many cases, this is the point at which all sources, and effort required to generate a proto-
to call this step the “integrated prototype” as em- the functions of the eventual final prototype type of the function or component so this con-
ployees find it easier to connect with this term. come together for the first time. crete data can be used in further project
planning.
Final prototype
The final prototype presents the result of the de-
“Your brain is a synthesis machine — embrace sign thinking project. It contains the critical func-

new combinations (and divergent thinking)” tions of the new solution. The final prototype
(Georg Kress, 2014) should be as realistic as possible and illustrate
all functions to customers and users.
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The final prototype serves as the basis for devel- squarely on identifying customer needs and The paper bike…
oping the set of specifications needed to put the quick prototyping. It is essential to review and In academia, every design thinking project starts
solution into production. test as many assumptions as possible. In later with a paper bike challenge at Stanford
steps, however, more time is taken to produce University in Palo Alto, California. The teams
Note: the prototyping phases are all described and test higher-resolution prototypes. At the must build a working vehicle, capable of carrying
above with reference to a single prototype — same time, the time for analyzing customer at least one person, using only paper, cardboard,

however multiple prototypes of the same type needs is reduced. and a maximum 500 grams of miscellaneous ma-
(e.g. funky/integrated prototype) are typically terial such as glue or metal. This paper bike must
built during each phase! At every step of the macro-process, multiple survive various games and competitions.
steps of the micro-cycle are typically under way.
Depending on the experience level of a design Depending on the design thinking team’s The paper bike challenge is a big warm-up for the
thinking team, the length or intensity of a given experience, members are able to assess which students with the primary goal of: Have fun! The
phase can always be adapted according to steps are really necessary in a given situation, focus is on the experience of accomplishing
the project and its requirements. Additionally, and which ones can be skipped. However, we something with one’s own two hands. At a busi-
the macro-process (see p. 36) determines recommend that beginners view the macro- ness school such as the University of St. Gallen,

where work in the micro-cycle (see p. 24) process and micro-cycle as obligatory sets of it can be bizarre to see students roaming the
should be focused. During the first steps rules. halls with hammer drills and saws. However, over
(design space exploration, critical function time even the university directorship has grown

and dark horse prototypes), the focus is This said — one step is still missing! used to this scene.

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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
Paper bike challenge, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California (2013, 2014)
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DESIGN SPACE EXPLORATION
The time has now come for the team to hit the groupings. These help them to identify and re- Benchmarks
streets. cruit the right people for interviews and testing Benchmarks refer to comparable situations in
in the subsequent need finding and synthesis other industries or sectors. For example, a team
Design thinking projects always start with explo- phases. The same process applies to users. aiming to optimize an operating room might use
ration of the design space. The design space A common method for gaining an overview and Formula 1 as a benchmark. Both fields share a
describes the direct environment of the question transparency is called the stakeholder map. focus on the highest level of precision and speed,

statement provided. To become familiar with this, among other things. Mistakes would almost
the design team must carry out desk research Stakeholders: In addition to the user there are certainly have catastrophic results for a human
on the one hand, while carrying out exploratory often additional parties that are relevant to a being. Through benchmarks, the team can study
conversations with customers and other relevant project — these are called stakeholders. Stake processes, draw parallels and transfer them into

stakeholders on the other. This serves as the first holders are identified and grouped just as their own question statement.
information from the field, which must not only customers and users are. Information should

be collected, but also structured (need finding be collected in a way that allows for later chang- Patents and further information sources
and synthesis). es and elaborations. Stakeholders can be indi- Patent databanks and further sources of infor-
viduals, or groups and organizations in which the mation, such as technology journals, are also
The following, among others, belong to a good individual people are not known. important sources of knowledge for the design
design space exploration: space exploration phase. The team should con-
What does the team know, and what doesn’t it tinuously monitor these as sources of new
Customers: The design thinking team identifies know yet? trends, knowledge or other interesting findings
the probable or known customers and customer In a design thinking project, there must be trans- to benefit their own project.
groups. In doing so, the team collects the first parency from the very beginning on what the team
leads regarding potential classifications and does and does not know for answering the ques-
tion statement. This clarity provides direction on
which knowledge must be acquired as soon as
possible. The team must maintain an inventory list
of knowledge throughout the course of the project.
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Business models and start-up screening
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
Keeping a vigilant eye on new business models
and young enterprises (start-ups) is part of
design space exploration. For this reason, portals
such as kickstarter.com or indiegogo.com should
be on every design thinking team’s surveillance
list. Other useful websites include angel.co and
crunchbase.com.
Trend scouting
Trends are a useful source for enriching the de-
sign space. Trendwatching.com and psfk.com
are well-known sources. A number of providers
offer studies on trends related to all manner of
circumstances and technologies. Design thinking
teams should regularly search for trends related
to their specific design space.
Design space exploration,

Johannesburg, South Africa (2014)
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CRITICAL FUNCTION PROTOTYPE AND CRITICAL EXPERIENCE PROTOTYPE
It is always difficult to start! This is also often But what is the difference between critical func- a CEP is the simulation of a self-driving vehicle.
true for design thinking teams. The question tion prototypes and critical experience For this, the team could build a cabin in a lab.
statements developed and their surrounding en- prototypes? The cabin might contain real car seats and multi-
vironments are often so complex that it can be ple screens displaying video footage of a real
difficult to figure out where to begin. Critical function prototype (CFP) driving scenario. This type of prototype would be
The CFP is a physical product or service provision useful for very simply testing the experience of
In order to make this complexity manageable, the system that, in the form of a prototype, allows a self-driving vehicle. Of course, in this day and
critical function and critical experience phases customers to test a given function or component. age there are more sophisticated possibilities,
have the goal of developing prototypes for isolat- It is definitely not always easy to specify and build for example the insertion of simulated turns and
ed singular functions or experiences. Ideally, the just one function. If this is not possible, teams curves. However, the resolution described above
selected functions should be chosen to feature should try to at least reduce the number of func- is sufficient when the objective is to acquire ini-
novelty and surprise value from the perspective tions present in their prototype to a minimum. tial learning for the project.
of customers and testers. The goal is not to
merely get positive feedback from the user or Critical experience prototype (CEP) In a typical design thinking project, numerous
customer. In some cases, it is worth being The CEP should demonstrate “just enough” of an prototypes are developed during this phase. It is
provocative in order to concretely define the experience to the tester to enable the design important that they all lead the team to build
boundaries of what is possible and acceptable. thinking team to extract learning. An example of and craft.
Low-resolution critical function and critical ex-

perience prototypes are useful for demonstrating
ideas. Using this approach, the team can quickly
produce numerous prototypes and take them to
customers and users for testing. “Design a component or function that
makes a difference.”
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
1 2
1 Prototype of a financial product called

“in the box” (2013)
2 Prototype of an interest calculator based

on personal customer preferences (2014)
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DARK HORSE PROTOTYPE
The name “dark horse” comes from a horse racing In many cases the dark horse prototype phase has too much scope for messing around and a
anecdote. The dark horse is the horse on which is marked by numerous reframing activities (see lack of focused work. Such an opinion should be
no one bets — yet which defies expectations and toolbox). In reframing, numerous question state- reassessed because it misses the point of the

wins. This is apt for dark horse prototypes. Dark ments are considered from multiple perspectives dark horse phase. Exactly this playfulness and
horse prototypes are abnormal, even to the point and rearticulated in order to open expansive new freedom is what the organization needs to over-
of being comical. They depart from the limiting perspectives on an issue. come performance barriers and develop com-
aspects of their given realities. They should in- pletely new solutions. In numerous projects, par-
tentionally topple consensus around emergent Similar to the CFP and CEP phase, the prototypes ticularly during the critical function and critical
solutions and introduce uncertainty. Why? built are almost exclusively low-resolution. They experience phase, team members often focus
Practical experience has shown that consen- are simple, fast and cheap so that testing can be primarily on their client organization’s existing
sus-oriented solutions are often only incremen- quickly initiated. Using this approach, failures business model. Only in the dark horse proto-
tal modifications of existing solutions. In con- are easy to cope with and benefit the team’s type phase are they able to overcome their own
trast, solutions that polarize customers or learning process. minds’ limits, and consider new business
markets — or even appear absolutely unfeasi- models — if need be contrary to those of the

ble — have the potential to become radical inno- According to our experience, it can be difficult existing business.

vations. Even if these prototypes cannot (yet) be for dark horse prototypes to gain traction in
realized, single elements can perhaps come to traditional, hierarchical companies. The con-

fruition. It is critical that the design thinking scious departure from reality often leads man-
team does not shy away from ideas due to their agement to merely laugh at projects. On a
initial apparent impossibility. few occasions, they have even led management
to consider abandoning a project. This phase is
often connected to a perception that the project
“Sometimes, when you have a crazy idea,

it’s worth making it happen.”
(Hilary Hahn, 2015)
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
1 2
1 Dark horse prototype for lane-dependent

road user fees (2011)
2 Dark horse prototype of a nasal spray bottle

that vacuums mucus (2014)
3 Dark horse prototype for a device that fully

automatically scans, interprets, and files
records and documents (2012)
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FUNKY PROTOTYPE (INTEGRATED PROTOTYPE)
Funky prototypes (also called integrated proto- From the perspective of the design thinking
types) help us pose critical questions related to team, this phase is demanding because deci-
production and delivery. They combine the most sions need to be made on which prototypes
successful and interesting solutions from the to further develop, and which to abandon. At
critical function, critical experience and dark this stage, discussions both in the team and
horse prototype phases into new and integrated with clients are typically energetic, as team
solutions. Through the combination of different members and other stakeholders grapple with
solutions, this phase also becomes a high point the best solutions.
in terms of the number and diversity of ideas and
prototypes. Funky prototypes thereby constitute In our experience, the number of prototypes
the bridge between the diverging and converging reduces slightly in this phase compared with 1

stages of the micro-cycle. An important activity previous phases, the reason being the increasing
in this phase is the determination of which previ- intensity of building complex prototypes,
ously failed prototypes should be excluded from as well as the continuous integration of different
further consideration. individual prototypes into a single solution.
Funky prototypes are still far from being haptical-

ly and aesthetically finished. However, this cate-
gory of prototype should provide a sketch of the
essential functions and elements of a potential
solution
to the problem originally defined. In this phase, 2
the focus of the micro-cycle is above all on build-
ing and testing instead of additional need finding.
1 Integrated prototype demonstrating a new

way for cars to enter repair shops (2013)
2 Integrated prototype of a black box for cars

that reads parameters for opening/closing as
well as starting/stopping (2012)
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FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE
With the functional prototype, the requirements
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
for ultimate solutions and their scope are set out.
The functional prototype makes an extrapolation
of the final prototype possible. The comparatively
high degree of elaboration allows the team to
estimate the effort required for implementation,
and discuss it with the client.
Furthermore, the high degree of detail makes

new testing methods possible. Individual func-
tions can be evaluated and validated in a com-
prehensive test. Therefore, this phase is often
also the starting gun for integrating additional
individuals and companies into the preparation
of an ultimate solution. For example, if the team
needs to produce software or complex electronic
modules, software developers may be brought
into the project at this point.
Functional prototype of a steam-spray nozzle

(2013)
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X-IS-FINISHED PROTOTYPE
With the x-is-finished prototype, the team can NOTES / SKETCHES

estimate the level of effort required for the
implementation of the final prototype. The goal

is to develop and complete a selected function •

or component of the final prototype. The team
should ensure that the component selected is •

sufficiently complex and challenging. After com-

pleting the x-is-finished prototype, the team •

can again assess which functions and features
should be transferred into the final prototype. •

Clients of design thinking projects tend to over- •

load the list of components and functions to be
implemented. At the same time, they see inter- •

ruptions to scheduled everyday appointments
within their organizations. The x-is-finished pro- •

totype therefore offers a good opportunity to
review whether or not all the functions and com- •

ponents proposed can be implemented in the
remaining time window. If not, the list of func- •

tions and components should be shortened.
•

•

•

•

•

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FINAL PROTOTYPE
Finished! The final prototype presents the design
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
thinking team’s solution to the question statement
they developed. The quality of the result should be
so high that customers, users and other stake-
holders can give sound, comprehensive feedback.
The final prototype can be a product, a service, a
strategy or a business model.
After a successful final test, the final prototype

also serves as the basis for setting specifications
for further development and implementation in
the organization.
1 2
1 3D printer for electronic components (2014)

2 Final prototype of a family welcome box,

to be given to the family after the birth of a
child, as is customary in Finland (2013)
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THE DESIGN THINKING TOOLBOX
The design thinking toolbox is a collection of Need finding and synthesis: Methods of need Project setup: Every project requires structure
methods that provides a systematic and struc- finding and synthesis help the design thinker to and planning. Design thinking projects are no
tured approach to solving problems. understand the problem and extract learning exception. In this phase, methods help us to set

or direction for the next steps in the project. up a project, but also to monitor its progress.
Beginners can use the methods described in During observation, the design thinker deepens
this chapter as a guide for successfully working his or her understanding of all the customers, Warm-ups: Warm-ups are little exercises and
through a design thinking project. The methods users and stakeholders within the scope of the games, that help us to wake our bodies and
help us to grasp the complexity of a project and question at hand — regardless of whether it minds. Typically, warm-ups are intensively used

maintain a focus on the essential factors. is a business-to-customer (B2C) question or a in advance of an ideation session.
business-to-business (B2B) question.
In contrast, those who already have experience Feedback: Design thinking teams live on
using design thinking methods can use the Ideation: Ideation methods help the design thinker feedback. This chapter demonstrates a few

collection of tools here as a source of inspira- to optimally activate his or her creative potential. techniques for structured feedback.
tion in their work. Elements of these methods
can be modified, and some predefined steps Prototyping: Prototyping methods should make The design thinking toolbox is comparable to
can be skipped, carried out multiple times, ideas visible and tangible. Translating product existing industry norms, for example VDI 2223

or adapted. The toolbox is not a static ordi- ideas into prototypes is intuitive. In this chapter, (methodologically-devised technical products).
nance. however, we also share approaches to building In addition to a process model showing concrete
prototypes for services and business models. steps, it offers techniques that enable a given
In order to make the toolbox more manageable, step to be completed as effectively and efficient-
it is organized as if it would follow the micro- Testing: Testing with customers, users and stake- ly as possible (Association of German Engineers,

cycle through the course of an idealized design holders is needed to evaluate the ideas the de- 2004).
thinking project: sign thinking team proposes. In this section, we
present selected methods that can be used in Some of the methods described herein can be
Problem definition: A successful design thinking B2C and B2B contexts. placed in more than one category. In such cases,
project always begins with a good question. The the method is placed in the category used most
methods in the problem definition phase show To supplement the methods in the micro-cycle, frequently.
how to develop a good question, and what factors three additional chapters that cover techniques
are important to pay attention to during its have been integrated into the design thinking
formulation. toolbox:
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
010_DT_Methods.indd 51 30-04-2020 21:38:22
THE DESIGN THINKING CODE
The success of design thinking projects is heavily This openness and willingness to collaborate The purpose of the design thinking code is (in
dependent upon the trust of customers and extensively depends upon trust in our work. alignment with ESOMAR 2007):

other conversation partners. Without engage- Without trust, these conversations would simply • Providing uniform norms and established rules

ment and open collaboration with people outside not happen. We would not have the opportunity, for design thinkers that serve to regulate
the team, design thinking would fail as a for example, to take the customer and user pho- ethical interactions with people and collected

customer-oriented method of development and tographs and videos so central to the design data;
innovation. thinking process. Trust does not just happen — • Enabling the responsible treatment of people

individuals and enterprises must respectfully and society by transparently communicating

Design thinking teams find themselves in con- develop and nurture it. One form with which to norms and rules;
tact with potential users and customers as often nurture trust is the strict and consistent adher- • Illustrating particular responsibilities with

as possible. The goal is to analyze and under- ence to rules that apply regardless of cultural regard to children and young people when

stand people and their behavior, and to integrate circle, country, gender, age, educational level, conducting research and testing, in addition to

this into the client organization’s thinking. Often, philosophy and so forth. We call these rules the delineating responsible conduct within the

this contact not only takes place in the design design thinking code. team itself.
thinking team’s home country, but requires on-
site investigations of other cultures. For example, The design thinking code is based on the ethical In alignment with the international standards
in a project for a pharmaceutical company, we rules used for international market research for market researchers (ESOMAR, 2007), design
carried out research in the target market of established by the European Society for Opinion thinkers also adhere to the following basic

South Africa as well as countries in Europe, the and Market Research (ESOMAR, 2007). The rules principles:
Americas, and Asia. The design thinking team in- in the design thinking code are normative and
terviewed people living in affluence, as well as provide the basis for all exchanges. Like those Jurisprudence
people in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa of the ESOMAR standard, the design thinking Design thinkers must know and adhere to na-
living in very poor conditions. Without the help of code is a minimum standard for the behavior and tional and international laws. The given laws
these people, the project would not have been actions of design thinkers. When national and can, depending on the circumstances, lead to a
possible. international laws are taken into consideration, tightening of the design thinking code.
there are stricter rules and regulations under a
number of circumstances.
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Behavior Breach of purpose numbers from insurance agencies or personal
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
Every design thinker must fundamentally adhere Design thinkers may never use the data they identification cards. Only anonymous data can
to standards of ethical behavior. The behavior of collect for any purpose other than those commu- serve as the basis for further work. For large

one individual cannot be allowed to disadvantage nicated to the participant, and those for which datasets, removing identifying characteristics
the whole design thinking community. the participant has explicitly given his or her takes a substantial amount of time; neverthe-
permission. less, this work is crucial.
Children and young people
Great care must be taken during research (need Transparency and objectivity Safeguarding data (access protection)
finding) and solution testing with children and Design thinkers must ensure that all activities The protection of data from third-party access,
young people. This applies in terms of how we and projects are transparently and objectively even if anonymized, is a complex issue. In our
behave with children and youth, as well as data conceptualized, implemented and documented digitized world, there are so many points of entry
collected. from beginning to end. into computer systems that an unskilled user is
quickly overwhelmed by the steps one must take
Voluntariness The code is also associated with interaction with to protect data. Nevertheless, some of the issues
Participation in interviews and observation is data in computer and information systems. The to be taken into consideration are outlined
voluntary! The information presented to partici- undisclosed saving of data itself can already lead below:
pants must be appropriately prepared in under- to a breach of data privacy rights. Therefore, at a
standable language. minimum, the following aspects of law and ethics Hard drive encryption: For design thinkers who
must be considered. Some individual cases will travel frequently, computers can be easily left on
Personal rights certainly raise additional issues. trains, or even stolen. Encryption of data on hard
The personal rights of private individuals should drives offers at least a first hurdle to intruders if/
be respected and adhered to. Infringing upon or Anonymity when they attempt to access or otherwise take
compromising the rights of private individuals Data from interviews, observations or partici advantage of stored data.

should be avoided, as should exposing the identi- pation in field visits must remain anonymous
ty of participants. unless other arrangements have been directly

made with participants. This means that infor-
mation that could lead to a participant being
identified must be removed from the dataset.
This includes names, addresses, or identification
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E-Mails: Unfortunately, e-mails are not encrypt- Data destruction

ed or secured frequently nearly enough in today’s Unfortunately most design thinkers do not think
world. However, when sending personal and con- about the destruction of data. However, the
fidential data, it is necessary to draw upon en- question quickly arises after the successful com-
cryption standards. We know that this does not pletion of a project: “Now what do we do with the
always happen for purely practical and pragmat- data?” Easy — as long as further use has not

ic reasons. However, when the possibility exists, been arranged with participants, the data should
one should always try to use encryption. be irreversibly destroyed!
USB sticks: Of course it is practical to transport

data from point A to point B with USB sticks.
However, we must be aware of the fact that USB
sticks are easily lost. The finder of a lost USB
stick then has unrestricted access to the data it
holds. If you choose to use USB sticks, encrypt
them! Then at least a basic level of protection is
“Ethics is a process of learning — not a process

achieved.
of obedience.”
(M Lab)
Street interview, Shanghai, China (2015)
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
010_DT_Methods.indd 55 30-04-2020 21:38:23
THE TEAM
Good teams are key to the success of design Design thinking works in exactly the same way. organizations, this method often quickly reaches
thinking. Only when each team member is ready It is not about looking for a certain kind of per- its limits, as the rights of the individual are natu-
to give their best, and the interplay between son, such as in the motto: “We need creatives.” rally of utmost concern. However, open discus-
teammates is in sync, can teams gain the moti- No — outstanding teams are comprised of many sion with human resources departments and

vation, momentum, and drive necessary for different types of people. The interplay and mix of employee associations almost always leads to

developing creative and innovative solutions. competencies is critical. In design thinking, suc- constructive results.

So what characterizes a good team? What cessful team composition depends on three fac-
kinds of people do they need, and what should tors: personality type, multidisciplinarity and Multidisciplinarity
one pay attention to? T-profile (see next page). Moreover, it is the way in Multidisciplinarity means that in design thinking
which these individuals uniquely complement teams, we try to integrate as many educational
Mark Schar, a colleague at Stanford University, one another and build synergies that makes backgrounds as possible — for example, engi-

once succinctly stated that everything one needs them part of a great team. neering, computer science, business adminis-
to learn about good teams can be seen on tele tration, psychology, design, architecture, and so

vision. He delivered examples from the film se- Personality type forth. Team members’ expert knowledge and also
ries Power Rangers and Star Trek; Captain Kirk, A person’s personality type is not an indicator of their different problem-solving approaches, of-

who pays constant attention to the big picture “good” or “bad”, but rather a support in building fers teams the opportunity to establish them-
and makes hard choices in tough situations, an optimal team with diverging characteristics. selves. Together such teams are stronger than
Commander Spock, who constantly questions According to McGregor (2006), “the right mix at the sum of their parts.
(primarily human) behavior, and “Number One”, the right time” is decisive. For a good team, it is
who is not only first officer — but also valued for important not only for members to have different Companies often try to place employees from

her logical thinking and analytical capabilities. educational backgrounds (multidisciplinarity), different departments into teams. In some
These are just a few of the characters from which but also different personality types. The interplay projects, financial controllers have worked

one can learn what makes exceptional teams. between introverts and extroverts, or thinkers together with their colleagues from R&D, mar-

and communicators, makes for a good team. keting, and account management. Companies
are perfectly suited for the development of
In student teams, we use the Teamology test to multidisciplinary teams, exactly because of their

segment potential team members into 16 groups. employees’ diverse educational backgrounds.
The primary goal is to put together groups of
people with as many different characteristics as

possible – analogous to the Star Trek example. In
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T-profile Openness Criticism
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
The third aspect to consider in assembling design Team members are open to new ideas, sugges- Honest criticism belongs in a good team! Without
thinking teams are so-called T-profiles. The tions and solutions, even if they’re “wild” and criticism that is both earnest and constructive,
T-profile symbolizes a person’s ability to connect sometimes perhaps unrealistic. The same is true the danger arises that the team will not progress
deep-rooted, analytical knowledge (the vertical for openness regarding the feelings of others. with enough strength and speed.
part of the letter T) with broader and more inte- Openness almost always reflects how willing a
grated knowledge and abilities. “T-shaped people” team is to listen — to one another and also to Be childlike

are able to not only draw from knowledge in their third parties. Teams must have the courage to occasionally
field of expertise, but can also think and establish be childlike. A childlike curiosity generates
connections in other expert domains. Experimentation valuable new approaches to topics, even if they

The team has developed a culture of experimen- may initially appear unconventional.
With attention paid to these three perspectives, tation, of trying things out and allowing for
exceptional teams can be built not only in compa- failure, instead of immediately dismissing new Design thinking coaches and experienced psy-
nies, but also in educational arenas. ideas and approaches. chologists can help to awaken and strengthen
these properties in teams. The whole design
What are the characteristics that define good Help thinking process is useless if an equal amount
teams? McGregor (2006) puts it like this: “You Team members assist one another to develop of attention is not paid to the composition and

enjoy being around the people, you look forward characteristics such as curiosity, openness and support of teams.

to all meetings, you learn new things, you laugh a readiness to experiment. This often requires
more, you find yourself putting the team’s assign- time and patience.
ments ahead of other work, and you feel a real
sense of progress and accomplishment.” Our gut Individuality
feeling often tells us whether a team has poten- Allowing for individuality and differences of
tial to be good or not. In support of McGregor, our opinion is important. The silence of harmonies

experience shows that the following characteris- between team members does not increase the
tics of people and teams are critical (McGregor, quality of results. Rather, positive outcomes
2006): are fostered by constant, constructive discus-
sion, the exploration of divergent opinions, and
the acceptance of personal individuality.
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“Everything you need to know about a ‘good team’,

you learned on TV”
(Schar, 2010)
Design Thinking Team 2013/2014:

The University of St. Gallen, Karlsruher Institute
for Technology and University of Zurich at
Stanford University in Palo Alto (2013)
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1 METHOD OVERVIEW
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IMPLEMENTATION IN COMPANIES
The introduction of design thinking into compa- The operational level of the project’s daily The strategic level of transformation
nies and organizations is already familiar territo- routine The strategic transformation of the company
ry. Over the past 10 years, numerous firms have On the operational level of the project, there are into a culture integrated with design thinking
put design thinking to use. In this time, they have often three variations to consider on how design goes through four stages of development:
garnered important learning experiences and thinking can be utilized:
mastered the typical challenges faced in trans- Awareness
formational processes. Design thinking as a toolbox in the innovation pro- Organizations in the awareness stage want to
cess: In this type of application, isolated method- take a first step to perceptually establish the
One fundamental realization is that the introduc- ological elements and tools are used in existing themes of customer orientation, creativity and
tion of design thinking as a method and a culture projects. On the one hand, this approach allows an iterative approach. Using measures such as
takes much time. Changing how managers and for the rapid utilization of design thinking’s “town hall” style meetings with employees, tar-
employees think does not happen overnight — promising elements; and on the other, employees geted training by design thinking practitioners,

nor within weeks, or months. More often, organi- begin to learn by making their first contact with or situation-specific projects supported by de-
zations must plan for a time frame of years and components of the design thinking method. sign thinking methods, employees are shown the
allocate constantly active management resourc- utility of design thinking.
es in order to transformationally introduce the Design thinking as part of the innovation process:
design thinking approach. In this variation, the diverging stage is generally Experimental
combined with previously adopted development At this stage of development, most companies
In our experience, this transformation happens methods, such as SCRUM (www.scrum.org). The evaluate the usefulness of design thinking in
on two levels — the operational, day-to-day level objective is supporting and pre-emptively projects to solve selected problems and address

of the project, and the strategic level of the orga- amending the predominantly convergent devel- certain tasks. In a continuation of the awareness
nization. Both intertwine when it comes to the opment methods through a customer-oriented, stage, additional employees are trained in design
adoption of the design thinking method. creativity-fostering process. thinking in order to broaden the base of method-
ological knowledge within the organization.
Design thinking as a “playground” for innovation Moreover, further projects are complemented by
and customer orientation: In this mode, design tools and process components from design
thinking is completely deployed and aligned with thinking.
a practice-oriented approach in both micro-cycles
and macro-processes.
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Catch-up In addition to these developmental paths,
1 METHOD OVERVIEW
In the catch-up mode, companies perceive there are numerous additional challenges to
design thinking to be an established and suc- be mastered and success factors to bear in

cessful method. The goal here is to stabilize mind. These will be further explored in focused
and broaden its use within the organization. chapters:

Connected with this is the establishment of • The organization’s orientation towards

spaces in which design thinking projects can customers and users;

be scaled up, on the one hand, and, on the other, • Middle and senior management must have

the establishment of measurement systems support available;
that increase the transparency and traceability • Lighthouse projects are needed to quickly

of success. show the success of the method;

• The perception and understanding of the

Design thinking as an organizational culture method must be improved through training;

For design thinking to become part of a compa- • Design thinking is not the method for all

ny’s culture, its principles need to be engaged problems and tasks;

throughout the entire organization. In addition • Persistence is needed to implement the

to operational use in all forms, design thinking methods;

often drives and supports organizational trans- • Silo structures must be overcome and broken

formation. This is called transformation by de- down;

sign. Design thinking enables internal and exter- • Small teams provide for impact, dynamism

nal problems and challenges to be processed and the greatest success;
and solved in tandem. • Design thinking teams should have rooms at

their disposal.
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2
020_DT_WK.indd 62 30-04-2020 21:39:07
TOOLKIT
The design thinking toolkit enables us to solve design
thinking problems in a structured, systematic way.
Beginners can use these techniques as a guideline.
020_DT_WK.indd 63 30-04-2020 21:39:07

SETUP
PROJECT PLANNING
Project planning for a design thinking project Development projects In an ideal case, the initial project outline should
orientates itself using a classical approach. This In development projects, we focus on concrete remain valid during the entire project lifecycle.

includes: problem statements and task requirements with However, within innovation projects, it cannot be
• establishing a project outline, or; attention paid to users and other stakeholders. The guaranteed that new knowledge that fully invali-

• setting the parameters for the order of events; goal is to find solutions that can be implemented dates the original problem statement is created.

• generating a schedule; in a clearly established time frame (2–5 years). In such cases, the project outline and definition

• setting a project deadline; of task requirements are usually altered or add-

• estimating the effort involved; Depending on the kind of project in question, ed to the “problem definition and redefinition”

• establishing financial and risk management project planning is carried out differently. phase of the micro-cycle. The allowance for agili-

plans; ty and flexibility enables projects to be adjusted
• determining staffing needs. The project outline according to newly identified customer and user

The project outline is usually succinct and ad- requirements the team uncovers during the
This chapter concentrates on the first three dresses the following: need-finding phase.
points of project planning, since their content
varies the most from that of traditional projects. Existing situation: A short description of the ex- Scheduling on the basis of the macro-cycle
Additionally, we provide further advice on finan- isting situation in the organization and/or market The typical design thinking schedule for a devel-
cial resource planning. environment, in addition to relevant framing opment project is based on macro-cycle phases.
conditions. This schedule has proved itself over the course of
We can generally separate design thinking proj- numerous successfully completed projects, and
ects into two main groups (see table, p. 70): Problem statement: A clear description of the has the flexibility to be adapted to organizational
actual problem or challenge to be addressed. conditions and requirements:
Visionary projects
In visionary projects we work on problem state- Questions: A list of questions that must be
ments for which the solutions lie very far in the answered to the client upon completion of the

future (five years). These projects have the objec- project.
tive of establishing a prognosis for products, ser-
vices, and business models through the explora- Solution requirements and limitations:
tion of user needs and market trends. Often, the Requirements for output that are already estab-
results of such projects provide the initial im- lished at the outset of the assignment. These can
pulse for strategizing in an organization or sector. be economic, regulatory, or of a technical nature.
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2.1
diverging converging
2 TOOLKIT
Paper bike Design space Critical function Dark horse Funky Functional X-is-finished Final
challenge exploration prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype
Milestone Description Output
Project start Official start of the project — in which project planning Project planning

is initiated
Project kick-off Get-together of the whole team in order to explain the An understanding of roles, tasks, timing and results
project outline and to give the “go” signal
Design space exploration Exploration and definition of the problem and solution Customer and stakeholder interviews, first insights,
spaces with a strong emphasis on the need finding definition of critical functions, benchmarks and business
phase model analyses
Critical function prototype Continuation of need finding and generation of simple Need finding results, CFPs (>20 variations),
(CFP) prototypes that allow the most critical and important insightful failures and failure situations
functions to be experienced and tested
Dark horse prototype Redefinition of the initially articulated framing condi- Need finding, dark horse prototypes (>20 variations),
tions, with realization via simple prototypes insightful failures and failure situations
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Funky prototype Integration of the most successful and interesting proto- Funky prototypes (5–10),
(also called integrated types from the previous phases into more complex proto- elaborate test results
prototype) types with the goal of identifying new implementation
directions
Functional prototype Realization of a comprehensive prototype that Functional prototype (max. three)
possesses all the important functions — to test with

users
X-is-finished prototype One feature of the future final prototype must be made X-is-finished prototype
completely functional, so that the effort required for de-
velopment of the final prototype can be better estimated
Final prototype Complete, fully elaborated prototype. This shows the Final prototype, with documentation of relevant
most important functions as realistically as possible, project results
and provides answers to the questions posed in the
project outline
This schedule ensures that prototypes are continuously developed throughout the whole project,
and that these are put to use in the collection and evaluation of feedback. This ensures, among other
things, that the most important, foundational principles of design thinking are achieved: customer
orientation, the iterative approach, and prototyping.
Within each aforementioned milestone, the micro-cycle (problem definition and redefinition, need
finding and synthesis, ideation, prototyping and testing) is carried out at least once, but typically
multiple times.

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Problem definition
and redefinition
2.1
Testing Need finding
and synthesis
Scheduling on the basis of the micro-cycle
2 TOOLKIT
A second variation of the design thinking schedule is based upon the micro- as opposed to
the macro-cycle. This is a particularly useful approach in situations in which access to users
is limited by timing or physical circumstances. Given that there is only one micro-cycle phase
in which intensive contact with users and other stakeholders is necessary (need finding), in-
terviews and field observations are easier to plan and coordinate in comparison to a schedule
based on the macro-cycle. A schedule based on the micro-cycle has the following defining Prototyping Ideation
and storytelling
characteristics:
Project start Official start of the project in planning Project planning
Project kick-off Get-together of the whole team in order to explain the project An understanding of roles, tasks, timing and
outline and the give the “go” signal results
Need finding and synthesis Ethnographic field research and extraction of directions Interviews, results of observations,
(underlying learning for further project process and benchmarks from other industries
development)
Ideation Generation of numerous ideas based upon learning from A prioritized collection of ideas that can
the previous synthesis phase be further elaborated with the help of prototypes
Prototyping Solidification of ideas into the form of prototypes in order Prototypes (generally few; up to five)
to enable testing with users
Testing Testing of prototypes with users and further stakeholders Test results
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Besides easier planning of the contact phase Milestone on the basis of the macro-cycle Minimum time needed in organizational context
with users and stakeholders, an advantage of
this approach is that an in-depth focus can be Project start 1 month
placed on need finding and the associated
synthesis. This makes scheduling based upon Project kick-off ½ day

the micro-cycle a particularly good approach
for visionary projects. Design space exploration 2 weeks
Timing Critical function prototype 2 weeks

Naturally, the timing of a design thinking project
depends on numerous factors both within and Dark horse prototype 2 weeks
outside each particular organization. However,
the experience we have collected over the course Funky prototype (integrated prototype) 1 week
of more than 60 design thinking projects has re-
sulted in some timing guidelines for the different Functional prototype 3 weeks
phases. These can prove useful in initial planning
when it comes to best estimating the time proj- X-is-finished prototype 3 weeks
ects require.
Final prototype 3 weeks
The timing table above assumes the following parameters:

Team size: 4–5 people
Average time commitment per person: two days per week; sometimes higher intensity in organiza-
tional contexts
Interviews: The time frame assumes that conversations and observations with users and additional
stakeholders can be organized and carried out without obstacles. The chapter on need finding and
synthesis more fully addresses the subject of interview methods.
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2.1
Financial resources Prototyping material: Building prototypes is a
2 TOOLKIT
The financial requirements of design thinking central activity in most design thinking projects. PROCEDURE AND TIPS
projects are generally no different than those of While in early phases of the project the proto-
• Start with project planning as early as
other organizational projects carried out locally types are generally inexpensive and easy to build,

possible. Give yourself at least one month.
and/or globally. However, two budgetary items the costs increase in later phases. This applies to
are typically planned separately, since they can both products and services. The costs of materi- • Establish a list with the most important

lead to increased costs: als, and external services required in some cases contact people.
(e.g. production of software or video), should be • Develop a project outline with an order of

Travel budget: Customer orientation means that included early in cost calculations. events. This does not need to be complete
the design thinking team has to be physically from the very beginning, but it does need to
present at the location of the customer or user. provide a basis for conversation with the
This cannot be delegated to market research clients hiring your design thinking team.
companies or others! Therefore, some projects
• Estimate the time, costs and effort asso-

involve higher costs due to the travel required.
ciated with the project.
Realistically, the team should plan a few visits. TOOLS
Only this level of engagement can lead the design • Confirm important appointments, such as

• Planning software, such as Microsoft deadlines and milestones, with the client
thinking team to the required level of empathy

Excel or Project, is helpful employing your team.
for the user and a deep understanding of the
problem statement. Sometimes it is critical that • Post-its can be used to effectively display • Establish a schedule and deadline that

the team work on location, be it in Ethiopia, project planning. For example, activities take human resources into consideration,
Bhutan, Colombia or South Africa. can be written on Post-its and then ar- so that the project´s objective can be
ranged chronologically on a foam board. achieved in the given time frame.
The advantage is that everyone in the room
• Produce a budget.
can see the project plan, making it acces-

sible and easy for the team to work on. This is often an iterative process, and multi-
ple realizations are necessary before the
• SCRUM (www.scrum.org)/Kanban boards,
project can begin.

for planning project tasks (either on a
whiteboard or with Trello.com)
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Dimensions Visionary project Operational project
Goal Basis for a customer-oriented strategy for prod- Solution of contemporary challenges in B2C
ucts, services and business models with inspira- and B2B contexts via generation of custom-
tion and ideas from the design thinking process er-oriented products, services and business
models
Target time frame for solution > 5 years (up to 10 years) 1–5 years
Process configuration The emphasis is on need finding, synthesis and The focus is on all phases of the design
ideation phases; prototyping is less central thinking cycle
Challenges The relation to the organization and assignment In the diverging phase, clients and stakehold-
of tasks must be sustained; abstract ideas ers can identify and comment on what they
should be made experienceable through perceive as an incorrect or missing focus; the
prototyping design process can then be viewed as a mere
implementation process for existing ideas
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SETUP
2.1
INFRASTRUCTURE
Carrying out a successful project requires appro- Foamboards: Results, ideas, items for discussion Materials (e.g. for prototyping): Basic materials
2 TOOLKIT
priate infrastructure. Particularly in organiza- and so forth must be documented and kept avail- such as Post-its, paper, and so forth should be
tions with no suitable spaces for design thinking able to the team at all times. In addition to flip- available in every office. Numerous other design
projects, it can be a challenge to establish the charts and whiteboards, we strongly recommend thinking authors request a crafting or creative
right environment. Nevertheless, the appropriate foamboards. They are light and flexible, and the area; a hobbyist’s bench, or craft store. Having
environment for a successful collaboration can team can both cover them with Post-its and access to lots of materials is certainly good,
be set up with simple materials. quickly repurpose them. but we have learned that a small, limited assort-
ment is sufficient, and these limits can push the
Private work space for each design thinking team Creativity kit: Numerous tests and workshops are team’s creativity a step further.
member: A private workspace should be avail- carried out outside the team’s own spaces, so it
able for every member of the design thinking is helpful to compile the most important materi- Prototyping workspace: Particularly with prod-
team. Despite intensive collaboration within the als into a suitcase of supplies to bring along. ucts, the team needs a workspace in which to
team, it must be ensured that team members construct prototypes. This can create challenges.
can also work in peace and concentrate on the Storage options: The amount of space required For example, if electronics such as Arduino are
numerous tasks required of them. for equipment (foamboards) and prototypes used, then a soldering iron needs to be quickly
should not be underestimated. Many office put into use, without violating fire safety
Workspace for collaboration: In addition to pri- spaces are not set up to accommodate the regulations.

vate workspaces, it is important to build the right amount of material required, acquired and
environment for teamwork and collaboration. In generated during design thinking projects, so Telephone and conference calls: Today, it almost

this field, team members often have to work with these issues need to be considered during already sounds old-fashioned to list this as a
and around one another, for example, when dis- planning. requirement. However, numerous projects have
cussing interview results and arriving at the con- shown that simple means of communication
clusions that guide the project´s next steps. such as video conferencing facilities are not
always available to design thinking teams. In
many cases they are, however, indispensable for
interviews with customers and users, as well as
experts.
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Customizing the workspace: A small budget

should be available to enable the team to acquire TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
things needed to give their rooms personality • Review the materials and workspaces

and to create a closer workspace. available — in person if possible. Our ex- •

perience has shown that there is often a
substantial discrepancy between the •

materials that room booking services list,
and what is actually present in rooms. •

• Make a list of materials to order and in-
•

frastructure needed, and request them.

Make sure that you take into consider-
•
ation the fact that certain materials are

simply not in the standard supply closet
•
of many organizations — for example,

foamboards. In such cases, be prepared
•
for substantial wait times of up to a

month.
•

•

•

•

•

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SETUP
2.1
TEAM SETUP
The team takes on a special meaning in design Besides this, experience has proven the value of introverts. On the other hand, introverts often
2 TOOLKIT
thinking projects. When a team is put together the tried-and-true approach of holding a meeting have strong analytical abilities.
well, it can always achieve more than what on the subject of team dynamics. In this group
individuals alone are capable of. But what does meeting, the standard rules of communication in Sensing versus intuition: Intuitive people make

‘well’ mean when it comes to building teams? teams are revisited for emphasis and discussion. decisions with their “sixth sense” — their gut

Over the past few years, we have used the Additionally, the team discusses the results of feeling. This typically comes from experience and
“Teamology” indicators, based on Carl Gustav the personality tests — with natural attention to self-confidence. More fact-oriented, sensing

Jung’s personality typologies, as a guide for put- confidentiality. The goal is for the team to equip people often delay making decisions. Their gut
ting teams together. Teamology determines an itself to identify and to compensate for its poten- feeling does not immediately arise, and typically
individual’s personality type, and roughly classi- tial weak points, and better manage potential comes only after they study the facts of a

fies them upon the basis of extroversion versus conflicts that may arise. situation.
introversion, sensing versus intuition, thinking
versus feeling, and judging versus perceiving. For Personality type Thinking versus feeling: Thinkers generally make
us, the personality types of individuals are the The Teamology test can determine an individual’s decisions rationally, based upon the facts
decisive criteria when it comes to building teams. personality type. This can change according to presented to them. People who feel more strong-

We know that some other authors consider life stage and environment, but it serves as a ly tend to also draw the emotional aspects of the
multidisciplinarity more important than person- good indicator of a person’s basic disposition. situation and of their colleagues into decision-

ality type, however our experience has shown The test classifies people in the following fields: making.
that a lack of multidisciplinarity is easier to com-
pensate for in our global world (e.g. by integrating Extrovert versus introvert: Extroverts are more Judging versus perceiving: Evaluative people tend
experts in certain fields), than the personality open, generally enjoy contact with others more, to make quick judgments and hold onto them

composition within the team itself. and can be more adept at communication than over long periods of time, even in light of new
facts. People in the “perceiving” group tend to ab-
sorb situations over long periods of time before
making decisions.
“Adding a few people who know less, but have

diverse skills, actually improves the group’s performance.”
(Surowiecki, 2004)
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Over the past several years, the categories of and profiles have to be combined — for example, Sources

Teamology tests have been given characterizing by putting a software engineer, a designer, an McGregor, D., “The Human Side of Enterprise”,
names as “mastermind”, “teacher” or “supervi- ethnographer and an economist into the same 2006 (annotated ed.)
sor”. What is important to note is that all catego- team. Behind this approach is the hypothesis Parker, G.M., “Team Players and Teamwork: New
ries are regarded positively. When setting up a that the team should have access to knowledge Strategies for Developing Successful
design thinking team, as many quadrants of the from multiple disciplines. Collaboration”, 2008 (2nd ed.)
teamology test should be covered as possible. Surowiecki, J., “The Wisdom of Crowds”, 2004
Quadrants or fields that are not covered should Practically, this means that various profiles of Wilde, D.J., “Teamology: The Construction and
be discussed during a team dynamics meeting. qualifications will help to build the team that Organization of Effective Teams”, 2007
works on the problem. Unfortunately, in many in-
In organizational contexts, personality tests have dustries, such as banking, a starkly one-sided
to be carried out carefully — above all in regard approach has negatively impacted the diversity TOOLS

to protecting individuals’ data. In most cases, of qualification profiles available.
• Calculation table for evaluation of test
human resources departments as well as em-

results (Wilde, D. J., 2007)

ployee associations need to be involved, even T-profile
when the individual employees themselves freely The third criteria is related to one’s ability to
agree to the tests. bring more than just expertise or “deep knowl-
edge” to his or her team (as symbolized by the
Multidisciplinarity vertical part of the “T”). To a certain extent,
The second criteria for the composition of a team members should also be able to think and
design thinking team is multidisciplinarity, by work within other fields (as symbolized by the

which we mean the subject-related education horizontal part of the “T”). “T-shaped” individuals
and expertise of the team members. Relevant are usually difficult to identify from afar. When
to a project’s context, a range of qualifications composing a new team, some indications exist in
CVs, or the project initiator might know an indi-
vidual’s characteristics from previous projects.
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2.1
2 TOOLKIT
TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
• The use of personality tests requires

rigorous attention to confidentiality with •

all data collected!
•
• Check with your client organization’s

management whether or not personality
•
tests are allowed — and under what

circumstances. In some cases, also
•
check with employee representatives.

• If your client organization allows •

personality tests, before testing you
should still have a personal con •

versation with each employee to fully
explain the test and interpretation •

of the results. Should an individual
have concerns, try to alleviate them. •

If their concerns cannot be resolved,
do not do the test — listen to your •

gut feeling.
• Carry out the test. •

• Analyse the data. The results form the
•

foundation of the team’s composition.

• Discuss the test results individually with •

each participant and the team results
with the group. •

•

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1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
1 Kick-off with team members from China, Finland, Switzerland and Germany at Stanford

University in Palo Alto
2 Team meeting in Finland

3 Shanghai, after a long day of workshops and interviews

4 Traveling between Zurich and St. Gallen after need finding

5 Meeting with company representatives in Switzerland

6 Workshop in Espoo, Finland

7 One of many virtual group meetings

8 Meeting up for work in Zurich

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2.1
2 TOOLKIT
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16
9 Workshop in Espoo, Finland

10 Trial for fall presentations in Zurich

11 Meeting up in San Francisco

12 Rehearsing a midterm presentation in St. Gallen

13 Short tour through the University of Zurich before the next group meeting

14 Need finding in Shanghai, China

15 Meeting up in San Francisco

16 All teams’ final presentation at Stanford University in Palo Alto

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SETUP
POST-ITS
Setting up a design thinking project requires the and “re-stuck”, flipcharts and whiteboards often Content: A well-structured Post-it generally has a
right approach to working with some key tools. fall flat, as content is written on a blank surface headline. The headline is followed by a half-sen-
This includes Post-its, which a number of pro- and repeatedly has to be generated anew. tence that quickly and concisely lays out essen-
ducers now offer. Unfortunately, use of these col- tial ideas.
ored sticky notes increasingly polarizes users — Transportability: Post-its are exceptionally easy

some feel that while Post-its make work fun, this to transport. For example, if a workshop needs Marker: This seems like a non-essential detail,
does not necessarily correlate with productivity. to be carried out externally, existing Post-its can however experience has shown that the use of
In design thinking projects, Post-its play an im- simply be brought along from the project overly thin or fat markers tends to make Post-its
portant role and their advantages are immedi- workspace. illegible. While ballpoint pens almost always lead
ately at hand. The decisive point is whether or not to Post-its that are illegible from a short dis-
we use Post-its correctly. Mobility: Teams that always carry Post-its in their tance; fat-tipped markers result in Post-its that
luggage are able to quickly and easily jot down are illegible from any distance. Medium-sized
Advantages learning while in transit. These can be integrated markers, such as the Edding 1300, have proved
Overview: When stuck onto foamboards or walls into the project workspace later. themselves. The color of the marker is also im-
in a logical order, Post-its efficiently generate a portant to consider — a red Edding on a red Post-

quick overview. Since they make content physi- What should we pay attention to? it will be difficult to read.
cally available in the room, as opposed to hidden Clarity: Those who use small or messy handwrit-
within a computer, team members can often ing when using Post-its run the risk that their Handwriting: Handwriting on a Post-it should be
more quickly familiarize themselves with new re- teammates will not be able to decipher them. clearly legible. In most cases, this means using
sults or changes. This prevents teammates from making use of block letters. This rule of thumb holds true: Even
their learning and ideas. an extremely good idea is worthless if no one can
Easy restructuring: Post-its can be easily moved read it!
around and restructured, for example when clus- Sketches: When possible, central learning should
tering learning. In contrast to Post-its, which can be sketched on Post-its. Sketches of mecha-
easily be re-sorted, recomposed in new orders nisms and graphs, for example, generally help
other team members to quickly gain an under-
standing of subjects. They also enable the team
to more easily return to earlier themes.
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2.1
2 TOOLKIT
020_DT_WK.indd 79 30-04-2020 21:39:19
TIPS AND TRICKS
• The Post-it rules should ideally be clearly

communicated and illustrated during the
kick-off meeting, for example while doing
physical warm-up excercises such as the
“Stickman Warm-up”.
TOOLS
• Markers (for example the Edding 1300)

• Post-its in a variety of sizes

• Surfaces suitable for putting up Post-its

(these can be hard to find in some organi-
zations). Foamboards provide an ideal
solution.
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2.1
2 TOOLKIT
020_DT_WK.indd 81 30-04-2020 21:39:23
SETUP
DNA ANALYSIS METHOD
How did this method emerge? efficient evaluation of all subsequent approach- • A knowledge of the organizational DNA

With enthusiasm, productive creative processes es. Personally motivated, off-topic discussions makes it possible to confidently achieve posi-
are very personally felt and guided. are prevented and replaced by an effective, con- tive differentiation from competition
structive process.
Often, teams miss an initial collective under- What’s it about?
standing of what is to be achieved, what fits the Key points of the method: • Concentration on the essential — the DNA of

organization, and what parameters should be • Developed over 14 years the organization

considered as a given. • Consequential connection of rational and emo- • Often, the organization’s personality is under-

tional factors, including traceable quantitative stood for the first time; the management team
As a consequence, the process of assessing measurability experiences how their organization’s personali-
approaches and ideas is often inefficient and • Continuous development and improvement ty “feels” to others, and how this can be used

disappointing. • Documented history of successful use and/or changed

• Implemented and realized in innovation

To prevent these almost standard situations projects, product development, graphical user The process:

from arising, several years ago milani design interface (GUI) design, communication, corpo- Step 1/Analysis of all strategy papers:
& consulting AG in Zurich started to develop a rate identity/corporate design, corporate It is essential to filter out relevant information:
method: the DNA analysis method. fashion, exhibitions and corporate architecture What moves the organization? What are the

recurring themes?

What is the essence of the method? What will it achieve? For example, in relation to findings on innovation:
The DNA analysis method makes it possible • Increased decision-making speed and confi- Is the organization past- or future-oriented,

for team members to rationally and emotionally dence via collective understanding of what risk-averse or adventurous, agile and flexible or

experience organizational goals within a four- fits the organization, for example in relation to static, and so forth.

hour workshop. The tone is creativity and innovation management
consensus-oriented, and guarantees content • Fast and effective optimization of the organiza- Step 2/Visual presentation of the strategic

homogeneity and high motivation in teams. tion’s direction, for example, in relation to crises content:

or generational change Thematic pairings of strategy content, such as
The rational and emotional targets and results • Strengthened motivation and identification “risk-averse versus adventurous” are visualized

are comprehensibly documented and serve as an • Definition of quick measures and adoption of in metaphors/images on an evaluation axis.

action plans
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2.1
Step 3a/Four-hour workshop with leadership Step 3b/Comparison to competitors: Experiences with the method
2 TOOLKIT
team: With the newly-learned “strategic glasses”, com- The DNA analysis method uncovers important
As a first step, management makes a critical petitors are evaluated using the same criteria. discrepancies between strategic positioning and
self-evaluation of each thematic pairing (such as There is a focus upon the recognition of overlaps organizational identity on the one side, and such
“risk-averse versus adventurous”). They subse- and potential areas for differentiation. issues as the pre-existing innovation culture or
quently review the results in relation to the actu- impact of market presence and existing products
al base characteristics of the complete contem- Step 3c/Establishment of the “should” position: on the other.
porary organization: Based on the deltas between the essential orga-
• Open, honest discussions, consensus, and nizational character and specific characteristics The deltas and the related need for action be-

definition of the organization’s current strategic and a market comparison, “is” and “should” posi- come quantifiable and measurable, and are then

position establishes the “is” situation. With tions are defined and the related steps to close transferred into specific operational targets.

knowledge of the organization’s current ele- the gaps are set out.
mental character, or DNA, a second step re- The management of values and any change in
views its specific characteristics, such as its Step 4/Documenting the process and results: values must be broadly anchored in order to inte-
innovation portfolio (how innovative are our All content should be protocoled and presented grate new orientations into the organization
products?) in relation to the “is” situation. in an overview. Visual representations that without using exclusively top-down mechanisms.
Another aspect could be the innovation effect express the measurable rational, relative and

of the organization’s general image (in terms emotional components will be helpful. If possi- Therefore, we recommend repeating the DNA
of products, communication, exhibitions, archi- ble, the agreed target positions should be not workshop in subsequent levels of the hierarchy
tecture and so forth). This process makes the only expressed in text and visual representa- while consistently managing the targets in all
points of convergence and deltas (gaps) tions, but also with evocative images that effec- organizational areas, following the principle of

impressively visible — and hence the need to tively communicate the emotional aspects. “train the trainer”.

make it authentic through actions. This means
bringing actual organizational potential to the The result: Certainty that targets of consequence
fore, as well as future capabilities. are dispersed throughout the organization and
that above all, innovation processes, such as
those based on design thinking, can be under-
stood and adopted.
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Testimonials Which themes are relevant in my organization? NOTES

“The DNA analysis method has helped us enor- What is our DNA based on? Where are internal
mously in terms of aligning values across the DNA, processes and solutions out of alignment?
Medela Group. This has led to increased efficien- •

cy and effectiveness through the subsequent
development of a global, visual model of our •

market-facing image.”
Renate Schreiber, CEO, Medela AG •

“This was the best process with externals that •

I can remember”.
Heino von Prondzynski, VR Roche and CEO a.D., •

Roche Diagnostics Ltd.,
•

“At Feller, we carried out a very important phase
of organizational positioning and alignment us- •

ing the DNA analysis method. The simple and
efficient process was only exceeded by the clari- •

ty of the results. We could glean valuable learn-
ing about the “is” versus the “should” state of the •

organization… and through this, we achieved

a collective understanding within the Feller man- •

agement team.”
Roger Karner, CEO, Feller AG •

•

•

•

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flexible
flexible
flexible
2.1
rigid
rigid
rigid
2 TOOLKIT
hardware software “undercover” market leader
protective expensive
expensive
protectiveexpensive
protective
visionary low price
visionary low price
visionary own low
company
price
competitors
own company
own company As is
competitors
competitors To be
As is
As is To be
To be
Example of a company’s DNA analysis
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Every successful design thinking project begins with a good, goal-oriented question statement.
However, the initial question statement provides only the starting point for a design thinking project.
Through multiple iterations of the micro-cycle, the question is constantly adjusted, or further
refined through sub-questions. The definition and redefinition of the problem statement, through
continuous adaptation and refinement, is a central step in the project.

Design thinking code
Setup
Problem definition
Feedback
and redefinition
Warm-ups
Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
Prototyping Ideation
and storytelling
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2.2
2 TOOLKIT
87
020_DT_WK.indd 87 30-04-2020 21:39:28


DEFINING THE QUESTION STATEMENT
Defining and redefining the initial question is a Inspiration and emotion workshops. Furthermore, every question begins
central element of design thinking. If questions If a question statement is inspiring, it will not with a “how might we…” statement. Leading with
are too focused on a technological solution or only appeal to team members pragmatically, but these words often helps to set the right tone for
a certain search area, this can restrict the design also emotionally. Exactly this kind of emotional the question.
thinking team early in the process. It quickly connection can ignite the additional motivation
becomes hard for the team to think outside the required to intensively work with and explore the Object/Something: This always refers to an object

proverbial box. Conversely, questions that are too subject matter over the long term. At the same that should be newly developed or invented. The
broadly defined around abstract goals are just as time, emotions open up new dimensions for con- object can be a product, a service or a business
problematic. To prevent teams failing at the out- sideration. Furthermore, the question statement model. The qualities of the object can be provid-
set, we offer the following guiding principles on should be clearly defined and formulated. ed to offer direction.
effectively structuring and logically limiting the
solution space: Give a direction Persona: This element relates to the target user
At first glance, this rule appears to run contrary or customer group — those for whom the project

Do not offer solutions to the first rule — “do not offer solutions.”

result is relevant. The persona is not the client

The question statement should not propose a However, there’s a big difference between stating that commissioned the project, but the person or
solution. Neither technical nor economic solu- a solution and suggesting a direction! The direc- people who will use the resulting output upon
tions should be part of the question that frames tion of a question can, for example, be directed completion of the project.
the design thinking process. It is the design by an organization’s strategy and show where the
thinking team’s job to search for and locate solu- organization sees its products and services Conditions/problems/changes: Framing condi-
tions. During this process, there is a danger that heading in the future. There is no concrete solutions, problems and so on that influence the cen-
client propositions are misunderstood and even tion connected with direction, however there is a tral object of interest. In the banking sector,
used in place of a successful question framing clear orientation towards a specific area in which these might be regulatory requirements. In the
strategy for the project. It is generally far easier a solution might be found. chemical industry, it might be environmental
and more effective for the design thinking team conditions that impact the scope of work.
to develop new ideas without being offered a Developing guidelines
possible solution. The figure on p. 89 shows a structured template When filling the template, one should not be too
for developing a design thinking question state- focused on each individual element. However,
ment. The template should be considered a numerous successful projects have shown that
guideline, and has led to the successful develop- this template is helpful for developing and dis-
ment of question statements in numerous cussing new question statements.
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2.2
“Good ideas originate from good questions.”
2 TOOLKIT
TIPS AND TRICKS
• Discuss possible question statements

for the project with your client.
• Use the template to structure the ques-

tion statement, either during or after
the meeting with your client.
• Repeatedly re-examine your question

statement with your client and other
stakeholders in the organization, and
keep revising it.
• Always evaluate your question state-

ment in light of the criteria for a “good”
question statement.
Defining question statements is an art!

Don‘t get frustrated, even if it seems frus-
trating and challenging at first. Our experi-
ence has shown that putting effort into
finding the right question statement tends
to be rewarded with good project results.
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STRETCH GOALS
Using the “stretch goals” technique, existing What both extension directions have in common
boundaries are symbolically extended in vertical is the redefinition of goals to foster new problem- TIPS AND TRICKS

and horizontal directions. solving approaches.
• The team writes the question statement

on a large sheet of paper or a whiteboard.
Vertical extension: Vertical extensions always re- Some risks are associated with this method:
fer to products, services or processes that al- • For vertical extension, list the goals to

ready exist — and sets new targets for them. For Demotivation: Targets that are unrealistic or un- achieve one under the other.

example, an organization’s customer satisfaction inspiring can quickly demotivate a team. • Think within your group about how goals

rating could be raised from 90 to 100 percent. can be clearly and ambitiously extended.
A further example might be the reduction of air- Stress: Particularly highly motivated team Write this next to the original goals.
plane fuel use from 0.7 gallons per passenger per members, committed to reaching “hard” targets,
• Define your new question statement

60 flight miles to 0.2 gallons per passenger per can become overly stressed when trying to solve
together.
60 flight miles. The targets set must be both extremely difficult problem statements. This
technically and organizationally challenging to can adversely affect their performance levels. • In practice, a proven method for the

achieve at the time. stretch goals exercise is to invite
In practice, these methods have proved them- members of other teams to participate.
Horizontal extension: This concerns the develop- selves as excellent reframing techniques. The fresh and sometimes naïve
ment of completely new products, services or perspective helps set targets anew.
processes. In addition, new target markets or
framing conditions can be established in order to Sources
enliven the ideation process. An example from Kerr, S. and Landauer, S., “Using Stretch Goals
the finance sector would be offering an asset to Promote Organizational Effectiveness and
management service portfolio to classic retail Personal Growth”, 2008
banking clients.
Indian Institute of Technology: Understanding

and defining the problem in the context of an
international project (2015)
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2.2
2 TOOLKIT
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FRAMING AND REFRAMING
In problem framing and reframing, the principal One technique that can be used when challeng-
concern is to achieve a new perspective on the ing assumptions is the 5W, or five times why TIPS AND TRICKS
question statement. By considering the initial method.
• Write the initial question statement on a

problem in a different light, new directions for
whiteboard.
exploration and fresh ideas emerge. These can 3. Redefining assumptions: In the third and final
lead to original solutions in new conceptual step, the assumptions deemed interesting and • In your group, collect the assumptions

spaces. important are morphed. The exact form of this that have been accepted as fact up until
new definition depends on the phase in the this point, as well as any assumptions
The reframing process is carried out in three macro-cycle. For example, in the dark horse pro- which were explicitly given in the project

steps (see Morgan, G., 1997): totype phase, explicit assumptions are inverted outline.
to express the opposite. Why? It is often easier to • Within your team, prioritize the assump-

Identifying assumptions: In the first step, explicit think about the opposite of something than to tions in relation to their importance and
and implicit assumptions and framing conditions think about it in the actual intended direction. subjective relevance.
for the project are identified. These include the For example, many teams aim to improve situa-
• Select the three most highly prioritized

assumptions and conditions of the initial questions. This goal is, of course, valid, but the power
assumptions and challenge each one
tion statement, as well as every assumption that of imagination is quickly used up. When this hap-
with “why?” up to five times. Write the
has come to light over the course of the project. pens, it often helps to consider the exact oppo-
why questions and answers next to each
These assumptions may have been previously site goal. How can the situation be made worse?
other.
unknown, or only superficially considered. From these answers, the team can glean infer-
ences about the original positive case. Reframing • Stop the 5W method when the results

Questioning/challenging assumptions: In the sec- helps teams to think outside the box, however become too general and offer little new
ond step, the assumptions collected from the team members must be prepared to leave their knowledge.
team are collectively challenged with the goal of comfort zones. • Within your team, select the three most

identifying and understanding the reasoning be- interesting why answers.
hind each assumption. It is not critical to find one
• Formulate the three most interesting why

single truth; instead the team should achieve a Sources
answers into new question statements
basic understanding of the formation process Morgan, G., “Images of Organization”, 1997
(using the “How might we…” technique).
behind the assumptions. (2nd ed.)
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2.2
2 TOOLKIT
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GET INSPIRATION FROM THE FUTURE
When trying to put yourself mentally into the Sources

far future, it can be helpful to watch a science Direction 2000 — A Preview of the World TIPS AND TRICKS

fiction film or read a science fiction novel togeth- Tomorrow (Richtung 2000 — Vorschau auf die
• Popcorn, chips and chocolate are a

er as a team. If one considers the retrospective Welt von morgen) (documentary, 1972, Kersten,

good start for a movie night! Make sure
film Preview of the World Tomorrow (Kerstan & P. & Schmuckler, A.)
you have enough.
Schmuckler, 1972), the power of imagination that 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Stanley Kubrick)
helped some forward thinkers from the past en- • A projector and a large screen should

vision the today’s world becomes apparent. Many be available.
compelling films and books fulfill this criteria. • Foster a movie theater atmosphere

and watch the films together.
From today’s perspective, depending on the
question, we recommend films such as:
• Space Patrol — The Fantastic Adventures of

the Starship Orion
• 2001: A Space Odyssey

• James Bond (all)

Films and books offer excellent fodder for a
design thinking team trying to establish ambi-

tious new targets and framing conditions for
their project definition.
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2.2
2 TOOLKIT
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Need finding ensures customer orientation. The three techniques of observation, inter-
views and engagement systematically help us to comprehensively identify users’
needs. Synthesis condenses the data collected into learning, and offers direction for
the phase of idea finding.
Setup
Problem definition
Feedback
and redefinition
Warm-ups
Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
and storytelling
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2.3
2 TOOLKIT
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NEED FINDING CYCLE
The process underlying need finding, the need 4. Interpreting the results and redefining the ex- It is important that the research question

finding cycle, consists of the following four steps, ploration space/synthesis: Sharing observations for need finding covers the following criteria:
which ensure a solid approach. and interview results within the team. Making • Which objects (item, service, etc.) will be

sense of the results, and learning and drawing introduced and used in the area under
1. Scope and prepare the exploration space: from them as a team. This step is called “synthe- consideration?

Establish the user and stakeholder groups to sis” in some procedural models, and is frequently • Which environmental conditions influence

be examined and the approach to be used. The facilitated by structured frameworks. the behavior of the people observed?
following research questions are in the fore- • How do people interact with one another in

ground: Who should be observed or interviewed? Need finding is a fundamentally iterative process the environment under investigation?
In which environment should this investigation in a design thinking project. That means that • Which types of person can, in some cases,

take place? Which sampling methods should be with every step of the micro-cycle, there are cas- be classified or differentiated?
used? How big will the sample of each user or es in which need finding goals may need to be
stakeholder group be? adjusted or corrected. This flexibility can result in
expansion or contraction consequences for the Sources
2. Observation: Photos, videos and notes should need finding strategy. In practice, and with grow- Brown, S., Gray, D. & Macanufo, J.,

be generated. In sensitive fields, what’s observed ing experience, the design thinking team can “Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators,
can also be sketched. dynamically implement the need finding process. Rulebreakers, and Changemakers”, 2010
d.school Stanford University, “What to Do
3. Interviews and role changes: Carrying out in- in Need Finding”, 2015

terviews based on lists of questions. Deeper
understanding through role change within the
design thinking team: the team takes on the
role of the interviewee on the issues under inves-
tigation. For example, team members could
travel with a service technician for a day, putting

themselves in his or her shoes.
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2.3
1. Exploration space
2 TOOLKIT
TIPS AND TRICKS
Regularly review the project plan in light

of the need finding cycle. In many cases,
delays arise around interviews and
observations. These can make it necessary
to adjust deadlines.
4. Interpretation/ Need finding cycle 2. Observation
synthesis
3. Interviews
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GUIDELINES FOR EXPRESSING NEEDS
After need finding, the gathered needs are put Product attributes: When possible and when it
down in writing. At this time, the needs should be makes sense, concrete attributes of products or TIPS AND TRICKS
discussed without drawing any connection to po- services that could be improved or integrated
• Particularly for beginners, it makes sense
tential approaches to addressing them. should be referred to. Here, great care must be

to repeat the guidelines at both the start
taken not to prematurely close the solution
of the project and at the beginning of the
In line with the work of Ulrich and Eppinger, a few space.
need finding phase.
guidelines have proven helpful in practice :
Avoidance of “must” and “should”: Avoid words • “Learning by doing” with real data

“What” — not “how”: A description of a need like “must” or “should”. The word “should” relativ- produces the strongest learning effect

should not include or specify a solution. izes needs, and this doesn’t make sense in the on these rules.
Therefore, all descriptions that imply a “how” need finding context. A need is either relevant or
should be avoided. irrelevant. In some cases, using the word “must”
to express needs overly limits the solution space
Specificity: The description of the need should be for potential solutions.
as specific as possible. It is best to use concrete
examples from the contexts of interview part- Use of these guidelines is not mandatory, but
ners. General, paraphrased descriptions should they can help to effectively express the user and
be avoided at this stage. stakeholder needs identified.
Positive, not negative: The expression of needs

should be positive — formulated as a construc- Sources

tive contribution. Ulrich, K.T. & Eppinger, S.D., “Product Design and
Development”, 1995, 4th ed.
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2.3
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
Interviews can be carried out either one on one Snowball sampling
2 TOOLKIT
or as discussions in larger focus groups. Snowball sampling uses the power of social net-
Sampling determines the interview partner. works. Snowball sampling expects initial partici-
There are several different sampling methods. pants to either suggest additional interview part-
ners, or the same marketing measures that
Purposive sampling uncover initial participants will also reach similar
In purposive sampling, people or groups are se- individuals for further conversations. This sam-
lected through predefined criteria such as age, pling method is used when searching for “hidden”
gender or lifestyle interest. The size of the selec- groups — groups with whom contact would oth-

tion depends on time and number of people erwise be difficult to establish (such as individu-
available. A common criterion for sample size is als from underground subcultures).
Ulrich and Eppinger’s recommendation of a mini-
mum 8–9 one-on-one interviews per cluster. The
number of participants can be smaller in focus Sources
groups. Ulrich, K.T. & Eppinger, S.D., “Product Design and
Development”, 1995 (4th ed.)
Quota sampling Guest, G., Mack, N., MacQueen, K., Maney, E. &
In quota sampling, people are selected through Woodsong, C., “Qualitative Research Methods: A
predetermined criteria, just as in purposive sam- Data Collector’s Field Guide”, 2005
pling. However, the number of people per cluster
and the issues to explore are also determined in
advance.
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TARGET GROUP IDENTIFICATION
The project definition provides an initial target Early majority: The early majority require sub- needs (see Ulrich & Eppinger, 2008). This means,
group. As additional knowledge is developed over stantially longer to adopt new products and ser- for example, that in a typical project with five
the course of the project, this target group can be vices than the aforementioned groups. Their edu- groups, 45 to 50 conversations should be held.
extended or changed. While the design thinking cational level is generally above average.
team works exploratively in early phases of a To better structure the (potential) target groups,
project and seeks out conversations with multi- Late majority: This group adopts innovations they can be distributed within a “customer selec-
ple users and stakeholders, in later phases the substantially later than the average of the wider tion matrix”. This visibly presents the criteria en-
exploration space becomes more clearly struc- population. Adoption is often accompanied by countered, and the frequency in which they arise.
tured and tailored to the frame established substantial skepticism. This group generally has This enables the team to achieve a manageable
during need finding. below average financial resources. overview of the massive number of interviews
and observations, and preserve their learning.
A quick and generally valid model for subdividing Laggards: People in this group often demonstrate Furthermore, the progress made during need
the exploration space is the diffusion of innova- no pronounced opinion leadership and are the finding is easily visualized.
tions model DOIM; (Rogers, 2003). The DOIM clas- last to adopt new products and services — if they

sifies groups of people in a particular context do so at all. Most people in this group tend to
into the following five categories: have very low incomes. Sources
Rogers, E.M., “Diffusion of Innovations”, 2003,
Innovators: These are people that are interested In practice, the three middle groups comprise (5th ed.)
in trying out and purchasing the newest technol- 90 percent of the total population, with innova- Ulrich, K.T. and Eppinger, S.D., “Product Design
ogies and services. Often, high social status and tors and laggards comprising 5 percent each. and Development”, 1995, (4th ed.)
financial resources enable this experimentalism. Particularly in the early phases of exploration,
Innovators usually have strong contact with sci- the design thinking team can draw upon such a
entists and other innovators. distribution of user groups. The need finding
strategy is to identify and interview as many peo-
Early adopters: Early adopters are similar to in- ple from all groups as possible. At a minimum,
novators in that they have high social status and people from the innovator, laggard and one of the
financial resources, however they are more se- middle groups need to be examined.
lective in choosing new products and services.
Early adopters are the opinion leaders for the Research shows that 8–9 interviews per group
subsequent groups in the model. generally suffices for identifying 80 percent of
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2.3
Early Majority
2 TOOLKIT
TIPS AND TRICKS
Early Adopter Late Majority • The team can ideate on possible

identification criteria for a target group.
In some cases, standard models such
Innovators Laggards as the diffusion of innovations model can
Population be used as a guiding framework.
• Based upon the ideation, the team

can compile ideas on how the target
group might be approached or communi-
Diffusion of Innovation
cated with. Perhaps the team members
know innovators or experts in a certain
field. Then of course, the approach is
Diffusion of Innovations Model based on Rogers
particularly easy.
(2003)
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FOCUS GROUPS
Focus groups are already widely used in industry. Mini focus groups: The number of users is gener- goal-oriented feedback, however content cannot
In design thinking, explorative focus groups are ally six to eight people, over a one- to two-hour be explored in depth.
used with the goal of identifying the needs of as time frame. When used as a complement to tra-
many users and stakeholders as possible within ditional focus groups, mini focus groups allow a Triads: With triads, three people who are similar
a short amount of time. This leads to valuable higher level of detail in discussion due to the low- or different on previously determined criteria are
learning about the sample group. er number of participants, and more specific invited to participate in a focus group. Triads are
questions. similar to one-on-one interviews but deliver a
When putting together a focus group, there are a broader range of information. In the case that the
number of possibilities: Dyads: Dyads are also frequently called “friend- participants differ on focal criteria, their answers
ship focus groups”. They are primarily used for can be directly compared. If participants are
Traditional focus group: 10–12 users are brought analyzing problems in which lone participants similar, singular contributions generally build

together for a tightly scheduled workshop in- have issues articulating the answers. Often, this upon each other and deliver high-density content
tended to achieve complete results. The average approach is used with children or teenagers. in a short amount of time.
length for a traditional focus group is approxi- These conversations are usually directly honest
mately two hours. These focus groups are espe- and full of learning. Party groups: With party groups, a participant in-
cially appropriate for identifying needs, but are vites the rest of the group (including the modera-
also useful for generating new ideas. These Super groups: Super groups (over 100 partici- tor) to a meal or event at his or her home. During
groups are also successful in sensitive environ- pants) are predominantly used in testing. Due to this party, the issue in focus is discussed.
ments (such as in medical questions). the size of the group, question sets must be
well-structured. These groups should be accom-
panied by at least two moderators. In terms of
results, these groups quickly deliver
“The purpose of focus groups is not to infer but to understand,

not to generalize but to determine a range, not to make statements
about the population but to provide insights about how people
perceive a situation.”
(Krueger & Casey, 2000)
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2.3
These conversations are above all concerned Sources
2 TOOLKIT
with achieving constructive, critical and rational Brenda, L. (ed.)., “Design Research: Methods TIPS AND TRICKS
inquiry. However, party groups are generally only and Perspectives”, 2003 • Plan focus groups early. The organization-

appropriate for consumer-related topics and Krueger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. “Focus groups: al effort is usually greater than expected.
question statements. A Practical Guide for Applied Research”, 2000 Establish a set date.
• Write to the potential participants to

Online discussion groups: Another variation is

inform them of the goal and your confi-
discussions led online. In principle, most of the TOOLS
dentiality procedures
options previously described can also be carried
• Audio recording device
out online. • Organize the space in which the focus

• Camera group will be carried out early.

In addition to the focus group variations de- • Notebook

• Continually follow the status of sign-ups.

scribed here (explanatory and explorative), there If not enough participants sign up, in some
are additional activities that can be carried out in cases additional ones will need to be lo-
focus groups: cated and contacted.
• Inform the team running the focus group

Feature prioritization: Determining the charac-

about the goals and agenda early, so that
teristics of products or services that are espe-
everyone knows what needs to be done on
cially relevant in the perspective of the customer
the day of the event.
or user.
• Think about the organization of partici-

Competition analysis: Analysis of the character- pant reception upon arrival. This is
istics that users especially value or avoid in prod- especially relevant for customer and user

ucts or services of competitors. focus groups!
• Lead the focus group through the workshop.

Trend analysis: In newly established trends,
• After you conclude a focus group, it is
focus groups can help to elicit and understand
advisable to write participants a thank-
underlying reasons.
you note.
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INTERVIEWS
The goal of interviews is to gain an understanding When it comes to conducting interviews, we point For example, he or she might ask, “Could you de-
of the motives, behavior, intentions and opinions to a model by Michael Barry (adapted by the scribe the distinctive function?” Or “What makes
of individuals within the background of their given d.school at Stanford University, 2015b). Barry the function so unique?” Immediately after the
context. Because interview research is an estab- structures the interview “flow” in six phases. “rapport” phase, many interviewees have estab-
lished method in the social sciences, there is ex- These both manage and stimulate the conversa- lished sufficient associations with the field in
tensive literature available on the preparation, tional flow: focus to enable discussion of emotional aspects

implementation and processing of interviews. of the product or service during the grand tour.
1. Introduction: Short interviewer introduction

In design thinking projects, interviews are carried and synopsis of the issues of interest for the in- 5. Reflection: During reflection, the interviewer

out with representatives of all relevant groups. terview. For sensitive and/or confidential topics, tries to animate the interviewee to reflect on his
This includes users and experts, but also people the protection of the individual and their data is or her account. Example questions focus on
that generally avoid products and services new again ensured. themes such as, “What would you improve?” or,
and unfamiliar to them. “Open” questions are “How would you completely redesign this product
used most. In contrast to closed questions, open 2. Kick-off: Pose a relevant “icebreaker” ques- or service?”

questions give interview participants no concrete tion. This often involves the interviewee’s con-
options to answer with. A simple rule is: just let crete work or life context. 6. Wrap-up: The wrap-up phase concludes the

the interviewee talk. Often, the most interesting interview and typically reveals what will be done
details are hidden within the interviewee’s ac- 3. Rapport: The interviewer next prompts the in- with the results of the conversation. Particularly

count. These often only come to light after reca- terviewee to describe a specific event, happen- in personalized interviews (in which the name of
pitulation and extensive retrospective considering, or a recent use (of a product or service) rele- the interviewee is known), a transcript is sent to
ation of the interview. vant to the general area in question. the interviewee in order to ensure that the inter-
viewer understood correctly what the participant
4. Grand tour: In this phase, after the interviewee meant.

is thematically and emotionally familiarized with
the question, the interviewer tries to address is-
sues focused around distinctive characteristics.
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2.3
In addition to the method with which the inter- Expert interview: Expert interviews are carried
2 TOOLKIT
view is carried out, conversations can take differ- out with experts in a given field. In addition to TIPS AND TRICKS
ent directions: enabling deep discussion of the given subject • In practice, it is generally worthwhile to

matter, expert interviews give the interviewer the carry out interviews with two interview-
Retrospective interview: These have the goal of opportunity to quickly expand their knowledge ers. Using this approach, one-sidedness
elaborating and better understanding events in of the issues in question. can be avoided during the interpretation
the recent past. This kind of interview often helps of interviews.During the interview, the
the interviewer put sequences in order, thereby Wake-up interview: Initial interviews allow the second interviewer can keep the inter-
enabling the reconstruction of a course of events. interviewer to gain a better understanding of the viewee’s expression in sight, match this
context and scope of the question statement. with the statements made and use this
Lead user interview: Here, lead individuals are Typically, these are quick telephone conversa- to determine which statements might
interviewed. As leaders, these people are often tions or conversations at home with a few family lead to interesting learning.

the first to use a given technology, or to offer a members. Wake-up interviews are generally used
• Furthermore, a proven approach is to use
reliable prognosis for the future on the basis of at the beginning of a project.

a survey to test the questions with a few
experience.
interviewees at the very beginning of an
interview series. If the questions are not
Camera study: To supplement an interview, a cam- Sources
precise enough or leave important sub-
era is given to the interviewee with the request Brenda, L. (ed.), “Design Research: Methods
ject areas unanswered, the survey can be
that they take photos of specific product or ser- and Perspectives”, 2003
adjusted as needed.
vice features. For example, the interviewee in d.school Stanford University, 2015b
a project related to nutrition could be asked to
document his or her every meal. These photos

are collected and then provide the basis for the
interview. The advantage of this technique is
that a given topic can be addressed in a very de- TOOLS

tailed way.
• Audio recording device

• Camera

• Notebook

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1 2
3
1 Interview with a doctor on the use of

cold medications, India (2015)
2 Interview about clubs in Zurich, Switzerland

(2014)
3 Interview with a medicine man in South

Africa (2014)
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2.3
OBSERVATION
Observation aims to describe and document A disadvantage is that this kind of research has Hanging out: A long stay in the environment
2 TOOLKIT
happenings. Human behavior is frequently at the only limited possibilities for usage in the field, of those under observation. Whoever has spent

center of the investigation. The advantage of the reason being legislation protecting the rights more than three hours in a Starbucks can
observation is that the individuals observed are of individuals. During observation, it is therefore understand which learning on people and their

usually operating in their own environments critical to respect the legislation within the given behavior can be acquired via this method.
and therefore display an authentic character. country, as well as any rules within an organiza-
Furthermore, participants do not have to sacrifice tion (see the design thinking code). Engagement: A tour, or following in the footsteps
additional time to participate in the research. of the user simulates observation.
A further challenge of observation lies in the
By observing people while they use products interpretation of the data collected. Usually, this Be a tourist: In some cases, it is worth asking an

or services, learning on opportunities for im- data is not able to be used without further inter- insider for a “tour”, in order to better understand
provement can take place. Challenging these views. For this reason, interviews follow observa- the work processes. For example, at a restaurant
situations can also, however, uncover completely tion in the need finding cycle. or a laboratory.

new needs and lead to new knowledge on these
users. In later phases, the results achieved In practice, how can observation be carried out? Paparazzi: By this, secret or anonymous shooting
can be carried over into new solutions or im- of photo or video is meant. Here, it is extremely

provements to existing solutions. Cameras: To the extent that legal stipulations important to pay attention to legal issues; that is,
and guidelines within an organization allow, no individual should be recognizable in the film
cameras can be used to permanently make a or photos.
record and then analyze a situation.

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What results should observation obtain?

TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
Environment: The physical space or place • Before you begin observation, ensure

Actors: The people involved that all necessary materials and technol- •

Activity: Activities in relation to the observed ogy are complete and fully functional.
object •
• Plan your observation techniques as well

Object: Physical object of relevance

as the goals of observation. Share the
Event: Events in relation to activities •
task responsibilities within your team, if

Time: Sequence of events and activities
necessary.
Goals: The goals of the people in the observed •

situation — what they have achieved or tried • If necessary, gain approval to carry out

to achieve? observation. •

Important: With all methods, it is absolutely • Be certain to inform your team of behav-

crucial to ensure that no individual rights are ioral expectations in the observation en- •

violated! vironment in advance.
•
• Carry out the observation.

Sources • Evaluate the results of observation. •

d.school Software Design Experiences Stanford • Remove all personal data as soon as

University (n.d.) the data has been evaluated. At the •

very latest, remove all personal data
upon completion of the project. •

•

TOOLS •

• Video camera

•
• Notebook

•

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2.3
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement refers to the design thinking team’s In a consumer environment, engagement is often
2 TOOLKIT
personal engagement with stakeholders such as much easier. A team member could, for example, TIPS AND TRICKS
users and customers. It supplements interviews take on the role of an interested customer in It is important to allow plenty of time for
as a technique by which design thinking team a bank and carry out the process of opening an engagement. Therefore, within your team,
members can experience the situation of the account from start to finish. try to identify the situations in which
user. For example, a team member may put you want to achieve engagement well in
themselves in the shoes of a service technician What are we looking for in engagement? advance, and begin the planning process
for household appliances, meaning he or she accordingly.
might carry out the same tasks and activities as Insight: Deep understanding of the use and inter-
the trained employee. This helps the team to actions with products and services.
achieve a deeper understanding of the work pro-
cesses, behavioral tendencies or the complete Process knowledge: Knowledge of the process
context. In parallel, in this phase team members from the perspective of the user or users who TOOLS
often develop a deep empathy for the people and carry it out.
• Video camera
the situations they are exploring.

Empathy: Empathizing with the situation of the • Still camera

In industrial environments, such engagement is user or group of people affected. • Notebook

often difficult or impossible for safety reasons,
especially if special courses on safety or custom-
er data confidentiality are necessary. Given that
such visits are a central component of the whole
process, it is important to allow enough time for
the necessary preparation.
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BENCHMARKING
Benchmarking means looking for comparable In order to find appropriate benchmark objects Share: New information from this process should
situations in other fields and industries, and or situations, we recommend using a four-step be shared and discussed within the team as
gaining ideas, solutions or insights from them. approach. Design thinking teams continually car- quickly as possible.
ry out this process as routine during a project:
An example might be a project for optimizing The focused search for appropriate benchmarks
work processes in an operating theater. Some Search: The search is concentrated on market is based on the search for specific analogical
criteria for comparison are order, sterilization, competitors, technologies, patents, and so forth. criteria in other situations (such as in the operat-

precision, and a zero-failure culture. A bench- With the help of Google Patent Search, for exam- ing theater/Formula 1 example above), which can
mark for optimizing processes in this environ- ple, design thinking teams can quickly and effi- shed light on the problem and its associated
ment might be a pitstop at a Formula 1 track. ciently locate most patents. Blogs, web commu- tasks. Using these criteria, the team can begin to
Within only a few seconds, the mechanics must nities and newspapers also constantly publish collect focused benchmarks. Once again, this
get the race car into perfect running condition useful information. calls for the four-step process.
using an immense level of precision. There is no
room for failure in the processes, nor in the re- Evaluation: The information found is assessed
sults. By comparing these situations, we can on functions and relevance to the field of focus.
gain valuable learning to optimize processes in One recurring question is: What inspires the
the operating theater. team for their own set of tasks?
TOOLS
Follow: Consistently follow new developments on
• www.flipboard.com
the internet. Web portals such as bloglovin.com

make this process easier. • www.feedly.com

• www.pinterest.com

The goal of benchmarking is to improve need finding,
design and documentation.
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2.3
2 TOOLKIT
Benchmark of a digitized car:
Tesla Model S (2014)
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FRAMEWORKS
The primary goal of a framework is the consoli- However, particularly in Western cultures, an or- Sources
dation of information collected in need finding. derly workspace is typically equated with an or- Beckman, S.L. & Barry, M, “Innovation as a
This enables the important learning to be recog- ganized person. In contrast, a messy workspace Learning Process: Embedding Design Thinking”,
nized. Frameworks are generally multidimen- is seen to represent a disorganized person. If 2007
sional, and are often expressed as diagrams. one transfers both desk types and personalities
They enable the grouping and organization of in- into a diagram, or framework, and adds the exist-
formation collected. ing offers of leading furniture companies, he or
she will notice that there are not many solutions
For example: In an open-plan office, there are for organized people with chaotic workspaces
both organized and what appear to be very who wish to maintain an orderly appearance to
chaotic desks. It is also observed that both align with expectations.

organized and disorganized people appear to

work at both “types” of desks. At first glance, Frameworks, such as that described in the
this may not seem to make sense. However example above, help the design thinking team to

there are people that can maintain an excellent maintain an overview in complex situations. Venn
overview of their work, even at a messy looking diagrams, 2x2 (or higher) dimensional matrices

desk. and bar charts can all be useful when presenting
information. In many cases, free-form represen-
tations can also be effective.
“The ultimate goal of the framing step is to reframe,

to come up with a new story to tell about how the user
might solve his or her problem or to come up with a
new way of seeing the problem, which in turn will allow
the team to come up with new solutions.”
(Beckman & Barry, 2007)
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2.3
2 TOOLKIT
orderly
TIPS AND TRICKS
The procedure for developing a framework

gap is straightforward, but it works only when
sufficient data is available in the form of
good interviews, focus groups, observations, and
so forth:
• Visualizing all learning identified in

the need finding process. Post-its are
organized disorganized especially useful, as each piece of
learning can be represented by one

Post-it.
• Clustering results in line with various

criteria. This step is teamwork and does
not always lead to a useful framework
gap undesirable
on the first attempt. Ideally, the team will
experiment with different dimensions
and forms of representation.
Finding well-founded frameworks to depict

disorderly relevant content often requires a lot of
time. Do not be discouraged if you are not
satisfied with the first-round results of
framework identification.
Example for the framing of desks in offices
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FIELD NOTES
The documentation of impressions from obser- Do not generalize: Generalizations should be

vations, focus groups and interviews in the form avoided in field notes. Generalizations can be TIPS AND TRICKS
of field notes is an integral part of need finding. made later in the design thinking process, when • Each team member should always carry

In academia, ethnography is an established field data is evaluated, but not first-hand in the field. writing materials (pens and a notebook).
which is centrally concerned with the efficient
• Notes should only include the most
and reliable collection of field notes. There are Aspects: Fieldnotes should address the same

important words and interview results.
some general tips developed in practice that help aspects as observations and interviews: objects,

make collecting field notes easier and more people, interactions and the like. • We recommend writing up field notes

effective: into more thorough notes directly
after a given interview/observation,
First impression: The design thinking team Sources and certainly on the same day.
should immediately record their first impression Emerson, R.M., Fretz, R.I. & Shaw, L.L.,
upon entering a situation. This can include “Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes”, 1995
smells, moods, behaviors, organization and
arrangements.
Exactness: The team should record all impres- TOOLS

sions as exactly as possible. Whether they have
• Notebook
to do with concrete actions or interactions, room

setups or anything similar, it is important to re-
cord and retain these with as much accuracy as
possible.
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MOODBOARD
The moodboard is a tool drawn from the com Sources

munication and design sciences. The goal is Brown, S., Gray, D. & Macanufo, J., TIPS AND TRICKS
to evocatively express the environment, atmo- “Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, • Together with your team, select the

sphere and mood to select user and customer Rulebreakers, and Changemakers”, 2010 theme areas you want your moodboard to
groups. Similar to a large collage, pictures, display.
videos and/or text are put together to illustrate
• Pin a theme at the top of a foam board or
something that is often too difficult to describe TOOLS

large piece of paper.
with other approaches (see Gray et al., 2010,
• www.pinterest.com
p. 200–201). Generally, a large piece of cardboard • As a group, look for pictures, texts and

is used. This should always be accessible to the • Moodboard (iPhone application, other materials that illustrate the chosen

design team during the design space exploration www.atinytribe.com) theme, and pin them to the board.

phase. This is so that, on one hand, it can be Moodboards typically grow iteratively over
constantly adapted, and, on the other, to serve as a long time horizon.

a source of inspiration and reminder of goals.
In the later project phases, for example function-

al prototyping, the moodboard can also be up-
dated using raw materials that hold a particular
importance to the application and use of the de-
veloping product. For the automotive industry, MATERIALS
this material might be fabric or leather for the
• Cardboard and foam boards

seats of a car. Additionally, digital moodboards,
such as those on pinterest.com, can be used. • Newspapers

This is particularly appropriate for use by inter- • Pictures and other inspiring material

national teams working from different locations
across the globe.
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AEIOU
AEIOU is a technique that is particularly helpful What does AEIOU mean?

for beginners to observation. The term stands for TIPS AND TRICKS
Action, Environment, Interaction, Object and Action: Observation and recording of individuals’ • Use the AEIOU framework to divide the

User. activities. group into small sub-groups.
• Each sub-group observes and analyzes

The human brain focuses and concentrates on Environment: Observation and analysis of the en-

the material assigned to them.
only a few of what it perceives to be essential vironment. In a hospital, this might be the filing
aspects of a situation, in order to make it easier system for handling materials in closets and • Afterwards, the results are compiled

to comprehend. However, this mechanism of storage spaces. during a discussion within the entire
excess information filtering is a handicap to group.
observation. Observation is about gaining a Interaction: Observation of the interactions be-
complete overview, and not being limited by each tween people and objects.
particular observer’s subjectivity.
Object: Observation of the use of objects, such
To achieve this, the AEIOU technique distributes as machines.
different tasks among different observers. These
observers concentrate exclusively on the aspects User: Observation of the user in his or her
of a situation assigned to them. operating context.
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EMPATHY MAP
Empathy is the ability to perceive and under- Seeing: What does the person see, right before
stand the feelings, emotions, thoughts, and his or her eyes? TIPS AND TRICKS
thereby also the behavior, of others. Many tech- • Bring sufficiently large writing and

niques help us examine individuals at a technical Hearing: What does the person hear? drawing materials, such as a flipchart or
level, but the empathy map allows us to also piece of cardboard, and draw a large
understand people and groups at an emotional Thinking: What does the person think about their cross from the upper left to the lower

level. acoustic and visual perceptions, within the con- right corner, and the lower left to upper
text of their experiences and expectations? right corner.
In the approach from Brown et. al (2010) demon-
• Label the four resulting fields Seeing,
strated here, an empathy map draws on four Feeling: How does the person feel in relation to

Hearing, Thinking and Feeling.
central experiential components of individuals what they see, hear, and think? Do discrepancies

and groups (or personas) — seeing, hearing, result in some cases? Do these perhaps lead to • Pin the name of the person or persona

thinking and feeling — in relation to a specific satisfaction or dissatisfaction? (group) to be analyzed in the middle of

context. For this form of mapping, what the the cross.
person or group being examined sees, hears, • Within the group, analyze the four

thinks and feels is recorded in either a physical Sources categories. Each team member also has

or virtual diagram. Later, what individuals actual- Brown, S., Gray, D. & Macanufo, J., Post-its in hand, and adds his or her
ly saw, heard, thought and felt during interviews “Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, contributions to the four fields as they

and observations is also recorded. Thereby, the Rulebreakers, and Changemakers”, 2010 arise.
design thinking team gains a deep understand- O’Reilly, d.school Stanford University, 2015b
ing of the emotional dimensions of the question
being explored.
TOOLS
• Post-its

• Flipchart marker

• Flipchart or other material to draw on

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2.3
2 TOOLKIT
Personas and empathy maps — workshop for the SUGAR Kick-off Meeting

at Stanford University (2014)
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NETNOGRAPHY
Netnography is a combination of the word Sources

“net”, short for internet, and “ethnography”. Beckmann, S.C. & Langer, R., “Sensitive Research TIPS AND TRICKS
Netnography describes a technique used to Topics: Netnography Revisited”, 2005 Recommended approaches for generating
understand human behavior online and in the Broderick, A.J. & Lee, N., “The Past, Present netnographies:

virtual world (see Beckmann and Langer 2005, and Future of Observational Research in
Access: Identify a community carrying out

pg. 221). Accordingly, data collected through Marketing”, 2007
activities relevant to the question state-
ethnographic methods explores internet-based
ment you are exploring, so that research

communication. Examples of material of interest
leads to relevant information. Try to gain
include documents from online forums, online TOOLS
access to closed platforms.
newsgroups, chats, social networks and emails.
• Accounts with web portals and forums
Netnography can be used for exploring associa-
Data collection: Data can be collected, for
such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+
tions and communities that exist only online example, by directly copying text and
(e.g. Second Life or World of Warcraft), as well as notes about group experiences, or through
for communities with an online presence that interviews with individual group members.
also exist offline (such as discussion forums The netnographer can act as an observer,
for hobbies and leisure activities or political or become active in the community.
groups). Information from these communities Data Analysis: Qualitative and quanti

is generally freely available or easily accessible tative methods can be used to analyze
after registration. material.
Feedback to the participants: Feedback

Netnographers direct particular attention to
to the community explored and the mem-
the attitudes, opinions, feelings and perceptions
bers interviewed serves two purposes.
of the given community, as well as symbols
On one hand, members have the chance
and rituals that quantitative methods could only
to reflect anew on things they have said.

grasp with great difficulty (see Beckmann &
On the other hand, the netnographer
Langer, 2005, p. 222; Broderick & Lee, 2007).
fulfills their ethical duty to participants.

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2.3
PERSONA
Personas are idealized, typified representations When developing new products, services and Sources
2 TOOLKIT
of the daily lives of people within a given group. business models, personas’ specific characteris- Cooper, A., & Reimann, R., “About Face 2.0:
Personas serve to inspire and guide the decisions tics can help to differentiate segment personali- The Essentials of Interaction Design”, 2003,
of the design thinking team. In the 80s and 90s, ties from one another. This provides a basis on (2nd ed.)
personas were predominantly used by marketers. which the design thinking team can later make Brenda, L. (ed.)., “Design Research: Methods
Later, they were also used in developing technol- specific development decisions, and trace these and Perspectives”, 2003
ogy and software. back to specific groups of people. Silver, C., “Need Finding 101” (PowerPoint), 2003
Simply put, personas are descriptive models of In tandem with the project status, the design
users, customers and other interest groups. They thinking team generally delineates two types of
are about building an archetype by compiling a personas:
large number of essential, common characteris-
tics shared by a set of individuals. Personas are Real size persona: Typically, the real size persona
built from observations, interviews and focus is quickly and easily constructed early in the TOOLS
groups. As an archetype, a persona does not rep- project. The goal is to express first assumptions
• Lots of pictures and paper, cardboard
resent single individuals, even though the perso- about the grouping of interview partners. Simple

and markers for low-resolution personas
na’s symbol is always just one person. The per- work materials are used at this stage, and the
sonification created by an archetype helps the personas can be superficial. • Word-processing program for high-

design thinking team to directly and empatheti- resolution personas
cally identify with a given group of people. Scientific persona: Scientific personas are
well-elaborated personas, in line with the work of
Cooper (2003) and others. This kind of persona
emerges over a long period of time, and serves
the design thinking team as a navigation point
for decision-making.
“Persona = person + story / goal = empathy + alignment”

(Silver, 2011)
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Following Cooper (2003), the approach to 3. Pattern: From mapping, a pattern for an descriptions contain important information re-

generating a persona can be carried out in interview partners’ archetype should emerge. garding the typical day, behavioral tendencies

seven steps: For example, Cooper shows that people tend to and attitudes of the group the persona typifies.
be either service- or price-oriented. In this
1. Base assumptions: This first stage covers the example, both categories would be good points 7. Persona type: After all the personas have

selection of assumed typical representatives of of departure for different archetypes. been created, the final step focuses upon priori-
a certain persona as interview partners, in order tizing them in terms of the project at hand.
to review the assumptions and perceived clus- 4. Synthesis: During synthesis, personas are Prioritization helps the design thinking team

ters formed through observations, interviews and fleshed out using additional data and character- make goal-oriented decisions for the relevant
other methods. In many cases, at the beginning istics. For example, the representation of a typi- groups over the course of the project. The per

of a project there are notable discrepancies cal workday could include personal attitudes sonas of highest priority are:
between assumptions and reality. If massive dis- towards digital media, tolerance of frustrations

crepancies exist, the definition of the target and so on. More data should be located for each a. Primary persona: One or more groups for

group needs to be adapted. The goal is to compile category from the previous step. whom the product, business model or service
and stabilize the criteria used to group the inter- should be developed.
view partners. 5. Completeness and differentiation: In this step,

the design thinking team again reviews and con- b. Customer persona: As opposed to the user of a

2. Mapping: This stage is about understanding siders the persona in regards to their complete- product, focused customer personas, especially

the interview partners’ perspectives and posi- ness and differentiation. Of course, this does not in a business environment, illustrate the require-
tioning (mapping) them in relation to criteria mean that new knowledge gains in later project ments of this group.
identified earlier. The definite “correct” position- phases will not be incorporated as adaptations.
ing of the interview partners within the chosen Should new discrepancies arise, these will need c. Negative persona: It can also be sensible to

categories is less important than the “gut feeling” to be corrected. use a persona to identify groups that would not
the design team has gained during the need find- like to use a product or service.
ing process. 6. Narrative: Especially in advanced project stag-

es, it is worthwhile creating short descriptions of
personas (roughly one to two pages long). These
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WHY-HOW LADDERING
“Why-how laddering” is a technique by which to

glean more information from interviews. While TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
“why” questions tend to lead to abstract answers, This approach is easy to use, but it has
“how” questions help to elicit more specific an- to be practiced! To practice, write down •

swers from interview partners. Both kinds of the needs of a user and try to deepen your
questions are relevant. Abstract or general an- contextual understanding using “why” •

swers are useful for gaining an overview of the questions. For example: “Why does the
broader context and better understanding it. customer have this need?” Do the same •

Specific answers deliver concrete examples with the how question: “How do we see
of implementations or situations. The right com- the customer’s need?” •

bination of why and how questions helps to ac-
cess deeper content during an interview. •

•

•

•

•

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2.3
5 WHYS
Who has not experienced children’s why ques-
2 TOOLKIT
tions? Children ask why so often to better under- TIPS AND TRICKS TOOLS
stand the world around them, and to make sense • Write the knowledge that needs to be • Flipchart or whiteboard

of events. This technique — especially in combi-

explored on a whiteboard.

nation with why-how laddering — is used in de- • Markers

• Together with your team, challenge the

sign thinking teams. In principle, it is about the

knowledge five times with why questions.
systematic investigation of problems.
• Write each why question on the white-

In practical usage, the why question is posed up board, along with the answers. Both
to five times. The answers help teams locate the questions and answers should be formu-
real origin of a problem. lated as complete sentences.
• Use selected answer sentences from

the previous question to formulate the
next why question.
This method sometimes leads to trivial

statements. If this happens, you either
need to reconsider and rephrase the ques-
tion, or you have reached the end of the
exercise.
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POINT OF VIEW
With the “point of view” or “do the pig” technique, relations, the IT department sees it in terms of
various standpoints on the problem from a a threat to an already stretched IT budget that TIPS AND TRICKS
range of stakeholder perspectives are taken into must now be invested in additional projects. The • Write the central question statement or

account to gain new knowledge. marketing department generally supports the theme for examination in the middle of a
introduction, as it enables the documentation of piece of cardboard or a whiteboard.
The various perceptions of a single pig exemplify all customer contact, but the sales staff are
• Use brainstorming to get the team to
this, and from here comes the alternative name skeptical because it makes them replaceable.

think of as many stakeholders as possi-
of “do the pig”. Stakeholders interested in the
ble in relation to the theme.
pig might be a farmer, a butcher, a meat-lover,
a vegetarian, a veterinarian, and so on. After Sources • Write each stakeholder on a Post-it and

identifying the stakeholders, we would list the Morgan, G., “Images of Organization”, 1997 stick them all to the board around the
interests and perspectives of each one. While the (2nd ed.) problem.

vegetarian might perceive an exploited animal Morgan, G., “Imaginization: The Art of Creative • As soon as you believe you have identi-

that should not be killed, the farmer might see Management”, 1993 fied all the stakeholders, use lines to sig-
the pig as livestock. The farmer’s interests might nify the most important connections be-
be how to maintain the best breeding conditions. tween stakeholders and the problem or
In contrast, the butcher sees the animal as meat theme.
that could result in various different products.
• Label the connecting lines with strong
TOOLS

words which effectively communicate the
A concrete example of this method in a business
• Cardboard or whiteboard relationship between the stakeholders.
context is the documentation of various perspec-

• Post-its The central purpose is to document the
tives to prepare for the introduction of a new

positive and negative perceptions of the
CRM (customer relationship management) sys- • Markers
stakeholders.

tem. The CEO of a company sees the CRM system
as an important measure for improving customer
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2.3
1. How are the stakeholders connected with one another? 2. Pay attention to ...
veterinarian
2 TOOLKIT
conflict
buys buys
butcher
farmer
sells sells
breeds rough handling

and feeds
pig
birth breeding sale transport
3. Prioritize the interesting relationships 4. Select a stakeholder ...
veterinarian veterinarian
buys buys
sells sells
breeds
and feeds breeds
and feeds
birth breeding sale transport birth breeding sale transport
Example of “do the pig”, in reference to the stakeholders interested in the breeding and butchering of a pig
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LEAD USER
The lead user method came into use in the 70s. Sources
With help from the lead user, the goal is to accel- Herstatt, C. & von Hippel, E., “From Experience: TIPS AND TRICKS
erate the product development process and Developing New Product Concepts Via the Lead To employ the lead user technique, identify
increase the product’s probability of success User Method: A Case Study in a ‘Low-tech’ Field”, those who use the product or service the

(see Hippel, 1986, p. 796). Lead users are defined 1992 most and take advantage of the full range
as early users of new or extended products, Herstatt, C. & Luethje, C., “The Lead User Method: of its functions. With these lead users, the
processes or services. They fulfill the following An Outline of Empirical Findings and Issues for design thinking team carries out the previ-

two criteria: Future Research”, 2004 ously described methods of focus groups,
interviews and observation. This will bring
• Lead users are confronted with needs that the new, goal-oriented needs and ideas to light.

majority of a large market will not notice for
months, or even years.
• Lead users would have great use for a solution

to the problem.
The criteria indicated for selecting lead users

are confirmed by the results of theoretical and
empirical research, and supported by work on
the diffusion and adaptation of new products.
The lead user method is implemented in organi-
zations to reduce risks incurred in the develop-
ment of new products (see Luethje & Herstatt,
2004,
p. 533).
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2.3
CAMERA STUDY
With camera studies, participants are given still With the help of this technique, the team can
2 TOOLKIT
cameras (digital or analog) or video cameras for gain realistic impressions of the participants’ TIPS AND TRICKS
a predetermined period of time. They are asked eating behavior while discovering meals that • Review the camera or cameras to be

to record a specific piece of their lives with pho- might have remained undisclosed during used in the study. Ideally, a small emer-
tographs and/or videos, as well as take notes and interviews. gency instruction kit will be provided with
compose short descriptions of the material re- the cameras.
corded. Smartphones offer a good alternative. A new medium for carrying out and supporting
• Show the participants the functions of
Participants can immediately send pictures, camera studies is Amazon Mechanical Turk. This

the cameras and hand them out.
videos and the commentary associated with their portal, offered by Amazon, enables paid work or-

first impressions to the design thinking team ders (for example, for photography work) to be • We recommend also distributing a

using email or any other number of channels. put online. Registered users can carry out these small information sheet (5.8 x 8.3 inch

work orders, and are paid in accordance with or A5), which addresses the goal of
Camera studies are appropriate for a number of previously defined fees upon successful comple- the research and the specific situations
cases, but particularly when the presence of a tion of the job. Since Amazon Mechanical Turk of interest.
researcher would lead to a change of behavior, or works internationally, photos and video clips can • While the study is under way, you can

when his or her attendance is simply not possi- be collected in a very short period of time. A dis- send reminders and status checks to the
ble. Despite the apparent efficiency of this ap- advantage of this approach is that the quality participants via Twitter or email.
proach, its complexity should not be underesti- of work submitted is difficult to monitor and con-
• Collect the pictures and cameras.
mated, as the preparation and follow-up effort trol in comparison with a more traditional setup.

required is immense. Additionally, the people participating are often • At a later date, print out the photos and

not available for follow-up communication. discuss them with the participants who
A concrete example of a camera study would be took them.
asking participants to take a picture of every
meal they eat and, when applicable, describe the Sources
location and reason for the meal. Brenda, L. (ed.), “Design Research: Methods and
Perspectives”, 2003
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TOOLS
• Still camera, with a video function if

applicable
• Twitter or email, for quick exchanges of

updates and information
• Amazon Mechanical Tur

Camera study for researching the day-to-day se-
quence of events in households (2014). In this case,
a participant from Liechtenstein took a series
of photos documenting the most important events
and locations over the course of a typical day.
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IDEATION
The ideation phase is the phase in which the design thinking team, building upon need finding and
synthesis, develops ideas for potential solutions. Specialized techniques help the team to generate
ideas from as many perspectives as possible.
Setup
Problem definition
Feedback
and redefinition
Warm-ups
Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
and storytelling
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2.4
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IDEATION
BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming is certainly the most best-known Build on the ideas of others: With techniques
ideation technique, and it is a good one to con- such as “yes, and…”, the team should try to build TIPS AND TRICKS
sider for generating new ideas within the team. on ideas from their teammates before discussion • Chocolate and candy!

Paper and markers are enough to start the pro- moves onto the next idea.
• Every participant should have Post-its
cess. As a collective process of listening, knowl-

and a marker to hand.
edge sharing and idea finding, brainstorming Encourage wild ideas: Wild, unconventional ideas,
promotes collaboration between team members. which may appear ridiculous at first glance, are • Write the brainstorming question on a

In design thinking, brainstorming is a firmly explicitly allowed. They help the team to take on large piece of brown paper, cardboard or
planned, methodical activity that gives the team new perspectives. whiteboard.
the time and spaces to collectively begin the • Every participant may contribute his or

ideation process. Brainstorming can also be One conversation at a time: Discussions should her ideas. Try to stick to the brainstorm-

carried out spontaneously whenever the need for always be focused upon one theme only. ing rules!

new ideas arises. Likewise, the team should not subdivide into
• As soon as a team member has contrib-
smaller discussion groups.

uted an idea, the team should try to elab-
Brainstorming always starts with a good ques-
orate it using the “yes, and…” technique.
tion statement. A question type known as a “How Be visual: Text is good, drawings are better. Ideas
might we” (HMW) question helps to define the should be visualized. Even the worst drawing will • Once an idea’s potential has been fully

right starting point. Furthermore, there are a few be better understood within the team than text elaborated, another team member may
ground rules to pay attention to for a good brain- on a Post-it. contribute a new idea.
storming session: The brainstorming technique sounds easy.
Stay focused on the topic: The team should However, coming up with many good ideas
Go for quantity: The quantity of ideas is critical! ensure that they stay focused on the question in a short period of time requires a lot of

The team must aim to generate as many ideas as statement they are trying to address. practice within the team. If the team is
possible in a predetermined time frame. tired, they can do a warm-up beforehand.
A major challenge in brainstorming is hierarchy.
Defer judgment: Evaluating and discussing spe- Hierarchies within teams should not influence
cific ideas should be postponed until after the flow of ideas and conscious divergence of
brainstorming. answers.
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2.4
2 TOOLKIT
1 2 3
TOOLS
• Markers (ideally Sharpies or

Edding 1200)
• Stopwatch

• Gong

5
Design thinking bootcamp with students from

the University of St. Gallen Master in Business
Innovation (MBI) and MBA programs at the
Swisscom BrainGym in Bern. The BrainGym offers
Swisscom employees the ideal space in which
to carry out human-centered design methods.
4
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IDEATION
BRAINWRITING
Brainwriting is a further development of brain-

storming in which each participant writes three TOOLS
ideas for a question statement on a piece of
• Foamboards or cardboard on which
paper. These idea notes are passed to neighbor-

to put up results
ing participants and further developed or com-
pleted in the course of five rounds. • Markers (ideally Sharpies or Edding

1200s)
To prepare for brainwriting, the question state- • Stopwatch

ment is discussed. In this process, only questions
• Gong
of comprehension are allowed; solutions are

not discussed. This preparation helps to sharpen
the group’s understanding of the goal. At the
end of a brainwriting session, there is a rich well
of ideas for the group to discuss and prioritize.
The advantage of brainwriting is that hierarchical

issues that might influence individual group
members’ thinking are shut out. Hauschildt
argues that brainwriting leads to a similarly high
performance to brainstorming.
Sources
Hauschildt, J., “Innovation management”, 2004
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2.4
2 TOOLKIT
Participant
Participant66
Participant55
Participant
Idea
Idea Idea
Idea
6.1
6.1 1.1
1.1 Participant44
Participant
participant
participant
Participant33
Participant
11
Participant22
Participant
Participant11
Participant
participant
participant participant
participant
66 22 Idea
Idea
1.1
1.1
Idea
Idea Brainwriting
Brainwriting Idea
Idea
1.2
1.2
5.1
5.1 2.1
2.1
1.3
1.3
participant
participant participant
participant
55 33 Ideaparticipant
Idea participant22
Ideaparticipant
Idea participant33
participant
participant Ideaparticipant
Idea participant44
44 Ideaparticipant
Idea participant55
Idea
Idea Idea
Idea
4.1
4.1 3.1
3.1 Ideaparticipant
Idea participant66
1 2
1 Illustration of the brainwriting technique

(Hauschildt, 2004)
2 Example of a brainwriting template

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IDEATION
SIX THINKING HATS/LATERAL THINKING
The “six thinking hats” or “lateral thinking” are Yellow hat: The wearer of this hat is positive and
techniques by which problems and questions optimistic. The goal is to identify all benefits and TIPS AND TRICKS
can be considered from different perspectives in advantages of a potential solution.
• Allocate a hat to each team member and
a systematic, goal-oriented manner. Edward de

once more describe the role of each hat.
Bono popularized this concept. Green hat: The green hat represents new ideas
and creativity. • Discuss the given issue within the team.

The six thinking hats characterize the six per- Each participant takes on the role
spectives that should be considered when Blue hat: Cold and focused, this point of view assigned by his or her hat during the

examining a problem, according to de Bono. focuses on the management, control and organi- discussion.

In its application, each team member gets a hat zation of the group‘s ideation process. • Each participant should take their own

and with it, a specific frame of mind and per- notes on the discussion’s results.
spective which with to enter the discussion. De
• Following this exercise, participants
Bono defines the following thinking hats: Sources

should discuss and reflect upon the
De Bono, E., “Six Thinking Hats”, 1999 (2nd ed.)
results. The participants should use
White hat: The wearer takes a fact- and num-

their personal notes for this part of the
ber-oriented perspective regarding the question,
process.
embodying a neutral, matter-of-fact and objec-
tive temperament. Only facts count — gaps in the

data are quickly recognized and named.
Red hat: The wearer has a very emotionally-driv- MATERIALS

en perspective, which goes so far as to be char-
• Notebooks

acterized by rage. The goal is to experience and
evaluate emotional reactions. • Colorful, possibly even funny hats

(optional)
Black hat: Negative and risk averse, this point of • Video camera to record the interaction,

view tries to identify and address problems and and enable later analysis (optional)
weaknesses.
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2.4
2 TOOLKIT
objective
creative positive, optimistic
factual cold, focused
emotional
De Bono’s six thinking hats (1999)
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IDEATION
POWER OF TEN
The “power of ten” technique can be used in

both the ideation and synthesis phases of need TIPS AND TRICKS
finding. It enables the team to contemplate a
• Write the initial question statement on a
problem on different levels — both larger and

piece of cardboard or a whiteboard.

smaller than may be the case in reality. If a team
finds itself in a brainstorming process that is not • As a group, list all the possible properties

yielding useful results, the power of ten can and restrictions of the question
establish restrictions that increase creativity. For statement.

example, “How might a solution look if the team • Within your team, select the interesting

had a million dollar budget?” or, “How might the properties and restrictions, and expand
solution look if the team had a 50 dollar budget?” or reduce them.
• Reformulate the initial question state-

Of course there are no limits to what expansion

ment according to the newly expanded or
and reduction criteria can be applied.
reduced dimensions selected.
Sources
d.school Stanford University, 2015b
MATERIAL
• Cardboard

• Markers

• Post-its

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IDEATION
2.4
HOW MIGHT WE
“How might we” question statement formulation
2 TOOLKIT
(HMW) is one of the most important techniques TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
in design thinking, and in the ideation phase in
Use HMW questions to guide brainstorming
particular. The correct method of asking ques- •
whenever possible.

tions tends to enormously increase the quality of
results in subsequent techniques. The question • Write “how might we” on a whiteboard, •

“how might we” helps prevent assumed solution flipchart or packing paper.
parameters influencing the question statement. • Discuss how the HMW question state- •

This allows and inspires more effective consider- ment might be formulated within the
ation of potential solutions. team. Write out alternative suggestions, •

and evaluate them together.
Here are two examples: •

1. How might we deliver healthy food to

our customers as quickly as possible? •

2. How might we improve the training

conditions available to sporty members •

of the workforce?
•

Sources •

d.school Stanford University, 2015b
•

•

•

•

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PROTOTYPING AND STORYTELLING
Prototyping is a technique that simulates real

products, services and business models at the TIPS AND TRICKS
end of design thinking projects. The goal is to Be fast: Try to build quickly in the early
make a prototype that an R&D department can stages of a design thinking project!
implement as soon as the design thinking project Prototypes should not require lots of time

finishes. Naturally the combinations and creativ- and money.
ity of the prototype variations listed here are
Stay open: Even when you think you have
unlimited, so that other prototype forms can also
found the final answer with your ideas and

take shape.
prototypes, stay open to changes as well
as completely new ideas.
Good enough: Adapt the prototype generat-

ed in each project phase so that it is just
good enough.
Design thinking mode
Setup
Feedback
Problem definition
and redefinition
arm-ups
Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
Prototyping
and storytelling Ideation
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
020_DT_WK.indd 147 30-04-2020 21:40:20

PROTOTYPING
Prototyping does not first begin after weeks of automation in laboratory equipment for a phar- In this model, the number of prototypes cor-
research; by way of the micro-cycle it begins as maceutical company. These prototypes not only relates with both the degree of prototype resolu-
soon as a design thinking project starts. But how helped the team to quickly achieve an under- tion and project phase. Many prototypes are built
are these first prototypes built? The principle is standing and empathy for the complex and chal- in the critical function, dark horse and funky
that early prototypes should be low-resolution lenging everyday happenings in laboratories, but prototype phases. True to the motto “fail early and

prototypes (LRPs), while high-resolution proto- also communicated their own ideas. Another often”, a high number of early prototypes serves
types (HRPs) follow in later project phases. advantage of LRPs is that the danger of falling in to test the team’s assumptions and ideas with us-

love with your own work and no longer searching ers and other stakeholders. Using this approach,

Low-resolution prototypes: LRPs enable underly- for new ideas is much lower than with HRPs. correct assumptions are quickly validated and

ing principles and single functions to be effi- those that are incorrect are quickly identified and
ciently verified via tangible expression and com- High-resolution prototypes: In every design think- eliminated. Beginning in the funky prototype
munication outside the team during the early ing project, HRPs are also built. HRPs are well phase, the number of prototypes is explicitly re-

project phases. In engineering, focused proto- thought through from technical and economic duced. At the same time, the resolution of the
types are spoken of. LRPs are generally rudimen- perspectives. In some projects, these prototypes prototypes is increased, as is the effort invested
tary in appearance. They are however quick and are already so close to reality that users think in them.
inexpensive to build; some prototypes can be that the product or service is already available to
built in just a few minutes. Through this prototyp- buy. For example, in 2011 we built a fully inte-
ing method, the rudiments of ideas can be quick- grated solution for a car-sharing system for an Sources
ly tested with clients and users, and failures or automotive company. The prototype could al- Ulrich, K.T. & Eppinger, S.D., “Product Design and
misinterpretations identified and discarded. For ready open, shut, start and stop the car via a Development”, 1995 (4th ed.)
example, we built numerous low-resolution pro- smartphone. Using a web portal connection,
totypes focused on increasing the degree of reservations could be made and pricing models

established. In essence, HRPs are substantially
more demanding to build and require more
investment than LRPs. HRPs are therefore first

built in later phases of the project (beginning
with the funky prototype).
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
prototypes
low high
divergent convergent
“Prototypes evolve from low resolution to high resolution.”
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WIREFRAMING
A wireframe is a rudimentary, functionally re- From a purely practical perspective, the advan-
duced demonstration of user interfaces on com- tage of wireframes is that through their simplici- TIPS AND TRICKS
puters or other devices such as smartwatches, ty, they give users a feeling that their feedback
• Use simple materials such as paper and
smartphones, and so forth. Wireframes are can have a real impact. In contrast, a perfectly

cardboard.
used to show buttons, notifications, general elaborated mock-up can inhibit users giving
principles of navigation and/or elemental feedback, as they may perceive the product or • Perfectionism does not help you here;

sequences. Through this, the design team can service to be already complete. This renders their wireframes should never be too

collect focused feedback about usability, order, feedback irrelevant. Simplicity makes wire- complicated.

and sequences through testing. frames perfect tools in the early phases of a • Modular variations of wireframes have

project. often proved useful, as users can, for ex-
The goal of using wireframes is to make func- ample, configure their own agendas.
tions concrete as quickly as possible through A tool producer Balsamiq has already made
prototyping, and prepare them for testing with something of this knowledge. Balsamiq software
users. Even simple drawings on Post-its can be generates user interface sketches that look
put to use. However, other materials, such as hand-drawn. Similar tools for mobile devices are TOOLS
paper or cardboard, are also popular in the early POP and Prott.
• https://popapp.in

phases of a design thinking project. For example,

we simulated an interactive windshield for an • https://prottapp.com

automotive company. We did this by printing • https://balsamiq.com

various pieces of information over a landscape

onto a self-adhesive sheet.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
1 2 3
1 Making a wireframe with the help of Post-its

2 Simulation of data glasses 5

3 Wireframe on a mobile phone

4 Prototype of an emotion sensor intended

to help banking consultants assess their
clients’ moods

5 Hand-drawn wireframe on a laptop (the

drawings were fixed one after the other on
a screen to simulate the process)
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MOCK-UPS
Mock-ups are a preview of a computer system’s An example: After testing numerous wireframes
user interface or other product or service sys- for a European software producer, we developed TIPS AND TRICKS
tems. Representations are developed to be as re- a mock-up for a web portal that aimed to improve Horizontal, not vertical: With mock-ups,
alistic as possible. The value of mock-ups lies communication between suppliers and produc- limit yourself to surface-level development.
particularly in testing users’ overall impressions ers in the chemical supply chain (B2B). With the Do not concentrate upon the back-end
of a system. Through the highly realistic appear- help of this prototype, the whole product could functionalities upon which they are based.
ance of the simulation, the users and customers be shown realistically. However, teams should be
with whom it is being tested can be asked very ensure that mock-ups are not used too early, but
specific questions. only after wireframes have been built and tested.
Substantially fewer mock-ups than wireframes

are built, since the production of mock-ups SOFTWARE
is far more demanding. As a result, tested wire-
• Adobe Photoshop
frames are turned into mock-ups during later

project phases. Products such as Photoshop • Adobe Illustrator

and Illustrator are often employed as tools. • HTML 5.0 editor

That said, design thinking teams also often use
simple HTML 5.0-based mock-ups.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
1 2
1 High-resolution mock-up to show passenger

car data on a mobile phone in real time
2 Working on a physical mock-up. Collaborative

project between the University of St. Gallen
and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
(IIT; 2015)
3 Mock-up to simulate notification of

a mechanical failure on a smartwatch
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OPEN HARDWARE
Open hardware platforms offer a simple, inex- Some example portals and platforms are:
pensive and quick way to build prototypes with • Arduino: www.arduino.cc TIPS AND TRICKS

extensive sensory, actuating and computing ele- • Sparkfun: www.sparkfun.com — offers own
Curiosity: Just try once to build your own

ments. Worldwide, the best-known platform is platforms based upon Arduino, as well as
hardware. LittleBits offers an easy entry for
Arduino. It was initially conceptualized for the an extensive selection of sensors, switches,
everyone.
do-it-yourself community, but even large organi- displays and actuators.
zations are increasingly using these platforms as • Adafruit: www.adafruit.com — similar to Beginners: Look around online and perhaps

resources for efficiently generating middle- and Sparkfun, it offers components from its own take a workshop for beginners as a group.
high-resolution prototypes. Arduino, for example, product line. The whole portfolio is well docu- Modules instead of integration: Try not to
offers a series of analog and digital interfaces mented and also appropriate for beginners combine all modules with one another at
that can be connected to a variety of sensors and in the field. first. Instead, build manageable modules
motors. With only minimal knowledge of the C • LittleBits: www.littlebits.com — also based and simulate the integration of the individ-

and C++ programming languages, relatively sim- upon the Arduino architecture. These compo- ual components. This greatly simplifies the
ple electromechanical systems can be built. nents can be combined and programmed even entry level.
Videos can be found online showing everything more easily and with less effort.
from automatic feeders for cats to automatic wa- • Electric Imp: www.electricimp.com — extremely

tering systems for every use imaginable within small, energy saving platform that can be
the home. programmed with the help of Squirrel (a pro-
gramming language based on C) that has a WiFi
The advantage of the open hardware platform is connection as standard.
that it is compatible with a large number of de- • Raspberry Pi: www.raspberrypi.org — well-

vices. This eliminates the need for the complex known platform that contains a complete com-
calculation of resistance, circuits or connection puter processor with graphics, multiple USB
soldering. Instead, the team can work with stan- connections and ethernet connectivity.
dard components on a printed circuit board and • Fritzing: http://fritzing.org/home — learning

connect them using plugs and sockets. platform built upon Arduino.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
TOOLS
• Micro-controller or printed circuit board

• Software for programming

• Accessories for programming:

Programmer, USB cable, etc.
• Soldering iron

• Electronic components: resistors, con-

densers, transistors, LEDs, sensors,
switches, etc.
• Connecting wires, breadboards, side-cut-

ting pliers, alligator clips
• Additional components such as housings,

chargers, etc.
1 2
1 Sensor and display to determine the soil moisture of house plants using the Arduino platform

2 Prototype to determine an athlete’s VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake) with the help of the

Arduino platform and CO2 and O2 sensors
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ROLEPLAY
Roleplay is a technique particularly appropriate Next to planned and scripted roleplay, there are
for simulating and prototyping services and busi- situations in which improvised roleplay is used. TIPS AND TRICKS
ness models. In roleplay, at least one actor takes We primarily use these variations to generate the
We recommend that the team develops the
on the role of a predetermined character and scripts for planned roleplay. Through this, we
story together on a whiteboard, ensuring
plays it out. The goal is that audience members, generate what we might call prototypes for
the key phrases are retained. Then, it is just
or those taking on the tester role during the role- prototypes.
practice, practice, practice!
play, can experience the most realistic possible
perception of the situation. Critics of the technique warn that people are
often not in the position to take on a given char-

The advantage of roleplay is that it needs only a acter. This critique can be observed in practice.
relatively manageable material effort to make it However, from our perspective, this fact is not
possible. In addition, roleplay can be used with sufficient reason to forgo roleplay, as long as
both low- and high-resolution prototypes. In the central functions of the prototypes remain
many design thinking projects using roleplay, preserved. However, if the team falls short of
small scripts with directions and guidelines for this objective, perhaps it should shift to another
the characters are written in advance. For exam- technique, such as comics.
ple, for a software company we used roleplay to
demonstrate numerous consulting scenarios
between a tax consultant and his client in order

to determine which new approach to software
support might work best and gain acceptance in
the future.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
Roleplays simulating workflows and situations
to demonstrate the interaction of machines, soft-
ware and people, University of St. Gallen (2013)
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BODYSTORMING
Bodystorming is a specific roleplay technique in Success criteria for bodystorming are:

which one’s own body is improvisationally used to
allow situations to be felt. Bodystorming is both Briefing: The bodystorming and testing par

a prototyping and a brainstorming technique, ticipants must be comprehensively informed
through which ideas can be tested, but new in- about the course of events in advance.
sights can also be won.
New users: People that enter a new situation for
An example is the simulation of an intercontinen- the first time often require more time to orient
tal flight in a ground-based imitation of an air- themselves to the circumstances. Accordingly,
plane cabin. Without actually using an airplane, this should be considered in project planning.
the functions of an existing or newly developed
interior can be simulated and tested. The advan- Similarity: If possible, when a new testing envi-
tages of substantially reduced costs and time ronment is selected, it should be done with con-
requirements are clear. sideration to the strongest possible similarities
to real situations. If environments do not feel
As preparation for a bodystorming session, team close to reality, they can lead to false results.
members typically observe and analyze the situ-
ations they intend to imitate. The results are
used to direct specific questions for the bodys-
torming. If new dimensions and improvements
are to be added, these should clearly also be
considered. The building of the situation then fol-
lows or, if possible, the participants report direct-
ly to the location. There, bodystorming is either
used as an instrument of brainstorming, or car-
ried out as part of testing with clients.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
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PAPER PROTOTYPING
Building prototypes out of paper is a powerful The advantages of this approach are clear: in
tool. Unfortunately this is often underestimated. contrast to digital approaches, the cost and TIPS AND TRICKS
Starting with user interfaces in computer pro- effort of developing prototypes is extremely
“Start doing it” — motivate your team
grams, going all the way to entire automobile low. Prototypes made out of paper are therefore

to build prototypes out of paper, even if it
cockpits, we have built hundreds of prototypes especially appropriate in the first phases of
appears too trivial at first.
out of paper and cardboard. At the outset of the a design thinking project, but can also be built
University of St. Gallen and Stanford design later on.
thinking programs, students always have to build
bicycles out of paper (other materials are re-
stricted to a total weight of 500 grams). These MATERIALS
paper bikes must carry at least one person, and
• Markers for drawing and writing
survive a previously communicated tactical

game. • Wire and twine

• Scissors and sharp knives (e.g. box

The space for using prototypes made out of pa- cutters)
per is not limited to the representation of digital
• Styrofoam boards
material only, but extends into the analog fields

of our lives! For a company in the chemical in-
dustry, we easily simulated a quality seal on
packages with the help of simple paper stickers.
In another case, we built a “health meter” out of
paper. This was a screen for attachment to one’s
arm which was intended to measure and display
the individual’s health status.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
1 2
1 A sticker on a spraycan to simulate a quality

seal
2 The “Carpresso” simulates the output of an

automobile depending upon the user’s mood
or desired driving behavior for the car (sporty,
elegant, comfortable)
3 Simulation of a chip in a sneaker to show

movement data
4 Prototype of a wrist sensor to display various

medical body measurements
3 4
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STORYTELLING AND STORYWRITING
Storytelling is a technique enabling the commu- Visual stories: Visual stories are pictorial stories
nication and presentation of various scenarios with or without text. The pictures directly in- TIPS AND TRICKS
and stories. In contrast to roleplay, with storytell- crease the story’s comprehensibility. However, • Develop a storyboard within your team,

ing there is a teller instead of a group of actors. visualizations cannot be generated for every that is, a chronological run-through of
The storyteller interacts with the listeners while prototype. Comics are another technique that the scenes to be demonstrated. A white-
telling the story, and is thereby able to individual- will be discussed separately. board is usually suitable for this.
ize the flow of the storytelling in parts.
• Essential phrases should be recorded in
Animation and videos: Animation and videos offer

writing for the primary speaker and each
The disadvantage of the storytelling variant many possibilities to tell stories audio-visually.
role.
is that the quality of the prototype depends Like videos on websites such as Kickstarter, the
primarily upon the public speaking abilities and idea is clarified and a prototype shown. • Practice telling the story multiple

personal presence of the storyteller. Not all Producing this kind of prototype requires effort, times and use the feedback techniques
people are made for storytelling, and in actual which is the disadvantage of this method. described in this book.

situations, this should be considered. This ap- Because of this, we generally only use this tech-
proach calls for honesty between team members. nique when building high-resolution prototypes.
In addition to verbal storytelling, stories can

also be communicated through writing, pictures,
animations and videos:
Written stories: Written stories do not demand

that the teller and listeners be present in the
same place at the same time. This method is par-
ticularly useful when teams need to test proto-
types across continents. After a description is
written down once, the prototype can be sent to
the tester with virtually no further explanation.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
Storytelling at a company workshop at the
University of St. Gallen (2014)
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COMICS
Comics are a subcategory of storytelling and of-

fer the design thinking team a very concrete and TIPS AND TRICKS
often funny method of presenting a product, ser- • Before you begin drawing comics, think

vice or business model with the help of a small about the chronology of the story within
story. Our experience has been that comics have your team. You can use tools such as a
proven themselves for prototypes of services and whiteboard to develop the story.
business models. While just a few years ago it
• Within the team, develop a key picture
was necessary to have someone in the team who

for each scene that best expresses your
could draw comics in order to take advantage of
statement
this approach, teams can now take advantage of
the numerous tools available online for drawing • Draw a first rough draft of the comic and

comics, and even generating animations. test it within the team.
• Integrate the team feedback and refine

The advantage of comics is that they reduce the comic.
contact barriers, particularly with younger
groups. Because comics are amusing, testers
in the resulting discussions are often more
engaged and open to conversation than with
other methods. TOOLS

• www.wittycomics.com

• http://bitstrips.com

• www.stripcreator.com

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2 TOOLKIT
Demonstration of a new mobility concept to
navigate people to a goal destination using
different transportation methods (train, car,
bus); prototype developed at the University of
St. Gallen, 2012
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RAPID 3D PROTOTYPING
Three-dimensional printing has generated real Sources

hype over the past few years. Today, it seems www.shapeways.com TIPS AND TRICKS
that almost all objects can be printed using this www.i.materialise.com The easiest way to get access to a 3D print-
method — from simple components such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fab_lab er is to visit FabLab. Look at the technology

plugs and sockets, to fashion accessories and art, www.3dhubs.com and talk to the experts!
to tissue structures for the human body and
components for houses and airplanes. What

these operations all have in common is that the
complexities of creating shapes and tools are TOOLS
reducing dramatically. Instead, materials like
• Google SketchUp — quick and easy

plastic, cement, conductive materials and tissue

development of 3D models
substitutes are three-dimensionally layered, or
manipulated to harden by laser. • 3D printer, e.g. www.makerbot.com

• Additional materials such as filaments;

For design thinking teams, this is a great approach https://www.3dware.ch/en
for all forms of middle- and high- resolution proto-
types. Numerous projects by young founders have
ensured that there are a large number of inexpen-
sive alternatives to the professional devices which
are generally only acquirable for for a five-figure
sum. With online service providers of 3D printing
such as shapeways.com and i.materialise.com,
only the data needs be uploaded and the final
printouts, offered in a variety of materials, can be
received via mail. However, local associations such
as FabLabs also have devices in stock, including

3D printers and laser cutters, that can be used
upon request. Finally, private owners of 3D printers
often take print orders. Many are registered on the

3DHubs community for this exact purpose.
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2 TOOLKIT
Modified 3D printer for printing electrical
conductors and circuits. The project was part
of a 2013 cooperation between the University
of St. Gallen and Stanford University.
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VIDEO PROTOTYPING
Video prototyping is a technique with a history Another popular form of production for video one hand, very well produced videos can make
that goes back to Apple in the 1980s. It is increas- prototypes in design thinking are stop-motion the impression that the prototype presented al-

ingly being used across all phases of design videos. For these, hundreds of pictures of a given ready exists, and this may awaken false expecta-
thinking. Using this technique, videos of complex situation are chronologically ordered and com- tions. This effect can greatly influence the quality
scenarios can be developed, recorded, and shown piled in a video. This gives the impression of a of feedback. On the other hand, the danger exists
with relatively little effort. Usage is not limited to time-lapse movie. that the audience does not evaluate the proto-
software interfaces (as with Apple in the begin- type, but the video itself. They then judge the pro-
ning), but can be used for services, processes and Video prototypes are typically effective for the totype as being better or worse than they other-
business model prototypes. Modern computer following purposes: wise might have.
programs such as iMovie and, increasingly, ad-
vanced reflex cameras with video functionalities Explaining and testing: Video prototypes are a
enable even beginners to quickly develop good good medium for conveying complex stories for
videos. Additionally, many video-editing programs testing and explaining prototypes in an easily
can now be directly used on smartphones. transportable way. A video can be presented on a
computer, shared on social networks, or uploaded
Another development is the building of virtual onto well-known video platforms such as Vimeo.
video prototypes. Web portals such as goani-
mate.com enable the easy generation of com- Visualizing the future: Another use for video pro-
ic-based video prototypes. The producer can totypes is explaining cutting-edge future scenar-
choose between numerous characters, set up ios. Films such as Preview of the World from
a variety of scenes, and even choose the voices of Tomorrow (Kerstan & Schmuckler, 1972) from
characters. With a little effort to learn the ropes, ZDF are interesting examples. The use of these
design thinking teams can make videos within videos generally makes most sense in the dark
a few hours without professional outside help. horse phase of design thinking, since this phase TOOLS
These animated prototypes can be used in every is about generating prototypes which lie further
• GoAnimate.com
project phase, however their main value lies in in the future.
the early stages of design thinking projects, as • iMovie — Video editing program from

the costs are low and little development effort is Despite the numerous possibilities of video pro- Apple
required. totypes, they also have disadvantages. On the
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
TIPS AND TRICKS
• Start early with video prototypes.

• Pay attention to permissions to film.

• It is preferable to produce more video

material than you need so that you have
editing options.
Video prototype to demonstrate a service

concept for collaboration between tax
consultants and mid-sized businesses
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SERVICE BLUEPRINTING
With the help of service blueprinting, service Backstage activities: Backstage activities have
prototypes can be systematically structured and a direct causal relationship with the services MATERIALS
described in a uniform way. A service blueprint provided, but the service provider carries them
• Whiteboard or Microsoft PowerPoint
comprises various components: out the background, invisible to the user. In the

presentation
hospital case, this is the invoicing of the treat-
Physical reference point: A physical reference ment. Patients are seldom in direct contact with • Markers

point for a patient’s activity in a hospital is, for these processes, since they take place between • Index cards or Post-its

example, admission. The physical reference point the hospital and insurance companies.
• Images for visualizing concrete situations
often provides information and evidence on

events within the service. Supporting activities and systems: This covers
all the steps relevant, but not directly connected,
User activities: User activity components refer to the case. In the hospital, this could involve
to all the behavior of a user within the context of the sterilization of examination and theater
a process or service. Returning to the hospital materials, but also the computer systems used

example, this could be filling out a medical histo- to process patient and treatment data.
ry and general information form at reception.
The particular advantage of blueprinting is the
Frontstage activities: The frontstage activities are representation of complex situations using a
carried out by the service provider and generally comparatively simple technique. These represen-
directly relate to user activities. In the hospital tations are appropriate when making the first
example, this might be a doctor’s examination of feasibility tests with experts, and provoking new
a patient. ideas in testers.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
Physical Ad/ Hotel Doorman/ Lobby/
website parking space entrance room key Elevator
reference
points
Making a Arrving Giving luggage Going to

User activities reservation at hotel to doorman Checking in hotel room
Line of interaction
Front-stage Check-in
Welcoming
activities processing
Line of visibility
Reserving Bringing luggage Line of

Backstage
room to room internal
activities
interaction
Supporting Reservation
Reservation
activities and and registration
system
systems system
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SKETCHES AND SCRIBBLES
Sketches and scribbles are hand-drawn repre- Sources

sentations of products, services or business Buxton, B., “Sketching User Experiences —

model scenarios. These drawings are often made Getting the Design Right and the Right Design”,
in the first phases of design thinking, in which 2007
speed is important and prototypes are of low res-
olution. Scribbles and sketches are created with
simple materials and do not require any prior ex- TIPS AND TRICKS
perience. A talent for drawing is helpful in some The only tip is: Everyone can draw!
situations, but our experience has shown that Overcome your inhibitions and draw.
everyone can draw well enough.
Sketches and scribbles show either just the prod-

uct in focus or important components, but they
can also already contain further information for MATERIALS
use or embedding in an extended business model
• Pencils and erasers
context. The combination of multiple scribbles

can also tell a story. • Paper

• Index cards or Post-its

Drawings can be useful when the design thinking
• Images to visualize concrete
team is traveling and has no other material for

situations
building prototypes available. A marker and a
piece of paper are often easily accessible, so ideas
can at least be roughly put down.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
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PHOTOSHOP PROTOTYPING
Photoshop prototyping is another form of low-

resolution prototyping. By using photos and im- TIPS AND TRICKS
ages of specific situations to create montages,
Learning to use photo-editing tools
scenarios of product use or service concepts can
requires lots of time. Beginners can
be demonstrated. For an automotive manufac-
therefore also use Microsoft PowerPoint
turer, for example, we prepared an outdoor park-
to more easily manipulate photos.
ing space concept. To show how a display show-
ing parking space status might look — that is,

whether a parking space is either occupied,
available or a car is suboptimally occupying the
space — we laid boxes over the occupied, free TOOLS

and poorly-used parking spaces using photo-ed-
• Still camera
iting software. By using manipulated photos, we

were able to show the basic principle behind our • Photo-editing software: Adobe

ideas without extensive text. Photoshop/Photoshop Elements or an
open-source alternative like gimp.org
The advantages lie in the speed and simplicity • Printer

of the prototypes. At the same time, testers easily
understand these prototypes.
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2 TOOLKIT
Prototype for a parking detector in cities and
outside parking garages (low-resolution
representation); project at the University of
St. Gallen (2012)
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COMBINED PROTOTYPING
Combined prototypes are on the border between Speed is the advantage of using combined proto- NOTES
low-resolution and high-resolution prototypes. types. Combined prototypes are higher-resolution
They are generated using paper and other mate- prototypes than prototypes made from only
rials, as well as prototypes made of paper and one material, they are therefore better able to be •

other technologies. For example, when testing experienced and tested.
remote support for the overhaul of a laboratory •

machine, we used a mobile phone with Google
Hangouts. For these prototypes, we fastened a TOOLS •

mobile phone, with the camera facing forward, to
• Open hardware
the tester’s head using zip ties. Then, using the •

mobile phone, we initiated a Google Hangouts • Materials needed for the specific

(video-telephony) session to bring a remote- procedure •

ly-contacted expert into the situation. A headset
connected to the mobile phone ensured that the •

tester could receive all instructions via head-
phones. Using such prototypes, multiple tech- •

niques and technologies can immediately be put
to use and a relatively complex scenario can be •

tested in only a few hours.
•

•

•

•

•

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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
2 5
1 Prototype for quick and easy registration

using a passport or personal ID card,
University of St. Gallen and Pontificia
Universidad Javeriana Cali (2012)
2 Prototype of a helmet camera to aid technical

support providers during maintenance work,
1 3 Stanford University and University of
St. Gallen (2014)
3 Prototype to simulate the remote support of

machines, University of St.Gallen (2014)
4 Integrated prototype of a laboratory machine

(2014)
5
Prototype of an armband for registering
patients in hospitals, University of St. Gallen
(2014)
4
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TOWN PLANNING
Town planning is a category of prototypes that With the help of a city planning model, we pre-
present architectural or building-related aspects sented city center receiving and repair stations TIPS AND TRICKS
of a solution. This kind of prototype is also useful for cars connected to a network of city outskirts
FabLabs offer possibilities to quickly build
when developing services. We used this method workshops for a company in the automobile
small architectural prototypes.
to develop a new consulting concept for asset industry. The receiving stations were externally

management. An element of the concept was inspired by the design of Apple products, and
also the reworking of the consulting spaces with- were shown as prototypes.
in the bank.
Town planning prototypes usually integrate tes- TOOLS
For high-resolution prototypes, three-dimen- ters and observers very quickly and provoke both
• Paper, wood, cardboard, glue, etc.
sional CAD drawings come into consideration. good and bad emotions.

Three-dimensional drawings tend to demon- • 3D drawing tools, e.g. Google SketchUp

strate what a new scenario might look like at a
glance. However, low-resolution prototypes, such
as mock-ups of rooms or models for city plan-
ning, can also be represented using paper, card-
board, wood and other materials. If the low-

resolution prototypes are built up in modules,
the tester can show his or her own ideas and
imaginings.
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2 TOOLKIT
Concept for a car repair receiving station in
large cities following the example of the
Apple Store, University of St. Gallen/Karlsruher
Institute of Technology (2014)
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BUSINESS MODEL PROTOTYPES
Business model prototypes show the commercial For this reason, besides the canvas, context-

connections between various actors such as specific business model prototypes are built in
customers, producers, suppliers, and so on. The design thinking projects. They show business

goal is to systematically demonstrate the busi- models using either as little as just sketches and
ness relationships between, and motivations of, scribbles or use the aid of other materials and
the stakeholders involved. The best-known elements of the business model as well. The ad-
framework for describing business models is the vantage is that, in contrast to the pre-defined
Business Model Canvas, by Osterwalder, Pigneur categories, these can be individually gone into
and Clark (2010). This model structures business with the particular business or customer context
models along nine dimensions: customer seg- in mind.
ments, customer relationships, channels, value
propositions (of products and services), key re- Business model prototypes can be used during
sources, key activities, key partners and cost all the phases of design thinking. However, we try
structure and revenue streams. The model is ex- to place consideration of business concerns,
cellent for establishing transparency, and ana- which this prototype category prioritizes, behind
lyzing complex business models. the identification of real user needs.
Nevertheless, in representations for testing

ideas the model usually proves itself too “tech- Sources
nocratic”. By this we mean that the tester and Osterwalder et al., “Business Model Generation:
user often struggle to imagine themselves A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and
within the parameters of the dimensions the Challengers”, 2010 (1st ed.)

framework describes, and often do not have the
time to bring in their own sense of fantasy.
TOOLS
• Business Model Canvas

• Paper, cardboard, markers, etc.

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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
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CONFLUENCE DYNAGRAM
By Martin Eppler and Sebastian Kernbach Sources

Eppler, M.J., Kernbach, S., Wiederkehr, B., TIPS AND TRICKS
The confluence dynagram is a multidimensional & Gassner, P., “The Confluence Diagram: Identify the factors: List the factors that
configurator in the form of a radar diagram. It can Embedding Knowledge in Interaction comprise the prototype and select a mini-
be dynamically inscribed and adapted in order to Constraints”, 2014 mum and maximum value for each factor.
capture and make the capabilities of prototypes
Group factors and define dimensions: Group
visible, including interdependencies and poten-
the factors that belong together in a given
tial limitations.
dimension and name the dimension.
TOOLS
In addition, the confluence dynagram enables Establish interdependencies: Discuss the
• www.dynagrams.org
design thinking teams to see and discuss the in-
interdependencies between the different
terdependencies between various factors and factors in a dimension, but also the factors
their effects on the profile of the prototype. This that bridge multiple dimensions. You can
enables the team to select a profile of factors define each of these interdependencies as
when preparing a prototype. The learning from a “more leads to more” or “more leads to
the prototype test can, in turn, be integrated into less” interdependency. This is not about nu-
the confluence dynagram, in which the previous- merical exactness, but tendencies. The
ly assumed interdependencies and assumed higher the number of factors that a factor
profile can be changed. By saving different sta- influences, the bigger the circumference
tuses of the confluence dynagram, the prototype around the factor’s sliding knob.
development is documented and can be later re- Establish a profile for the prototype: By
flected upon. sliding the knobs, the interdependencies
can be made visible. The team can move
different knobs, thereby establishing a
profile for discussion.
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2.5
2 TOOLKIT
Confluence dynagram of a design thinking
prototype for an insurance company (2015)
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TESTING
Now the ideas and prototypes are tested with customers and other stakeholders.
Learning and assumptions are reviewed to ensure correctness, the result being that they
are either right or wrong. Team reflection upon testing results leads to an improvement of
the entire solution.
Setup
Problem definition
Feedback
and redefinition
Warm-ups
Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
and storytelling
“Prototype as if you know you are right, but

test as if you know you are wrong.”
(D.School Stanford University, 2015b)
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2.6
2 TOOLKIT
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TESTING
CONSUMER CLINICS
When using consumer clinics as a testing ap- The number of testers can range from 10 to
proach, customers and users are presented several hundred. In contrast to testing within TIPS AND TRICKS
products and services in actual use. Customers focus groups, where the products and services
• Select the test group and individual
and users can then express their opinions. In ad- introduced are still in the formation phase, the

testers.
dition to new products and services, existing products and services in consumer clinics are
products and services can be shown as a point of already actually usable. In this sense, consumer • Preparation: Distribute the survey on

comparison. The concept was developed in the clinics not only show the personal opinion of the what the product testers hope to get from
automotive industry in the 1960s with the goal of tester on the product demonstrated, but also the product, what their expectations are,
eliciting customers’ opinions on car models. show its application and use. Through this, con- etc.
sumer clinics offer a good method of testing • Implementation: Demonstrate the prod-

For consumer clinics, the people invited should high-resolution prototypes, since they already uct or service and try out the application
be representative of the intended customer and offer an (almost) complete simulation of pro- or use with the tester.
user group of the product or service being pre- cesses and functionalities. In the early phases
• During the demonstration phase, observe
of a design thinking project, this technique is not

sented. Consumer clinics are typically carried
and document the tester’s reaction.
out in three phases: preparation, demonstration as highly recommended.
and follow up. In each phase, testers fill out a • Follow up: Using a survey, the tester is

survey that asks about the users’ opinions of the again asked to share his or her opinion
particular product or service. This data is then and overall impression of the product
available for extensive evaluation and analysis. tested. Surveys also ask whether the
product fulfilled the tester’s expecta-
tions, what he or she liked and why, as
well as additional possible personal
uses, etc.
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TESTING
2.6
USABILITY TESTING
The techniques and procedures in which testers Activity analysis: This explores the tester’s gener-
2 TOOLKIT
use a product or service under set uniform fram- al behavior when using the product or service. TIPS AND TRICKS
ing conditions are discussed under the term us- With formal analysis, technological tools will
There are numerous service providers in
ability testing. With this method of testing, the show and protocol the whole flow of activities.
the activity analysis field that carry out
tester must carry out a specific, pre-determined With informal analysis, activities are simply run
professional usability testing, for example
task using the product or service. through and an assessment of the prototype’s
www.userfeedback.ch.
strengths and weaknesses is made at the end.
For example, when testing an online shopping
portal, testers were given the task of purchasing Thinking out loud: Thinking out loud sounds al-
specific goods, or changing their profile informa- most primitive. The technique is not demanding,
tion in a customer portal. During tests, all move- but it is effective and efficient! Using the tech- TOOLS
ments, steps and actions were observed and nique, testers express their thoughts, reactions,
• Prototypes from the project
noted using cameras or pre-installed software and what they want to do next aloud when using

products. a system. Through this method, a co-present • Notebook and pens/pencils

observer can understand and write down the tes- • Video camera to record testing

There are different variations of usability testing ter’s thought processes.
available:
Survey: Surveys, a traditional instrument, can
Cognitive run: The focus of this testing form is bring numerous aspects of usability to light, for
the tester’s cognitive processing of the product example in computer systems. This technique is
or service. Particularly in the case of software, an indirect method of usability testing, as it does
split-seconds can decide whether a product not directly draw upon or involve the product or
will be perceived as making sense or not. If, when service being tested. Both qualitative and quanti-
a user stands in front of a ticket machine, the tative questions are considered for inclusion in
number of buttons or entry fields they must the survey.
search through is too detailed and cumbersome,
this would be discovered.
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TESTING
NABC PITCH
The NABC pitch is a short, to-the-point descrip- service. If one is able to express a solution in 30
tion of a new idea. It’s now also commonly known to 60 seconds with an NABC pitch, he or she has TIPS AND TRICKS
as an elevator pitch, since ideally, the description located the core of the idea. • Put together an NABC pitch that de-

of the project’s intention is so brief that one can scribes your idea in a way that is efficient
explain and sell it to his or her boss during an el- When testing, the NABC pitch — with or without and to the point. Remember that the

evator ride. the prototype — is presented to the tester, and pitch should include an explanation of

immediate feedback on the idea can be gathered. the problem, your idea, the value for the

The abbreviation NABC stands for the keywords The advantage of the NABC pitch is that it enables customer, and what makes your idea
need, approach, benefit and competition. The the tester to quickly understand and evaluate unique.
pitch should address all of these keywords. the essence of an idea. This method is useful for
• Explain your idea to the testers and ask
testing low-resolution prototypes in a dynamic

them for brief feedback.
Need: What needs does the customer have, and environment, such as the street. A detailed expla-
which problem should be solved? nation with lots of detail would take too much • Consider the following factors when

time, preventing many testers from participating. developing your pitch:
Approach: How does the new idea address the – What problem are you solving with
–
needs? How will the problem be solved? the prototype?
– What is the prototype, and how does

Benefit: Through this concrete idea, what value
–
it solve the problem?
does the solution provide the customer with?
– How does the customer get the
–
Competition: Which features differentiate the prototype?
solution from others in existence?
NABC pitches are an especially helpful tool for

the design thinking team when stepping back TOOLS
from the complexity of their own thought pro-
• A head for thinking with!
cesses and formulating the core of a product or

• Pens/pencils and paper

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TESTING
2.6
PECHAKUCHA
PechaKucha is a newer form of the NABC pitch.
2 TOOLKIT
Here, the goal is also to present a complex idea TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
within a short period of time, however here, the • If possible, use only images for the

presenters use slides and have 20 x 20 seconds slides; audiences need less time to grasp •

to present exactly 20 slides. The presentation pictures than text.
software is often set so that after 20 seconds, •
• Practice the presentation several times,

the next slide appears. Because of this, the pre-

and do not forget to activate the auto-
senter must be short and to the point. This form •
matic slide-changing function.

of presentation does not allow for extensive text
on slides — the focus should be on images. This •

increases the presentation’s clarity, which makes
it easier for the testers to understand. •

TOOLS
There are now many PechaKucha events world- •
• www.pechakucha.org

wide. Design thinking teams can also share their

presentations and have them evaluated. • Microsoft PowerPoint •

• Prezi presentations (www.prezi.com)

As a testing approach, PechaKucha is similar •
• Keynote

to NABC pitches in that the participants are

presented with the idea and feedback can be •

collected directly.
•

Sources •

PechaKucha, 2015; from www.pechakucha.org
•

•

•

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TESTING
NEED-FINDING TECHNIQUES
Some need finding techniques can also be used technique, problems can be identified early and
for testing prototypes with users or in labs. This solved, in some circumstances even before they
has the advantage of enabling a combination of are communicated to the “real” tester.
the need finding and testing phases, especially in
large, lengthy projects. Interviews: Interviews are also an excellent op-
portunity to test existing prototypes. Make sure
The following techniques are appropriate for that the test is carried out after the actual inter-
both need finding and testing: view takes place, otherwise you run the risk of
discussing only the prototype.
Focus groups: The manageable number of partic-
ipants make focus groups useful, particularly
when considering and discussing low-resolution
prototypes either conceptually or with presenta-
tion or discussion. For more refined prototypes,
consumer clinics are better.
Personas: Personas can also be used as a tech-

nique for the initial testing of products and ser-
vices. Particularly in design thinking labs, perso-
nas can help the team members put themselves
in the position of the user’s character, and there-
by carry out an internal “substitute” testing. For
this, a team member takes on the role of the se-
lected persona. This team member then main-
tains and acts out the characteristics of the per-
sona, and tests the prototype. Using this
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2.6
2 TOOLKIT
1
1 Testing a new chair for use in a dentist’s

surgery, Kanpur, India (2015)
2 Testing at the end of a focus group, Shanghai,

China (2015)
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WARM-UPS
Warm-ups are little exercises that prepare the body and mind for a challenging task — just

as in sports, music and the performing arts.
In design thinking, it is also helpful to warm up from time to time. Brainstorming from a
standing start can be difficult and laborious. Participants are usually not immediately in the

correct, creative and inspired frame of mind. In these cases, warm-ups stimulate thinking
and help participants concentrate on the task to come.
In principle, warm-ups can be used in every design thinking phase, particularly when work
appears arduous and stagnant. In this chapter we describe several warm-ups, but there are,
of course, countless more.
Setup
Problem definition
Feedback
and redefinition
Warm-ups
Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
and storytelling
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2.7
2 TOOLKIT
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WARM-UPS
SPAGHETTI TOWER
The spaghetti tower is a fun and entertaining Paper tower: Instead of spaghetti, newspapers
exercise that motivates participants to build and and tape can be used. This variation is somewhat TIPS AND TRICKS

experiment. The task is to build the highest pos- cleaner (but not as much fun).
• Procure sufficient spaghetti and
sible freestanding marshmallow and spaghetti

marshmallows.
tower within 10 minutes. Additional materials are
not allowed. • Divide the group into teams of 3–4 peo-

ple, and give each team the same amount
This exercise can also be more than a warm-up. of spaghetti and marshmallows.
Teams can also use the spaghetti tower to • Give the teams 10 minutes to build the

assess and evaluate a team’s approach to plan- highest tower.
ning and execution. The group discussion that
• After 10 minutes, stop building and
follows can inspire reflection.

compare heights.

Variations are also possible:
Repetition: If one wants to show that copying is

also part of the innovation process, then a sec-
ond run-through of the spaghetti tower can be MATERIALS
carried out after the first round. Between the two
For the spaghetti tower
rounds, the teams present their tower and ex-
plain their approaches to construction. This • Spaghetti

new knowledge and the team’s own experience • Marshmallows

flow into the second round, when they have the
• Garbage bags (for cleaning up)
opportunity to build their learning into second

towers. Following the motto “fail forward” within For the paper tower

the scope of prototyping, this variation of the • As many newspapers and magazines as

exercise helps make false assumptions visible possible
early in the innovation process.
• Tape

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2.7
2 TOOLKIT
Spaghetti tower warm-up at the University of
St. Gallen (2014)
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WARM-UPS
YES BUT, YES AND
Who hasn’t heard the phrase “Yes, but….”? It is

used day in and day out in workshops, conversa- TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
tions, and brainstorming sessions. The effect is Round 1: The group is divided into sub-
usually that people do not truly collaborate and groups of two participants. Each subgroup •

build upon each other’s ideas, but instead build receives the task to plan a trip from Zurich
up parallel worlds of ideas and thoughts in sepa- to Shanghai, for example. Each group •

ration from one another. The “yes but, yes and” member is instructed to bring their ideas
technique takes a playful approach to give this into the round, but only with the preface •

transparency. “yes, but...”. Give the groups two minutes to
plan the trip. At the end of the task, ask •

them where the trip ended up.
•
Round 2: Retain the same group setup

and assign the same task, the only
•
difference being that participants may

contribute using only the preface “yes,
•
and...”. After 2 minutes, ask where the

trip led.
•

Typically, when the teams use “yes, but…”,
their trip does not depart. In contrast, •

the ideas flow when using “yes, and…”. With
team members, reflect upon why and •

which processes made this the case.
This warm-up is particularly appropriate •

for ideation phases.
•

•

•

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2.7
2 TOOLKIT
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WARM-UPS
RACES
Races is a warm-up that brings momentum to

tired teams. Groups of 4–5 participants are given TIPS AND TRICKS
the task of covering 10–15 meters with only four Lots of water and chocolate should be
feet and six hands touching the floor. The team readily available!
that covers that distance the fastest wins. Teams
are given five minutes of preparation time to
practice for the race.
The high athletic exertion quickly reactivates TOOLS

tired teams and prepares them for a task requir-
• Start and finish lines
ing concentration and action. The disadvantage
is that this exercise is not possible with every • A large hall or space

group of people, and some environments do not • Chocolate, cookies, etc.

offer sufficient space.
T FIN
STAR
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2.7
2 TOOLKIT
INIS
H
Race at a design thinking bootcamp at the University of St. Gallen (MBI Master’s and MBA program)
in rooms provided by the Swisscom BrainGym in Bern. The BrainGym offers Swisscom employees
ideal spaces to use human-centered design methods (2014).
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WARM-UPS
ASSEMBLY
Assembly takes 5–10 minutes, and helps team

members to get to know each other better in a TIPS AND TRICKS
playful manner. Over the course of the exercise, This warm-up works best when you orient
the group is asked a range of questions and must the questions around the team’s actual
order themselves into a pattern of their own find- issues. If the team is, for example, working
ing. For example, the group may organize itself on a question about clubs and associa-
according to the participants’ shoe sizes. Another tions, you might ask the participants to
task would be to organize themselves according organize themselves according to the total
to favorite vacation spots. As soon as the group number of club memberships they have
has determined their order, the moderator may had. This develops empathy for the topic
ask the participants about their results. and is always entertaining.
The assembly warm-up works with both small

and large groups of up to 40–50 participants.
Our experience has shown that it works well at
the beginning of workshops or similar events. TOOLS
N UT ES
0 M I
5–1
• A large, clear space

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2.7
2 TOOLKIT
S
Assembly warm-up at an international executive

workshop at the University of St. Gallen (2014)
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WARM-UPS
STICK FIGURES
Everyone can draw! The stick figure warm-up is

an exercise that encourages participants’ ability TIPS AND TRICKS
to draw little graphics. The participants receive • Distribute Post-its and pens/pencils to

Post-its and pens/pencils. The task is to draw all group members.
stick figures showing different emotions, such as
• Ask the participants to each draw a
curiosity, meanness, criticism, boredom, and so

particular emotion on a Post-it.
forth. Participants typically get five minutes to

complete this exercise. After five minutes, partic- • Give the participants 5–10 minutes.

ipants bring their Post-its with stick figures to • Have the participants stick their Post-its

the board, organize them into columns according on the wall and explain them.
to emotion, and briefly explain them.
This warm-up exercise is particularly useful as a

start for brainstorming or prototyping. Through
this exercise, the participants experience that MATERIALS
despite having possibly not drawn for years, they
• Post-its
still have the ability to draw little descriptive

pictures. • Pens/pencils

• Stopwatch

• Gong

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2.7
2 TOOLKIT
Stick figure warm-up at a company workshop
(2015)
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FEEDBACK
Open communication and, in particular, an inten- Practice has shown that team members give each
sive feedback culture should be part of every other feedback after certain intervals. Through Feedback round with students from the
design thinking project. Well-structured and con- this, problems on a content or personal level are University of St. Gallen MBI and MBA programs

structive feedback helps the design thinking addressed and dealt with. However, feedback can at the Swisscom BrainGym. The BrainGym
team to identify misassumptions or acquire new also come from external third parties. It is advis- offers Swisscom employees an ideal setting to
knowledge through reflection upon questions able to elicit active feedback from participants in use human-centred design methods.
and advice. projects’ intermediate status presentations. The
techniques that follow can be used for this.
Essentially, the following rules apply to healthy
feedback cultures in design thinking projects:
Constructive: Feedback should be constructive Design thinking code

and build knowledge. A destructive feedback
culture can quickly lead to frustration and demo- Setup

tivation within the team.
Problem definition
Feedback
and redefinition
Openness: There are no “dumb” questions or
remarks. If a team member has questions or

commentary, then these are to be listened to Warm-ups

and discussed within the team. Need finding
and synthesis
Testing
Always: Feedback can be given at any time in the
process, not only during the time planned for it.
and storytelling
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2.8
2 TOOLKIT
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FEEDBACK
I LIKE, I WISH, WHAT IF
The technique “I like, I wish, what if” helps to mo-

tivate the open formulation of feedback within TIPS AND TRICKS NOTES
teams. The method works excellently in both Ensure, particularly with beginners, that
small and large groups. Practically speaking, for the structure “I like” and “I wish” is really •

large groups we distribute feedback surveys on adhered to. In our trainer workshops, we
every chair so that each participant has a space actively correct the participants when they •

to record their feedback. do not use it correctly.
•

A usage example for a presentation could look
like this: “I want product ideas to be interactively •

demonstrated on-stage through roleplay”. “I wish
that next time, the audience could be more TOOLS •

closely integrated through roleplay”. “What if next
• Paper and pens/pencils
time, we rehearse the presentation together in •

advance?”
•

The “what if” question can also be combined with
“I wonder” and “how to”. In addition to using the •

right technique to give feedback, it is also im-
portant for team members to listen to each other. •

Not all feedback has to be immediately reacted
to. In reality, the team should decide which feed- •

back should be addressed without delay.
•

•

•

•

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2.8
2 TOOLKIT
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FEEDBACK
PLUS OR DELTA
The goal of the plus or delta method is to give

a group of people constructive feedback. As in TIPS AND TRICKS
“I like, I wish, what if”, the feedback is classified Make sure that the method is used
in two categories. The plus category covers consistently and completely.
the feedback on points that are positively re-
ceived — that is, that the team should absolutely

continue doing or repeat. The delta category

includes the points that the team might recon-

sider or change in future. TOOLS
• Template cards
The plus or delta technique can be implemented
for any type of feedback, regardless of whether • Flipcharts

it focuses on ideas, activities, prototypes, or any- • Pens/markers

thing else.
Sources
Brown, S., Gray, D & Macanufo, J.,
“Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators,
Rulebreakers, and Changemakers”, 2010
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2.8
2 TOOLKIT
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FEEDBACK
FEEDBACK CAPTURE GRID
The feedback capture grid is a technique for

collecting feedback, but also organizing feed- TIPS AND TRICKS TOOLS
back that has already been collected. The The capture grid can simply be drawn on • Paper
advantage lies in how the feedback capture

a blank sheet of paper. The page is divided
grid systematizes answers in a way that “first • Markers/pens
into four sections of equal size. The upper

users” also tend to find easy to understand. left quadrant is labeled with a plus sign,
and contains the positive feedback points.
The upper right quadrant is labeled with
a delta sign. As in the plus or delta method,
the points for reconsideration or change
are recorded here. The lower left corner
should show open questions, as indicated
by a question mark. The lower right corner
shows the new ideas prompted by feed-
back. This corner can be labeled with a light
bulb picture.
Like other feedback methods, the Feedback

Capture Grid can be used with a variety of
group sizes, from small to very large.
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2.8
2 TOOLKIT
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FEEDBACK
CRITICAL READING CHECKLIST
The critical reading checklist is a technique for 4. “Who does this interest?”: How significant is NOTES

giving teams feedback on ideas and perspectives the perspective? Is the team enthusiastic or not?
during the design thinking process. The goal is to Is it worth the time to pursue the idea? Why or
test validity while assessing whether or not a why not? •

perspective has potential, is unique, is focused
enough or is exciting. The critical reading checklist is a technique gen- •

erally used by experienced design thinkers.
Using the critical reading checklist is easy, and However, beginners can also use the questions to •

involves posing and answering the following four challenge their team and get precise feedback.
questions: •

1. “What is the point?”: Is the idea/perspective •

customer-oriented? Is it based upon a need? Is it
grounded in an insight? •

2. “Who says it?”, or rather, “How valid is this •

perspective?”: Is the perspective supported by

customer and user needs, or can it be be derived •

from customer or user needs?
•

3. “What is new?”: What is the value of the per-

spective? For example, was the need articulated •

via a new approach? Is it positioned within a new
user context? •

TOOLS •

• Paper
•

• Pens/markers

•

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DECLARATION OF CONSENT
2.9
Appropriate handling of information and data • In some cases, explicit permission to use
2 TOOLKIT

from conversations, observations and other pictures or video with the person’s face will be TIPS AND TRICKS

research material is the basis of all work for used within the scope of the design thinking
• Find out whether or not there is already

every design thinker. Conditions are naturally project;
such a declaration of consent for use

made more difficult when data cannot be • In some cases, explicit permission to use a
within your organization.

collected because organizational restrictions person’s correct name;

do not allow it. • Description of what will be done with the data • Check whether or not the declaration

collected at the end of the project; will it be of consent is also available in the partici-
Generally, we have our interview partners sign saved (anonymously or with individuals’ names) pants’ language(s).
declaration of consent forms during projects. or erased? • Always carry a few printed versions of

With participating individuals, these consent • Contact details; telephone number, address, the consent form (in the appropriate lan-

forms generate the necessary attention to make and/or email address; guage) with you.
it clear that data is being collected. They also • Signature with date and place.
• Before you begin collecting data, inform

achieve transparency and trust, as the use of
your interview partner about the purpose
data is clearly laid out.
and content of the project and the fact
Source
that you intend to collect data.
At a minimum, a typical declaration of consent International Chamber of Commerce and
includes the following information: ESOMAR, “ICC/Esomar International Code on • Give your interview partner enough time

• First and last name of the individual from whom Market and Social Research”, 2008 to read the form.

data is being collected; • Have your interview partner sign the

• Purpose of the design thinking project; form. If possible, send him or her a copy

• Statement allowing voice recordings or video after you return to your place of work.

data to be collected;
• Statement clarifying whether the data collect-

ed will be used anonymously within the scope
of the design thinking project, or acknowledge
the identity of the participant;
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203
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WERKZEUGKASTEN
THE DESIGN THINKING LAB
Creativity
Der Werkzeugkasten
needs space!
desThe
Design
interplay
Thinking
between
ist eine
Toolbox, um Design
organizational conditions
Thinking
andFragestellungen
architecture
systematisch
leads to an environment
und strukturiert
that breeds
zu lösen.
creativity
Einsteiger
können
and innovation.
die Techniken als Leitlinie nutzen
This chapter was written with the help of Michele Gaegauf.
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CREATIVE SPACES
How does creativity arise?

What inspires us?
Where do new ideas come from?
What promotes or increases creativity and inspiration?
Good ideas cannot be forced; in general they also do not arise while one sits at a desk, thinking
about a problem. They typically emerge from the subconscious and are therefore difficult to elicit.
Inspiration does not come from oneself; instead external factors provoke it. Therefore, the right
environment is absolutely able to foster creative work.
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3 THE DESIGN THINKING LAB

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CREATIVE SPACES
Inspiration from the environment What all four places have in common is that they Inspiration through communication
Groves (2013) established that people, whether are spaces in which we can relax. In contrast to In addition to environment, communication is an
consciously or unconsciously, look for certain the desk at the workplace, here thoughts are not essential element for inspiration and creative
environments or establish situations in which focused on the problem that needs to be solved. work. Often, the exchange of thoughts and plans
they can best be creative and gain inspiration. Rather, relaxation unconsciously leads us to a with others brings about new ideas.
Frequent examples are the following four places: freer mental state.
In general, we can differentiate between three
Nature: Fresh air, sunlight and the environment In organizations, we can use these insights to forms of communication in organizations (Allen
in nature fire up the imagination and bring about foster the creative process by seeking to con- & Henn, 2011):
a sense of well-being and relaxation. The separa- struct the aforementioned environments within a

tion from one’s familiar, often hectic environment building. Google offers the best-known example Communication for coordination: This form of
lets the ideas flow. of a creativity-fostering space within the work- communication is related to practical activities
place. Inside Google’s offices in Tel Aviv, garden within organizations. It is determined by the
Sports and physical activity: Active movement benches and tables rest in the shade of orange structure, organization and culture of the
encourages blood circulation and spurs alert- trees; the lighting is modeled after that in nature company.
ness. Repetitive, identical patterns of movement (inside!). In Zurich, there is a slide connecting two
put the mind into a relaxed state. Interestingly, levels of a building, a small sports field, and a Communication for information: This type of
this relaxed state does not require sports; room styled after an old English library, with communication serves the spread of information
handwork such as knitting can achieve the same bookshelves, chandeliers, and plush chairs. in organizations and is also determined by struc-

effect. Small meeting rooms are modeled after igloos ture and organization.
and ski gondolas, embedded in a man-made win-
Bars and cafés: The visual stimulation and exter landscape. In the water lounge, light effects Communication for inspiration: This comes from
change with others brings about new thoughts and an aquarium simulate an underwater world. spontaneous encounters and interactions be-
and ideas. Couches and even a foam-filled bathtub invite us tween employees, including with colleagues from
to free our minds and let the ideas flow. other projects or departments. The conversa-
Shower or bath: Like the famous example of tions are relaxed (“hallway chatter”) and interdis-
Archimedes, many people report that the best ciplinary. Through this, such communication
ideas come to them in the bath or shower. leads to new knowledge for both sides.
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In organizations, emphasis is generally placed on At the Pixar headquarters, the entrance hall is They can be single areas, rooms, and also whole

communication for coordination and information. large and open, and used as a central meeting buildings. Creative spaces do not replace classic
However, for a good communication flow, commu- point. The conference room, mailboxes and cafe- workspaces with desks and computers, but offer
nication for inspiration is also important. For teria are located off this space, which is called the organization and its employees important
this to occur, the right conditions have to be estab- the atrium. Since even the restrooms are in the additional opportunities that a run-of-the-mill
lished. These can be realized through the appro- atrium, employees meet one another coinciden- office cannot.
priate architecture (see Allen & Henn, 2011). tally and in passing on a daily basis.
The architecture needs to afford many opportuni- “Steve Jobs’ vision was to design a building where
ties for coincidental, unplanned communica- The blueprint of the new planned headquarters people would interact naturally. He realized that
tion — places where chance encounters happen, of Apple in Cupertino shows a building laid out in when people interact and have fun, good things

such as cafés and lounges. These should be set up a circle, with a park-like landscape in the center. happen.” (Capodagli, 2010)
so that multiple employees are able to (and want The building plan is already focused around
to) linger for sufficient periods of time. In addition, achieving as many inspiring encounters between
a space organized so that employees often leave employees as possible.
their offices and frequently meet with a large
number of colleagues fosters communication for Creative spaces are places of chance encoun-
inspiration. ters, of coincidental and inspiring exchanges, but
also places of focus and stimulation.
“Steve Jobs’ vision was to design a building where

people would interact naturally. He realized that when
people interact and have fun, good things happen.”
(Capodagli, 2010)
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Organization types Configurations
Organizational structure Architecture
Management tools for organizational configuration
Possibilities for organizational configuration in

line with Allen & Henn (2011)
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GOLDEN RULES FOR DESIGN THINKING SPACES
When setting up design thinking spaces, one Teamwork: The workspace for a design thinking Knowledge sharing: Areas for sharing and distrib-

should first familiarize oneself with the general team must inspire work in teams. Classical uting knowledge, such as presentation surfaces
principles for creative work spaces. For this, desks are not suitable for this. Instead, large, and small stages, help teams to show their project
there are a number of recommendations, the free surfaces on which the team can write and status or results and thereby receive feedback. In
most important of which are outlined in “Make stick Post-its are required. Tables should be their simplest form, these can be presentation
Space” (Doorley & Witthoft, 2012) and “What free-standing and accessible from all sides. surfaces equipped with a projector. Slightly more
Makes a Great Workplace?” (Kahler Slater, 2010). Often, places for sitting are set up flexibly, with labor intensive to build are, for example, small
From their own experience, the authors define team members sitting on high stools as well as stages with simple lighting.
rules for creative workspaces that are also rele- sofas. In many cases, it is not sufficient for de-
vant for design thinking, as follows: sign thinking teams to have only temporary work Writable surfaces: If one visits a large German
1. Foster interaction in groups and teams spaces. What is better, and often necessary, is company, he or she often observes that the walls

2. Stimulate creativity long-term occupation and use of the space. are decorated with artwork, but unfortunately

3. Offer workspace choices Teams must be able to hang and display the re- there are no spaces for describing things in

4. Focused and team workspaces must be sults of their work on walls, windows, and other writing or in pictures. A single whiteboard is,

available surfaces. A clean desk policy usually inhibits cre- however, too small for this. Teamwork, not just
5. Make co-creation spaces for work with third ative and team-oriented processes. in design thinking, is based on the sharing of

parties available knowledge. This requires quick sketching of
6. Offer large desks and lots of table space Workspace to focus: Even though design thinking ideas, connections, and solutions. Writable spac-

7. Set up sources of inspiration such as libraries is based largely on teamwork, team members need es (everywhere!) are useful for directly retaining

8. Ensure natural and direct sources of light workspaces in which to be alone and undisturbed, sudden inspiration, flashes of insight and solu-

so that they can concentrate on certain tasks. tions. To achieve this, it is even possible to make
In addition to these rules, our work on company For example, patent research or a search for walls directly writable, and to use tables as
projects and with teams at universities has re- benchmarks requires time and concentration. This whiteboards.
sulted in the following “golden rules” for setting is usually difficult to find in team workspaces,
up design thinking spaces (Meel et al., 2010; which is why setting up focus workspaces should
Doorley & Witthoft, 2012): also be attended to.
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Roles and flexibility: “Everything has a purpose” is

the saying in our design thinking workspaces.
Design thinking teams need frequent workspace
changes — whether for a short presentation that

quickly requires a large area for roleplay, or the
laying out and building of a prototype that needs
additional space. Rooms and workspaces must
be adapted to the needs of the team, not the
other way around. To achieve this, furniture and
other structures should ideally roll, rather than
have fixed feet, to allow the team to rearrange
the room to suit their own needs in a very short
amount of time.
Prototyping space: Every design thinking team

needs prototyping space — that is, space in

which to build prototypes. The size is not im-
mensely important, but materials for creation —

such as paper wireframes, simple hardware
prototypes and pads for scribbling — should be

available and accessible. At the University of
St. Gallen, we have a small corner with materi-
als primarily intended for building service proto-
types. Teams can help themselves to all the
supplies they need, and after a few seconds be-
gin building a prototype.
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Creative space Design thinking space
• Encouragement of interaction • Furniture made flexible by rollers
• Stimulation of creativity • Surfaces of tables and walls are

writable
• Free choice of workspaces
• Large areas for collaboration
• Work areas for co-creation
• Focused work areas for undisturbed
• Large tables and work surfaces concentration
• Libraries as sources of inspiration • Seven-second rule: tools and

prototyping materials should be
• Natural and direct light accessible within seven seconds
• Work areas are available to teams

long term
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WORKSPACES FOR DESIGN THINKING
Design thinking spaces are not just rooms Individual or team policy would disturb the creative chaos on the
dedicated to creativity. Spaces and rooms must Single workspaces are areas, such as offices desk. In practice, there are three fundamental

be set up in a way that fosters creativity and and assigned workspaces, in which lone individ- architectural models for realizing these retreat
enables inspiration. This is achieved by creating uals can perform their tasks. These contrast spaces (see Meel et al., 2010):
a workspace divided into various areas with with workspaces that can be used simultane-
different uses. This division can follow the flow of ously by many people. An example is an-open Closed offices
creative work, or pragmatically follow the usage plan office. Private and individual offices are generally a luxury
of an area as one or more people employ it. Assigned or open workspaces in organizations. However, they offer employees the
Assigned workspaces are available to a sole per- best opportunity to concentrate and to leave work
Organization in accordance with creative work son or team for a defined period of time. Open materials on their desks. Particularly in projects
exists, for example, in accordance with Groves, workspaces are available for a person or team to with sensitive content, this kind of workspace
who distinguishes between areas to stimulate, reserve temporarily, but are generally available to should be considered, even if the workstation costs
reflect, collaborate and play (Groves, 2013). This everyone in a company or organization over the would be significantly higher. In general, closed
classification correlates with the arrangement long term. An example might be a café or a work- offices are used only sometimes, and offer visual

of workspaces necessary for different creative shop room. as well as noise protection. The primary interac-
tasks. tions within the team happen in team spaces.
Both dimensions should be considered when
We differentiate the opportunities for arranging arranging design thinking workspaces. Workstations

workspaces in a similar mode, according to Workstations are an alternative to closed offices.
two dimensions (see Steelcase, 2014, figure Quadrant 1: Most are separated from one another using
on p. 232). The two workspace dimensions are Assigned individual workspaces soundproofing walls, so that focused work is
individual or team and assigned or open. Design thinking teams need places to retreat possible. In contrast to closed offices, data confi-
to for tasks that demand high levels of concen- dentiality is more difficult to ensure in these
tration. This includes, for example, transcribing more open environments. However, workstations
interviews or analyzing insights that emerge generally offer an optimal working environment,

during need finding. These tasks also require since room dividers and a project’s other materi-
that materials such as Post-its and printouts can als can be quickly adapted.
remain laid out in the workspace. A clean desk
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1
1 Retreat spaces at Google

(image: Google)
2 Design Thinking Loft at the University of

St. Gallen (2013)
2
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Open office colorful tapestries. For the teams, however, the Quadrant 3:
Open office interfaces/surfaces can also be used knowledge surrounding them is a decisive di- Open group area
as room dividers, as long as the work surfaces do mension of their working process. In practice, This kind of team space, which is open to use by
not need to be cleared daily and work areas are there are a number of ways to generate these all, can be established in numerous ways to
definitively allocated. Open offices have the ad- spaces: serve many purposes, from a classic workshop or
vantage of enabling easy communication with coffee corner to prototyping or presentation
other employees within a company (fostering in- Closed team room spaces. This kind of shared space is used above
spiration). However, the disadvantage is that A room is assigned to a single team for an extend- all for knowledge sharing, but also as a source of
open office formats do not always offer design ed period of time — generally for the entire proj- inspiration. Even coffee or break areas enable

thinkers sufficient privacy to work on specific ect. With this setup, the design thinking team can peers and colleagues, who in some cases may
tasks that require concentration. leave their work materials and utensils lying not have met before, to meet and develop new
around as the project requires. The interaction of inspiration or encounter opportunities to collab-
Quadrant 2: team members is very strong at times. Because orate (Meel et al., 2010). These spaces are gener-
Your own team workspace it is closed, this type of workspace is recommend ally only used temporarily and must be cleaned

This is an area in which the team can work pri- ed for projects in which confidentiality is of par- up afterwards.
vately for a longer period of time. This means that ticular concern.
numerous surfaces are available exclusively for Prototyping rooms and areas
a certain team to use without the interference of Open team area Prototyping rooms and areas generally include
others. This kind of workspace is important, as Another variation of team spaces are open team machines, computers, and other work materials.
design thinking teams require surfaces and areas. In this arrangement, a defined area of a In order to achieve optimal utilization, organiza-
spaces to display, hang and store their work ma- larger room is made available to the design tions generally make these rooms available to a
terials and results over an extended period thinking team. Here, as well, the team can use large group of people. The size of the rooms and
(Doorley & Witthoft, 2012). A clean desk policy walls, tables, and so forth over an extended peri- areas often correlates with the extent of design
would damage the team atmosphere, as it would od of time. However, they share the room itself thinking used in organizations.
result in the constant removal of, for example, with other teams. Curtains help to minimize
Post-its stuck on the wall during the design noise and achieve sufficient privacy, making the
thinking process. At the University of St. Gallen, room more usable. However, complete refuge
we allocate student teams with fixed team work- from disturbances, and therefore confidentiality
spaces for a period of 9– 10 months at a time. of project content, are difficult to achieve and

At the end of the project, they have become ensure.
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1
1 Team room at Google (image: Google)

2 Open group area at Google (image: Google)

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Prototyping rooms can emphasize various Workspaces Meeting rooms and meeting areas: Small and
activities, however in practice, most offer a mix: Workspaces in these quadrants are, for example, large meeting rooms and areas are good options
the classic workshop rooms in organizations, for carrying out temporary workshops, training
Mechanical prototyping: These prototyping rooms which can be booked and used for short periods sessions or presentations. Additionally, they offer
make machines such as CNC mills, 3D printers of time. These rooms can be considered for car- facilities for meetings with users and confiden-
and molding tools available to design thinking rying out short meetings or conversations with tial conversations. Design thinking teams can re-
teams. Teams can use these rooms when making users, as well as completing short-term tasks. serve and use the rooms for particular events.
their ideas take the shape of prototypes. Because of their short-term availability, these
Generally, specific knowledge is required to use rooms are less appropriate for continuously Brainstorming rooms: Brainstorming rooms are
these machines properly. working on long-term projects. Therefore, they good for ideation. They usually feature inspiring
generally only serve to supplement reserved objects. The walls are writable so that good ideas
Technology prototyping: These rooms have, for spaces. can be quickly communicated and recorded.
example, setups for simulations of three-dimen-
sional worlds or challenging virtual realities. Hot desks: Hot desks are, in terms of their setup, Meeting areas
open office spaces — that is, they do not offer

Meeting areas are spaces in organizations in

Service and experience prototyping: Service and employees an assigned workspace. In this sense, which employees can come together to share
experience prototyping rooms can be rooms every employee can look for a new workspace knowledge with one another.
where, for example, parts of a store branch or every day (at least in principle). Relatedly, the

service points of a given company can be mod- workspaces must always be cleaned up after Presentation areas: Presentation areas are a
eled. A team might have a bank branch in mind, use. For this, employees are generally offered good option for demonstrating project results.
with all devices and furniture in place and ready lockers or rollable containers. In practice, more Often, these do not just feature good presenta-
for use. These rooms are effective for quickly and than 10 employees generally work in these tion facilities, but sound systems and equipment
easily realizing and testing service prototypes. spaces. for making videos. In some companies, there are
even small stages or raised areas.
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1
1 Prototyping room at Radicant Labs in Palo

Alto (2014)
2 Design thinking lab at Deutsche Bank in

Eschborn (2014)
3 Meeting room at the Swisscom BrainGym in

Berne (2014)
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Work lounges: Work lounges are community ar- Games rooms: In technology organizations, there In addition, there are some well-known technolo-
eas for two to six people in which employees can are sometimes pool tables in given areas. gy companies — for example, Google — that

sit and address work-related issues together in Particularly in the evening, team-building events make thinking spaces available to their employ-
an inspiring environment. Sometimes, these can take place here in a relaxed atmosphere. ees in addition to traditional workspaces:
spaces are connected to cafés or areas where
food can be purchased. Gyms: Gyms are areas in which various strength Relaxation room: It might sound strange to set up
and endurance sports and activities can be car- rooms for relaxation. However, Google has rooms
Meeting points: Meeting points are places in or- ried out. designated for this purpose, and we have done
ganizations in which informal meetings can take the same for our students at the University of
place. Quadrant 4: St. Gallen. These rooms allow individuals space
Flexible individual workspaces to unwind, read a book, or just think in peace.
Rooms for relaxation and inspiration The fourth kind of design thinking space is Who has not experienced sitting in an office and
Rooms for general public use also include rooms workspaces for single employees which, while having to constantly deal with disturbances?

for relaxation and inspiration. In large organiza- separated, are often open for public use. The These rooms prevent exactly these interruptions
tions, a number of variations can already be most frequently used are so-called “touch-down and enable concentrated thinking.
observed. “Healthy body, healthy mind” is an in- workstations”. These can be flexibly used by all

creasingly established motto for rooms devoted employees of the organization and are good for Study booths: Study booths are small corners
to sports and movement. For design thinking short activities and tasks. These stations are for retreat which enable focused work via their
teams, these rooms offer an ideal change-up handy for checking emails, quickly surfing the separation from other areas. In some cases, old

from the everyday routine, offering opportunities web, or setting up appointments (see Meel et al., caravans converted into study booths can be
for both relaxation and new inspiration. 2010). Another modern approach can be seen at found within organizations. Study booths are
the company Steelcase, which uses the “quiet” also ideal for telephone calls and conferences.
Cafés and break areas: These rooms, in which concept. Quiet spaces are small islands of calm,
employees can enjoy small meals, snacks and which can be set up in a countless variety of Libraries: Libraries can also be excellent places
drinks, can also be used as workspaces for short, ways (Steelcase, 2014). for both focused and relaxed work. Being sur-
informal meetings. rounded by books establishes the right atmo-
sphere for inspiration, calm and concentration.
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The spatial design possibilities shown here are

not comprehensive, but show the diversity of
options available when setting up rooms and
areas designated for design thinking work. What
is important to note is that in practice, countless
design combinations exist. These extend not only
to a single room, but distribute the logic across
multiple rooms within a building. In the following
chapter, four frequently used combinations are
presented.
Headquarters of Goodpatch Ltd. in Tokyo (2014)
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240mmx190mm b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook 240mmx190mm b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook

Open
Touchdown workstation Relaxation room Prototyping area Large meeting area Small meeting area Large meeting room Small meeting room
Library Study booth Hot desk Brainstorming room Presentation area Work lounge Meeting point
Flexible individual Open group area

workspaces (Quadrant 4) (Quadrant 3) Break area Café Games room Gym
Single individual Team

Assigned individual workspaces Team’s own work area
(Quadrant 1) (Quadrant 2)
Closed offices Workstations Open office Assigned Open team/project area Closed team/project room
232 233
Untitled-1 232-233 28-05-2020 7.49.03 PM

SETTING UP DESIGN THINKING WORKSPACES
When setting up design thinking spaces, achiev- design thinking into their “architectural culture”, of time. Design thinking floors are of course as-
ing a good balance is often hard at the begin- and have put together ad-hoc rooms in parts sociated with a higher investment by the organi-
ning. In many cases, design thinkers in compa- of the organization not yet benefiting from high- zation. However, this step, which offers more

nies must create new spaces while balancing level setups. available design thinking space, is necessary for
existing infrastructure, available financial re- the design thinking method to become an estab-
sources and the willingness of management to Design thinking lab lished approach in projects.
set up these new spaces. Through observations The design thinking lab is a room set up for long-
of numerous organizations over the past several term use in shorter-term design thinking proj- An example from Switzerland is the Swisscom
years, four models for establishing design think- ects, workshops and training. The lab typically BrainGym in Berne. Here, multiple floors of an
ing spaces have been developed. The four mod- features a modern furniture concept, and offers old Swiss post office have been arranged accord-
els interact with and complement one another. options for prototyping and storage of prototyping to the principles of human-centered design
In well set up organizations, all models can be ing materials. Design thinking labs offer numer- and design thinking. Employees and project
found in parallel: ous companies a fixed and stable space in which teams at Swisscom can use these spaces for
design thinking can take place. This space is their projects on both a temporary and long-term
Ad-hoc design thinking spaces excellent when demonstrating to employees of basis.

Ad-hoc design thinking spaces use the existing an organization that design thinking is highly
infrastructure of the organization, such as white- valued. However, because of space limitations Design thinking culture

boards and flipcharts, to develop temporary (generally 100-200 square meters), such a room For design thinking culture to become a central
spaces for design thinking. The existing material is not appropriate for a large number of projects component of organizational culture, architec-
is complemented by easily procured and general- being carried out simultaneously. tural requirements and specifications should
ly inexpensive materials such as foamboards. also be adapted to it. Tech firms such as Google
Design thinking floor fully utilize the principles of design thinking
Ad-hoc spaces are a good choice for organiza- The design thinking floor extends the lab concept when setting up new spaces. From floor to ceil-
tions that want to try out design thinking on a to the extent that it makes the space available to ing, architecture and infrastructure is built for
small scale, or want to use design thinking only design thinkers substantially larger. The design the purpose of facilitating work in teams (see
for selected projects. These spaces are also en- thinking floor is like the lab, in that it is set up for Walker, 2013).
countered in organizations that have integrated long-term use, and long-running design thinking
projects. Teams can reserve and use project
rooms set up according to design thinking stan-
dards, and remain uninterrupted for long periods
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From modern workrooms set up according to

particular themes to relaxation rooms such as
libraries and gardens, everything is possible
when it comes to the design thinking spaces
available to employees.
Within an organization, design thinking spaces

of all shapes and sizes can be found. While in
some cases an organization’s headquarters may
built according to design thinking culture and
principles, other subsidiaries of the organization
might feature a design thinking lab or floor plan.
In practice, every organization can define its own
degree of adaptation and realization.
Deutsche Bank design thinking lab in Eschborn

(2014)
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240mmx190mm b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook 240mmx190mm b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook
Ad-hoc design thinking Design thinking lab Design thinking floor Design thinking culture

Ad-hoc team room Small presentation area Large meeting area Closed offices Brainstorming room Presentation area Study booth Open office
Open team/project area Large meeting room Prototyping areas Café Relaxation room Small meeting area Small meeting room
Storage area Library Touchdown workstation Workstation Work lounge Games room Gym
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4 Break area Meeting point
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REALIZATION OF DESIGN THINKING WORKSPACES

AD-HOC DESIGN THINKING WORK AREAS
“Just do it!” is the motto for ad-hoc design Materials necessary for prototyping can be easily
thinking workspaces. Ad-hoc spaces are set stored in rollable containers in ad-hoc design USAGE SCENARIOS

up as temporary design thinking work areas. In thinking rooms. An organization in Switzerland • Organizations that want to try out design

practical terms, that means that classic work- used old airplane cabin crew service carts with thinking
shops or workspaces are, in a short period of rollers for this purpose. They do not need much
• Organizations that want to use

time, converted into design thinking workspaces. space, are practical, and look good.

design thinking only for selected projects

(small number of projects with a short
Typically, rooms are de-structured and freed up
running time)
so that the team can move freely in the space
rather than sitting at a big desk. Here, it should • Organizations that want or need to carry

be noted that even this adaptation of space can, out design thinking projects in areas with
at times, present a challenge. When working with insufficient design thinking setup and
a leading European chemical company, we were materials
unable to remove large tables from rooms, since
they were fixed to one another, and to the floor,
with screws. Sometimes it is necessary to have
facility management employees at the organiza-
tion temporarily remove tables and chairs so that
the team has the necessary freedom of
movement.
Furthermore, it is advisable to use foamboards in

ad-hoc design thinking rooms. These lightweight,
highly transportable foam or cardboard walls
do not cost much, but greatly increase surface
areas for Post-its, drawing and writing in a very
short period of time. One thing to consider is that
Post-its do not stick to every wall surface.
Unfortunately, they all too often fall off. The sur-
face of foamboards solves this problem!
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Ad-hoc design thinking room, Royal Bank
of Scotland Technology Solutions Center,
Edinburgh (2014)
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DESIGN THINKING LAB
The design thinking lab is a room within an orga- Short-term projects

nization set up for long-term use and made Other uses for the lab include short-term proj- USAGE SCENARIOS
available to teams or groups. The room typically ects. Because of the limited space available, labs • Organizations that want to use design

features the most important objects for the are seldom used for long-term projects, as this thinking on a temporary basis for select-
setting up and organization of a design thinking would prevent them from being available to other ed projects, and wish to carry out training

room and is up to 200 square meters in size. teams. For short-term projects, part or all of the in a lab
The room is arranged to serve a few short-term room is reserved for the project team. Results
• Organizations that want to support
design thinking projects, while also providing a can be left out on a workspace for a longer period

design thinking projects in external
space for training and workshops. of time, and do not have to be constantly cleared.
locations with a professional setup, with-
out this location being forced to com-
Workshops and training Organizationally speaking, the design thinking
pletely rework their architectural design
The most frequent use for design thinking labs lab in organizations is generally managed by a
concept
are workshops and training. The rooms offer responsible party. This person or group organizes
ideal working conditions for short format events, the use of the room, the borrowing and return of

particularly in terms of infrastructure and avail- material, and ensures orderly use.
ability of work materials. Teams and groups can
book and use the lab for short periods of time.
After the events, workspaces are returned to
their original state. That means that the results
achieved need to be documented and brought
along when leaving the lab.
Design thinking lab at Deutsche Bank, Eschborn

(2014)
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030_DT_DTL.indd 241 30-04-2020 21:44:52
9
8
6
5
4
5
3
242
030_DT_DTL.indd 242 30-04-2020 21:44:52

1. Team room: Standing tables with strong sur- 5. Free storage space — prototyping: Tools

faces and wheels have proven themselves to be and materials for building prototypes can be put
an excellent resource for design thinking labs. away and stored here.
There are even some models with surfaces that
can be used as whiteboards. Barstools should 6. Presentation area: This area serves as a

also be available, and work well with the stand- presentation platform. A projector, a screen or

ing tables. surface for projecting, a lectern and chairs
should also be available.
2. Foamboards: These light and mobile surfaces

offer the team a place to put their ideas and fos- 7. Additional/alternative storage space: Walls

ter group work. The more foamboards, the better. can be used as storage spaces, for example for
Because of their light weight, they can be leaned additional foamboards.
against walls, stools and chairs, and other
objects. 8. Whiteboards: Like foamboards, whiteboards

serve as work surfaces and room dividers simul-
3. Library: A couch, a variety of chairs, and pos- taneously. Some models also have wheels and

sibly an easy-chair should be arranged into a can be freely placed anywhere in a room.
comfortable sitting corner, where design thinkers
can hang out and share ideas over coffee. 9. Café area: A small cooking and washing-up

area should also be available, depending on the
4. Free storage space — library: A shelf with lots space and the nature of the setup. We recom-

of surfaces and space, as well as open access, mend a coffee machine, a kettle, a microwave or
serves as a small library. Inspiring magazines stove and a refrigerator.
and books can be stored here, as well as a few
curious and/or fascinating objects.
Architectural plan of a design thinking lab
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REALIZATION OF DESIGN THINKING WORK AREAS

DESIGN THINKING FLOOR
Organizations that view design thinking as part The exemplary room plan for a design thinking
of their work culture often set up a design think- floor mapped on p. 242 shows a basic layout USAGE SCENARIOS
ing floor — that is, the conversion of an entire within a floor area of 300 square meters. In con- • Organizations that want to anchor design

floor of a building for working in line with design trast to a design thinking lab, here it is possible thinking as a central part of their working
thinking principles on a permanent basis. In to better divide workspaces from one another culture
contrast to a design thinking lab, the additional with the help of movable walls. This helps ensure
• Organizations that want to make design
space offered by the design thinking floor en- confidentiality, while reducing interruptions and

thinking rooms available for a large num-
ables multiple teams to work simultaneously on minimizing distracting noises from other teams.
ber of projects
projects in the same rooms over a long period of In addition, the space features a sitting area and
time. library. It offers opportunities for retreat, where
one can read books or articles in peace, but also
Design thinking floors offer, in addition to the in- do focused work on a laptop. The design thinking
frastructure of the ad-hoc rooms and the design floor is completed by a large presentation area
thinking lab, areas specifically designated for in the middle, a meeting room and four closed
prototyping and breaks. They also offer more ex- offices with individual workspaces for focused
tensive options and spaces for retreat and relax- work.
ation, as well as the presentation of results.
244
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The BrainGym at Swisscom. The BrainGym
offers Swisscom employees ideal conditions for
carrying out human-centered design methods
(2014).
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2 1 8
9
3
3 10
4
11 11
12
7
13
5
6
14 14 12
Architectural plan of a design thinking floor
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1. Open storage space 6. Team room 10. Touchdown workstations

An open-access shelf with a lot of surface area Standing tables with a robust surface and rollers Printing, checking emails, research… Some
serves as a small library. Inspiring magazines have proven their utility in design thinking lofts. computers should be available for these kinds

and books and selected interesting and inspiring Some versions also have surfaces that can be of activities.
objects can be stored here. used as whiteboards. Barstools go well with
these tables, and should also be made available. 11. Brainstorming area/surfaces

2. Large meeting room Walls with whiteboards or writable sections are

This room can be used for meetings. 7. Flexible dividing walls enormously useful in design thinking environ-

Walls, curtains, or folding screens can also serve ments. They serve as a basis for brainstorming
3. Whiteboards as room dividers, offering teams the option to and synthesis.

In addition to foamboards, these simultaneously separate their workspace. Ideally, these would be
serve as workspaces and room dividers. Some chosen and arranged so that they could also be 12. Open storage space

versions have rollers and can be freely placed used for working upon. Tools and materials for building prototypes can
around the space. be stored here.
8. Café area

4. Presentation area A small area for cooking and washing up should 13. Prototyping room

Here, steps are often used to make a stage for also be available so that employees and team Work benches or tables for prototyping should
presentations. Similarly, chairs and other objects members can prepare food. Depending on space have large, robust surfaces. Rollers offer helpful
can be used for presenting ideas and prototypes. and resources, we recommend a coffee machine, flexibility, and have proven a very useful feature in
a kettle, a microwave or stove, and a refrigerator. standing tables.
5. Private offices

Individual workspaces should be made available 9. Library 14. Foamboards

in a closed room so that employees can carry out A couch, various chairs, and perhaps an easy- These light and mobile surfaces offer the team
focused work in a quiet environment. These chair should be comfortably arranged in a corner, space for ideas and group work — the more

rooms are occupied according to need. for passing the time and exchanging ideas over foamboards, the better. Because of their light
coffee. weight, they can be leaned against walls, chairs
and other objects.
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DESIGN THINKING ORGANIZATION
Anchoring design thinking as a central part of

organizational and working culture requires USAGE SCENARIOS

dedicated alteration of workspaces. As part of Organizations that consider design thinking

this development phase, organizations actively a central cultural component
change all their rooms and spaces in accordance
with the fundamental working principles of de-
sign thinking.
Study booths, team workrooms, work lounges

and hot desks are available in large numbers.
According to our experience, in addition to work-
rooms, organizations also make rooms for retreat
and balance available to their employees. These
may consist of small fitness centers that can be
easily and quickly used over the course of a
workday, but there may also be spaces in which
to take breaks. Through this, design thinking
organizations achieve an environment in which

employees may not only work, but also live. Some
tech companies provide their employees with
everything they may need — from breakfast to

dinner — and thereby create a free space in

which their employees can completely focus
upon their work (Walker, 2013).
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1
1 Work lounge at Google (image: Google)

2 Creative space at Goodpatch, Tokyo, Japan

3 Meeting room in the form of a library, Google,

Zurich (2015)
3
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DESIGN THINKING MATERIAL LIST
The material list is a compilation of what we view 2. Foamboards and pins: Foamboards are excel- 6. Adhesive: Glue sticks, adhesive film, tape,

as the most important materials for use in all lent for putting up and making order out of Post- hot-glue guns, duct tape and adhesive labels and
kinds of design thinking rooms, spaces and its, and also other notes and even small objects. dots should be standard.
buildings. Here, we have compared the lists of Every team should have two to three foamboards.
various labs and also incorporated our own expe- Projects with longer running times — over three 7. Prototyping materials: A foundational stock

rience. Of course, this list can be extended and months — can quickly require up to 10 boards. of materials for prototyping should always be

elaborated according to requirements. After the available. This includes pipe cleaners, Lego
composition or construction of a design thinking 3. Markers: Writing utensils are clearly critical. blocks, modeling clay, styrofoam, aluminum foil,

space, the question of what should be acquired Sharpies and the Edding Permanent Marker wood, cardboard in different forms and colors, as
is often the first to arise. 1300 have differentiated themselves as particu- well as construction paper. Tools such as scis-
larly good for Post-it writing. The markers have sors, carpet cutters, saws, mat for cutting, rulers,
1. Post-its: Design thinking can no longer be a thick enough tip that writing can be read from measuring tape, cordless drills, pliers, nails,

imagined without Post-its. They are integral to far away, but they are fine enough that enough screws, staples, clips and sandpaper also belong
the simplification of teamwork and structuring text can be written on a Post-it. These, and white- in a well-filled prototyping box. Clothing for cos-
complex material. In brainstorming, Post-its help board markers, should be available in sufficient tumes should also be available for roleplay.
with the quick expression, retention, and com- numbers.
munication of ideas with team members. When
transcribing interviews, they help the team 4. Index cards: Cards to write on and hang up

retain essential information in a striking way. on walls and other surfaces are obligatory. Index
We recommend keeping different sizes on hand. cards are also good for prototyping!
5. Paper: Sheets of paper in different colors and

sizes, as well as packing paper for large sketches
and prototyping, should also be available.
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POST-ITS FOAMBOARDS AND PINS MARKERS PROTOTYPES

• Post-its in different colors • Foamboards • Sharpie Fine Point (various • Lego blocks, modeling clay,

and sizes • Clear bulletin board pins colors) styrofoam

• Post-it Super Sticky Meeting • Edding 1300 permanent • Pipe cleaners, aluminum foil

Flip Chart markers • Wood, cardboard, boxes

• Materials for costumes

• Carpet cutters, cutters,

scissors, mats for cutting
• Rulers, measuring tape,
INDEX CARDS PAPER ADHESIVE, TAPE, LABELS

cordless drill
• Saw, hammer, screwdriver

• Staples, clips, pliers, nails,

screws, sandpaper
• Various sizes and colors • Packing paper • Glue sticks, hot glue

• Colored drawing paper/ • Masking tape, tape

cardboard • Colored adhesive dots

• Selection of newspapers and (19 mm)

magazines
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DESIGN THINKING TOOLS
Here, we note the most important groups of tools 2. Flipcharts and foamboards: These can be used 5. Devices for presentations: A projector and

that should be in a design thinking space. In dis- for presentations and are absolutely necessary projection screen with a (wireless) computer

cussions in organizations, one might point out, for work in teams, as they can freely be covered connection should also be part of the design
for example, that stopwatches are not necessary with Post-its according to the team’s needs. thinking layout.
and that a cellphone would work just as well. Do Flipcharts are useful for larger sketches, and
not let yourself be confused or swayed — these

foamboards are good for putting up cards and 6. Trash can, vacuum, broom, dustpan: There

materials are necessary and should be procured! even small objects. Do not forget the appropriate must be order. Even though work materials can,
Being able to see the physical clock helps the markers and pins! and even should, lie around over the course of
team work in a timely and synchronized way the project, the area should nevertheless be
during the different work phases. 3. Recording devices: Use digital photo and video

regularly tidied up to ensure there is room to
cameras to record activities, research and test work. Multiple large trash cans are an absolute
1. Stopwatch: Timekeeping is important for nu- documentation and, in some cases, to bring these necessity!

merous group interactions so the team does not to testing participants. These do not need to have
lose track of time planning. Most design thinking all the features of a professional setup. Small
teams in Europe use the Time Timer from devices are sometimes better, as they are more

www.timetimer.com, which enables the team to user-friendly. Good still cameras, which remain
see the remaining time for a brainstorming ses- practical despite their numerous other functions
sion or PechaKucha presentation. The large mod- (including the ability to record video), are the
el is ideal, as all team members can read it si- Canon PowerShot or Nikon CoolPix series.
multaneously. The small model is the perfect
accompaniment when traveling. 4. Computer with loudspeakers and a printer:

These are critical for internet research, saving
and playing recordings, presentations, and for
generating and saving important documents
such as declarations of consent. It is important
to consider that video sequences can be easily
edited on computers. Apple has proven itself to
be the gold standard in this regard, since the vid-
eo editing software iMovie is used ubiquitously.
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STOPWATCH GARBAGE CAN RECORDING PRESENTATIONS

• Camera for need finding, • Projector for presentations

presentations and and meetings
prototyping • Projection screen

• Audio recorder for need finding

COMPUTER AND AUDIO CABLES CLEANUP FLIPCHART EASEL
SYSTEM
• Vacuum cleaner, broom,

• Computer for research and • Extension cords brush and shovel, for • For meetings, presentations,

presentations • Powerstrips cleaning up space and brainstorming activities and

• Loudspeakers for presenta- materials after use visualizing

tions and videos
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DESIGN THINKING FURNITURE
Most design thinking spaces look like little 3. Chairs or barstools: The height of the choices 7. Sofa: Ideally, also equip this with rollers.

apartments, and this is good! The goal is not for sitting should be determined according to the
only to create a productive workspace, but also tables. Here, the guidelines for whiteboards also 8. Furniture rollers: If you put furniture on

to ensure design thinking team members feel apply: Chairs and stools should be easily stack- rollers, the work area can be quickly rearranged
at home. As previously described, they should able. It is also important to consider whether ev- in accordance with requirements.
include sofas, sitting corners and green plants. eryone can tolerate and use the stools.

Unfortunately, this is not a given. 9. Environment: In addition to furniture, plants,

1. Tables: For teamwork and prototyping, there humidifiers and natural light are important to

should be multiple tables available. The height 4. Shelves: Shelves constructed from wood or create a positive work environment.

should be adjustable, or the tables should metal are best for storing materials. Make sure
be high enough that team members can work the shelves are open, so it is easy to identify
standing up. The tables should have robust their contents. Otherwise, notes on shelf doors
surfaces that can be wiped down, and should are useful for quickly determining the contents
ideally be writable. They should be movable, with of a given drawer or cupboard.
rollers, in accordance with the team’s needs. To
this end, the company System 180 has devised 5. Storage boxes: Boxes made of metal, wood,

some clever solutions. plastic or wire are good for storing diverse mate-
rials and can be easily stashed on shelves.
2. Whiteboard: For presentations and teamwork,

whiteboards are great. When procuring them, 6. Carts: These ensure that materials and tools

make sure they easily moved and stacked are always ready for use — everywhere in the

against one another to save as much space as design thinking area. Recently, discarded service

possible. This is where cheaper and more expen- carts from airlines Swiss and Lufthansa have
sive whiteboards differ most from one another. become available for purchase. These work fan-

tastically and look great.
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TABLES WHITEBOARDS CHAIRS OR BARSTOOLS SHELVES

• Standing tables with rollers • Whiteboards for presenta- • Stools in different sizes and • Shelves for storing work and

and adjustable height tions, brainstorming, work- heights (for normal and prototyping materials
• Tables should be robust and shops or teamwork standing tables)

(if possible) have writable sur- • Stools and chairs should be

faces stackable
STORAGE BOXES CARTS SOFA INTERIOR DESIGN
• Boxes for practical storage of • Carts for quick and easy • For the library, or places in • Green plants

materials and other tools and movement of work materials which meetings and conver- • Natural sources of light and

utensils for work sations are carried out indirect light
• Also with rollers, so that it • Humidifier

can be freely moved and
placed within the room
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4
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WERKZEUGKASTEN
APPLICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS
Der Werkzeugkasten
The des
implementation of Design
design Thinking ist eine
thinking
Toolbox, umvia
progresses Design Thinking
pathways Fragestellungen
of transformation.
systematisch und strukturiert zu lösen. Einsteiger
können die Techniken als Leitlinie nutzen
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DESIGN THINKING IN EVERYDAY PROJECTS
Over the past decade in Europe, a number of organizations have worked to implement design thinking
in their organizational cultures. At the forefront is German company SAP AG. In Switzerland, Swisscom
began its first collaborative projects with the University of St. Gallen and Stanford University as far back
as 2005. As authors, we have been able to take part in over 60 projects during this time period, as
both researchers and consultants.
“One can say so many positive things about design

thinking — its operating principles and their impact.

But to really understand it, one has to have experienced
it firsthand.”
(Marcel Plaum, Fraport)
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APPLICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS
4
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From our experience, two dimensions related to From the innovation matrix on p. 259, we can Design thinking for innovation and customer ori-
the implementation and operational everyday begin to see three operational variations of entation: On the basis of low restrictions on the

usage of design thinking have crystallized as be- design thinking. They are detailed below: design space and high requirements for the

ing important (see matrix on p. 259): strength of innovation, design thinking is imple-
Design thinking as a toolkit in the innovation pro- mented in its complete form, as described in this
Degree of innovation: Depending upon the proj- cess: Design thinking is selectively used only book.
ect’s question statement and how this fits into within parts of projects. For example, a develop-
the organizational context, highly innovative and ment project with clear parameters and a low Furthermore, we have found that it is at times
creative solutions are required. Nevertheless, degree of uncertainty from user interviews (see useful to rename phases of the macro process
there still exist many question statements that need finding pp. 27 – 29, pp. 96 – 99) and tests (see pp. 36 – 49). Why? In purely pragmatic terms,

do not demand a high degree of innovation. would profit from design thinking. Similarly, in names like “dark horse” or “funky” prototype

These question statements focus “only” on im- such projects, low-resolution prototypes within are not self-explanatory. It is not clear to every-
proving, and further developing existing prod- the team quickly reveal the fragilities of the final one what processes lie behind these names.
ucts. Design thinking can be used in both con- design. For more detail, see pp. 32, 148, 178. Therefore, together with project practitioners
texts, but it requires adjustments to be useful. we have come up with the following alternative
Design thinking as part of the innovation process: terms:
Restrictions on the design space: The second di- In this form, design thinking is employed as
mension that impacts the use of design thinking guidance for divergent phases (see p. 36) — that Dark horse prototype: Visionary prototype

and its configuration are restrictions on the de- is, up to the funky prototype (see pp. 36, 46). The Funky prototype: Integrated prototype
sign space. If project-specific factors restrict the later phases are typically executed via other Final prototype: Proof of concept
use of design thinking, then its usefulness as an methods, such as SCRUM (www.scrum.org). In
innovation method becomes limited. In such cas- this mode, the application of design thinking is The quintessence of these single phases remains
es, its usage should be adapted. If the number limited to a few days, and perhaps mapped out intact, as do the deliverable results. However,
and significance of restrictions are low, the proj- over the course of short projects or workshops. the advantage is that, contrary to the term “dark
ect team has more freedoms in the search for, For more detail, see p. 60, 69, 262. horse”, more practitioners in organizations can
and implementation of, new solutions. This also understand and envision a visionary prototype.
leaves room for disruptive innovations. The same is true for integrated and proof of con-
cept prototypes.
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DESIGN THINKING AS A TOOLKIT
Viewing design thinking as a big toolkit is an Product development in organizations can also The advantage of this approach and understand-
4 APPLICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS
approach that organizations take to more cen- benefit from prototyping methods. We have been ing of design thinking is that small and visible
trally integrate its cultural components into their able to use low-resolution prototypes from the results can be achieved. Because the usage area
existing organizational processes and routines. design thinking toolkit to achieve good results is limited, the complexity is generally low. The
While “pure” design thinking projects concen- with financial service providers. Complex con- risks and costs for the organization are typically
trate above all on new products, services and sulting situations and concepts can often be straightforward and manageable.
business models, most projects in organizations rapidly perceived with the help of prototypes.
are focused upon incremental improvements Building, but also getting the opportunity to con- A disadvantage is that the weak use of design
and change. These can also be enhanced using nect a concept to a concrete object quickly and thinking clearly does not have the same impact
components of the design thinking method. efficiently, leads to further discussion. Strengths as the complete employment of the methods.

and weaknesses can be more clearly identified Leaving out the divergent phases generally
For example, while building software products, and discussed together with users during testing. means that an innovative jump may not hap-
it can be worthwhile to complement classical pen. In this context, it needs to be clearly com-
processes of so-called requirement engineering To use design thinking as a toolkit, however, municated to employees that they will be using
with need-finding methods (Vetterli, Brenner, requires expert knowledge on the tools of the only design thinking tools, not design thinking
Uebernickel & Petrie, 2013). organization. Employees have to be trained and methods.

educated. In practice, training days in which one
or two methods are theoretically and practically
explained and then practiced can work well.
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DESIGN THINKING AS PART OF THE INNOVATION PROCESS
Another form of implementation we have often The potential forms of this implementation fam-
observed is the integration of design thinking ily are relatively diverse, and guided by organiza-
into an organization’s innovation process. Instead tional needs:
of using only some design thinking tools, parts of
the design thinking process are intermingled Workshops: For the divergent phases of projects,
with components of the existing innovation multi-day design thinking workshops can be car-
process. ried out with team members. The advantage is
the enabling of compact workshops with the
Numerous organizations set the goal of above all chance to integrate substantial team dynamics.
profiting from the divergent phases of the design Nevertheless, it is important to ensure that
thinking process. A frequently found implemen- expectations for workshop results are not too

tation variation is the upstream integration of high. Particularly when there is insufficient time
design thinking with agile development methods for solid preparation, the richness of results is
such as SCRUM. In this form of use, the first often sharply limited. In many cases, a few days
phases of the macro-process are applied, typi- or hours are not sufficient for solving complex
cally through to the integrated (funky) prototype. problems and projects. In these cases, carrying
The process is then concluded via an agile ap- out mini-projects is recommended.
proach to development.
Mini-projects: “Mini design thinking projects” fo-
Using this procedure, many organizations hope cus upon the early phases of need finding, syn-
to help their project team members think outside thesis and ideation, and provide inspiration and
the box during the early phases. In converging ideas for the agile methods used in later stages.
phases of the project, they hope to develop new These projects generally have a short running
solutions despite restrictions. time of a few weeks (dependent upon the num-
ber of interviews and observation). In comparison
to workshops, the advantage is that richer, deep-
er results are made possible.
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DESIGN THINKING FOR USER ORIENTATION AND INNOVATION
In its comprehensive form, design thinking is In such cases, organizations typically designate
used primarily when organizations have sub- specific project teams which use the design

stantial freedom in relation to both the degree thinking method to tackle these question state-
of innovation and design space. Generally, these ments over a time frame of several weeks or
projects focus on (new) developments for prod- months. Characteristically, both the divergent
ucts, services and business models. and convergent phases of the design thinking
macro-process are carried out to their comple-
For example, today some sectors (such as en- tion. This ensures the integration of the customer
ergy) are faced with the question of how their and user up until the final prototype.
products and services will look in the future,
and which business models will add value for The result is usually a prototype of a product,
users, shareholders and employees. In these service or new business model that has still yet
situations, the comprehensive use of the design to run through a classic development process.
thinking process is the best way to tackle these The advantage of this approach is that the com-
challenges. plete use of design thinking methods achieves a
comprehensive integration of the user, and the
entirety of design thinking principles ensures
impact.
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LEVELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION
Parallel to implementing design thinking in the Town hall meetings: Town hall meetings are Level 2 — Experimental

everyday operation of the project, levels of de- events for employees that are typically large for- On the second level of development, design
sign thinking implementation at organizational mat (100–200 participants). External guest thinking is already a method perceived to have
and strategic layers have also been built up. An speakers are invited and typically speak on proj- the potential to become anchored within the or-
organization’s goal must not always be to achieve ects within other organizations, new innovative ganization, and is classified accordingly. Design

the highest possible degree of design thinking methods, or innovation itself. With the help of the thinking is understood as a method that offers
adaptation. Depending upon the individual mar- town hall meetings, a general feeling for innova- potential for solving selected problems, projects
ket conditions and the embedded strategic ori- tion and, above all, how innovation is achieved, and tasks. In the foreground is the wider and at
entation, smaller or preliminary objectives can can be generated among employees. times prototypical application of design thinking:
also support the organizational objectives.
Individual employee training: At this level, individ- Training: Beside the promoters, who are trained
Here, we briefly describe four patterns we have ual employees are trained as promoters of the at level 1, selected project collaborators and di-
identified over the years: design thinking method. Training is often held rectors are trained in design thinking methods.
externally, at universities or other facilities. Less At this level, the focus is building a strong con-

Level 1 — Awareness frequently, employees are trained and participate nection between design thinking and existing

This first level represents the entry of design in organizational pilot projects in parallel. This methods in the organization, and demonstrating
thinking into the transformation of an organiza- training variation is typically more sound and in- the value of design thinking.
tion. The objective is to achieve an understanding tensive, however it requires more time and hu-
of customer- and user-orientation, creativity, and man resources. Projects: The use of design thinking as a toolkit
an iterative work process among employees. The or method in the innovation process is more pro-
concrete measures tend to be: Situative projects: Design thinking projects are nounced than at level 1. Previously trained em-
carried out in situative manner. Generally, be- ployees represent an increasing majority of those
cause of an internal deficit of design thinking working on the project, so that methods are ex-
knowledge and resources among employees, perienced and propelled forward by internal
they are led by external consultants or other ca- employees.
pacity builders.
Spaces: Projects at this level are generally

carried out in ad-hoc spaces (see p. 234).
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Awareness Experimental Catch-up Innovation
• Town hall meetings • Local innovation teams • Design thinking projects • Transformation of the

• Training of single employees • Workshops to develop innovation capabilities • Design thinking labs organization through design

• Situative projects • Collection of ideas in organizations • Incubators thinking

• Spaces • Innovation camps • Stronger structuring and • Application of entrepreneurial

• Open innovation initiatives measurement of the innova- thinking in management

tion process (so-called effectuation)

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Innovation camps: Innovation camps are short, Structure and measurability: The advancement of Transformation by design: In order to ensure the
compact workshops that can last up to a week. design thinking implementation in the organiza- continual adaptation of the organization to the
They can be equated with education and training, tion is evaluated, with attention paid to measure- world around it, design thinking is applied to the
but they produce more concrete, tangible and ac- able criteria that are permanently followed. transformation process itself. Through this, pro-
tionable results due to the longer time allotted to cesses within the organization are analyzed, re-
working on question statements. During innova- Internal incubators: Internal incubators — set- aligned or optimized using design thinking. In

tion camps, multiple teams typically work on ei- ups in which employees work only on innova- this context, design thinking is understood to be
ther the same or different question statements tion — are organized. Design thinking is an es- a tool for transformation.

that are relevant to the organization. tablished tool for working on projects in this
context.
Spaces: Due to increased understanding of de-
sign thinking, an increasing number of design Level 4 — Design and Customer-oriented

thinking labs and ad-hoc spaces are being set up. Innovation
Organizations at level 4 have completely taken
Level 3 — Catch-up on and applied the design thinking approach

Organizations at level 3 view design thinking as a throughout the entire organization. Alongside the
valid, universal approach to solving numerous operational processes, strategy within the orga-
problems and challenges within the organization. nization is completely user-oriented and focused
In line with this is the use of design thinking in all on innovation:
its operational forms within numerous parts of
the organization. Management principles: Traditional decision-
making mechanisms based upon causal logic are
Spaces: Design thinking requires space in differ- complemented by founders’ approaches to man-
ent forms. Organizations at level 3 typically des- agement. These are hidden behind “effectuation”,
ignate design thinking floors to design thinking a decision-making logic that is particularly use-
projects. ful in situations with a high degree of uncertainty.
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RECOMMENDED ACTIONS AND SUCCESS FACTORS FOR THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF DESIGN THINKING
The successful introduction and anchoring of Management commitment Lighthouse projects
design thinking in an organization requires a lot Unfortunately this term is overused, but none- Nothing convinces people more effectively than
of stamina and patience. A fundamental change theless the success factor of management com- results, so the successful implementation of
in how employees think and work is not some- mitment has its value. If the support of upper design thinking is often demonstrated via light-
thing that can be expected within a few weeks or and middle management fails to focus the orga- house projects. Instead of analyzing the potential
months. It usually requires years. Based upon the nization on customer and user orientation and positive effects of implementing design thinking
numerous projects we have carried out, both in innovation, or if what they say is seen as mere lip with colleagues at an abstract level, lighthouse
consulting and at the University of St. Gallen, we service without concrete support for employees, projects quickly show the value of design think-
have identified a few success factors that lend then the introduction of design thinking is possi- ing for the organization. Typically, problems are
themselves to this journey: ble only with enormous difficulty. This support is chosen that can be manageably resolved within a
necessary, as design thinking breaks the learned period of six months or less. These results often
Customer and user orientation behaviors of an organization and, at times, trans- spur the initiation of change.
The most important recommendation for action forms them into their opposite.
is to focus the organization upon customers and Sharpening perception and understanding
users of products, services and business models, Without the backing of management, many steps Parallel to lighthouse projects, training and edu-
starting from strategy through to single activities of the process — such as, for example, the di- cating all levels of management in organizations

within processes. Above all, an organization’s vergent phase — cannot be integrated into the has proved useful. Training and education help

strategy determines the course of the manage- classic employee incentive system. Besides this, design thinking become a part of the organiza-
ment’s activities, and relatedly, the systems of there is often substantial resistance from many tional culture; they establish the foundational
goal setting and measurement for employees. employees. Therefore, managers in organizations knowledge and understanding of design think-
Because of this, the company strategy should in- must foster the right conditions for design thinking methods. Successful organizations focus on
clude steps for implementing and achieving cus- ing to be able to grow. training many employees rather than just a few
tomer and user orientation as early as possible. promoters.
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Selection and focus Break up silo structures

Design thinking is not a method that can solve all A further success factor for the introduction of
the world’s problems. Define the concrete uses design thinking into organizations is the break-
and parameters of the implementation field that up of silo structures. Silo structures partition
makes sense for your organization. In later stag- the organization in terms of competence areas,
es of implementation, the parameters of use can between which only formal communication
be revisited and in some cases revised. channels allow for the exchange of information.
For design thinking, these formal channels are
Stamina restrictive. Instead, interdisciplinary teams that
Change in organizations is a long and difficult can freely communicate without the consider-
journey. Employees must recognize the need for ation of organizational silos are required.
change if they are to carry out learning processes
that address the need for change. Change and Small teams
learning processes require much time. To find The success of design thinking projects is not
this time — usually years — consistency and typically defined by team size. Experience shows

stamina within the organization are necessary. that small teams can have an advantage over
Unfortunately, in many cases of organizational larger teams when it comes to agility, creativity
change, the necessary concentration seldom and a “do it” mentality. Therefore, when possible,
endures. Nevertheless, stamina across all levels these teams should be given priority.
of management is necessary to mastering this
transformation. Spaces
The preparation of adequate spaces in which
teams can work and also leave their materials
undisturbed is essential. Therefore, create the
right work atmosphere. Ad-hoc design thinking
spaces are already enormously helpful for teams.
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4
5
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WERKZEUGKASTEN
FALLSTUDIEN
CASE STUDIES
These
Der
Die Fallstudien
Werkzeugkasten
case studies
zeigen
use
des
anhand
examples
Designvon
Thinking
from
Beispielen
organizations
ist eine
Toolbox,
aus
to show
Unternehmen
implementations
um Designdie
Thinking
Implementierung
of design
Fragestellungen
thinking
von and the
systematisch
Design
challenges
Thinking
associated
undsowie
strukturiert
die
withdamit
them.
zuverbundenen
lösen. Einsteiger
können die Techniken
Herausforderungen auf.
als Leitlinie nutzen
040_050_DT_UMU_CS.indd 271 30-04-2020 21:46:30

CASE STUDIES
DEUTSCHE BANK
Short description of the company successful adaptation of products and services,

Deutsche Bank is a leading, global, client-ori- even in an environment that is changing very
ented universal bank with 28 million customers quickly. When we started with the first prototyp-
worldwide. It offers clients diverse financial ser- ical run-through of a design thinking project in
vices, from monetary transactions and credit, to 2008, the following catalysts were decisive for
investment advisory services and asset manage- our first “try”:
ment, to all forms of business in the capital mar-
ket. Its clients include private individuals, mid- Customer orientation: Design thinking is founda-
sized companies, public funds and institutional tionally conceptualized as a customer- and
investors. Deutsche Bank is Germany’s biggest user-focused method. Through this, we saw the
bank. It has a strong position in the European opportunity to enable our product and software
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: KATHARINA BERGER
market, and a significant hold in markets in the developers across departments, and also in
Katharina Berger has been an employee of Americas and the Asia-Pacific region. Group Technology & Operations (GTO), which is
Deutsche Bank since 1978, and has worked focused on infrastructure, to better understand
in very different departments. After starting What were the catalysts for starting to use de- the requirements and needs of users in relation
with customer consulting, her tasks includ- sign thinking? to new and also radical products. This gave us
ed developing the incorporation and appli- On the way from the information age to the age the opportunity to compare our assumptions
cation of PCs within branches. The rollout of the customer, customers and their needs must with the reality of the client, thereby reducing
also fell within her responsibilities, which be positioned more firmly in focus than before. risk that we would miss needs in development.
included consolidating server landscapes The speed of technological change and mega-
and establishing user support through a trends such as demographic change, digitization In this approach we also saw a way to initiate
helpdesk. Through her work on internation- and the “internet of things” have, in addition to communication between the technology depart-
al projects and global test management, many other megatrends, starkly changed the ment and business units earlier. This connection
Berger built substantial experience in in- lives and needs of our customers. Design think- in the early phases of the projects led to an im-
tercultural teams. She has been the head of ing as a method for developing new ideas has provement in internal communication, enabling
design thinking in innovation management the unique charm of enabling employees to ex- us to incorporate available expertise at the start
at Deutsche Bank since 2008. plore the needs of the customer from the very of projects, integrating the customer early and
beginning. They can systematically research actively in the innovation process.
the possible solution space, and challenge the
original problem professionally. This enables the
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Prototyping and agility: The connection of short, significantly stronger foundation. Design thinking employees in projects, but also to offer university
4 APPLICATION IN5 ORGANIZATIONS
CASE STUDIES
iterative processes with the constant building of is substantially more than just a method for cre- students from all over the world the opportunity
prototypes proved to be advantageous, allowing ativity. It is an outstanding supplement to agile to take part in these projects through intern-
us to address market requirements quickly and development approaches in relation to creativity ships. Through the focused networking of young
with agility. The quick iterations, in the form of and innovation. talent with internal experts, defined as a goal in
feedback from users, enabled us to dynamically the project setup, we were able to incorporate
further develop our ideas and concepts. Similarly, We conceptualized a first approach in regard new perspectives on the problems we face.
we procured a mechanism through which we to the use of design thinking. As a result, in Furthermore, we were able to offer our employ-
could identify false assumptions about product Eschborn, in Frankfurt, a bank-focused design ees the opportunity to experience the approach
and service design early in a given project thinking laboratory was founded, the idea facto- early. As a result, we were able to also take a step
through user testing, which helped us reduce ry. Subsequently, the lab, equipped with simple in fostering change management. In the last few
project risks. materials, grew into a strongly established space years, our projects are focused not only directly
for ideas. on our customers, but we also use them to work
Innovation and divergent thinking: Thinking out- through internal questions for the betterment of
side the box was a deciding factor in trying out How do you define design thinking? our own processes and information systems.
this method. Design thinking connects the For Deutsche Bank, design thinking is one of
search for alternatives, at times radical, innova- many methods helping us work on customer- Training: The design thinking lab has, in collabo-

tive solutions, and specific, concrete require- oriented and agile new products and services. ration with the University of St. Gallen, actively
ments with development projects in a unique It is aligned with our organizational strategy, and supported projects and trained employees
way. It fosters free thinking. The approach of pro- places our customers at the center of everything worldwide. At the Deutsche Bank headquarters
totyping early with simple materials allows the we do. In the past years we were able to turn in Frankfurt, London, New York and Singapore,
project team to evaluate a large number of user design thinking from an experimental method over 300 management trainees were schooled in

ideas. Its methods enable us to deepen our un- into a mature approach adapted to the banking the method. The goal is that as much internal
derstanding of the problem and user needs, and sector. Related to this, Deutsche Bank imple- knowledge as possible is identified and collect-
extend our idea space. If consistently applied, mented the following initiatives: ed, flowing directly into operational work.
they enable the project team to consider a given
issue from various perspectives. What’s more, Projects: Since 2009, we’ve carried out success- Two years ago we began to integrate elements of
design thinking fosters this perspective-chang- ful projects with customers and also with suppli- design thinking into classic projects in the GTO
ing intensely. Through this, we can position our ers. A meaningful element was that Deutsche department.
choices in regards to a given approach on a Bank decided early not only to include internal
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What happened with your project results? holistic way. This is a valuable effect in the early choose whether one wants to achieve a cell, or an
The large number of results generated in our identification of risks and achieving unexpected innovation island, or bring the whole organization
projects flowed in various forms into new prod- solutions. on the journey. Time is also important when
ucts and services. We developed new solutions adapting the methods of design thinking them-
such as the future planner, an application that What have you learned through design thinking selves to the organization. Many steps are re-
enables our customers to put their wishes on a and about design thinking up to this point? quired. The design thinking team at Deutsche
time axis in a financial context. On the basis of The design thinking method has taught us many Bank had first of all to understand the methods,
the customer, not offers from the bank, we have a things: and then develop an approach regarding how to
dialog with our clients. use them directly in projects. As a further step,
Customers: It’s always worth it to involve the cus- they had to find a way to allow the methods to
What’s interesting is that our projects have had tomer directly in the process. Insights from indi- flow throughout the whole organization. What’s
other noteworthy effects. Let’s take a topic like vidual conversations and observations can be important here is that the methods are in very
big data. Right now it’s being discussed intensely directly implemented in new products and few projects applicable in their pure form. The
in numerous organizations. If one approaches services. integration in agile development methods still
it through design thinking methods, one arrives offered successful approaches and solutions.
quickly at the aspects beneath the surface: Value: When an organization wants to strengthen
Which new roles and abilities do we need if we innovation, it must often also achieve a new How do you want to continue using design
want to address this issue? How can we enable mentality; that researching problem and solution thinking?
uses, also in smaller departments of the organi- spaces, as well as direct exchanges with custom- Design thinking definitely remains an elementa-
zation, when we do not want to build up a team ers, are a central component of professional ry component of our portfolio of methods, also
of experts? How can we achieve an exemplary work in projects. Design thinking helps us with its for future projects. What’s important is that the
approach to making big data understandable, toolkit, but also with the approach of integrating methods find their way into stronger operational
and enabling it to be experienced? Thanks to our and testing ideas and concepts through an itera- use, for example, in the way that elements are
design thinking team, connecting experts and tive process. Through this, employees are given a integrated more intensely in other approaches,
potential users was intensified. What’s worth tested way to achieve change. such as agile development methods. Similarly,
paying attention to was that through the team we will continue to review which aspects of de-
working with us, a perspective in the expert Implementation: The successful anchoring within sign thinking offer a unique competence in which
discussion was picked up that had previously the organization takes time, lots of time! This area of the organization. An example of this is
been missing. Through the team’s approach, the time is also necessary to initiate and carry out the topic of customer journeys, and relatedly,
very technical discussion was transferred in a the change process sustainably. One must personas. These methods have been used for a
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long time in marketing, but how can we connect Furthermore, professional support is indispens-
CASE STUDIES
a competence such as this directly into the inno- able, right at the beginning. For an introduction,
vation process and the operational concept? We deep expertise is required, even when it’s tempt-
will address these and other questions in the fu- ing to think, and is often even claimed, that the
ture, supporting further integration. methods can be easily used with a simple basic
understanding. It’s certainly the right choice to
What advice would you give to other empower employees to gain experience in ear-
organizations? ly projects and use of methods. But we cannot
Design thinking does not run itself. Generally, fool them regarding the path to complete imple-
cultural differences between daily life in a clas- mentation. This can only result from a basis of
sic management context and the requirements expertise, through experts. To achieve a mature
of design thinking can be felt. Most of us were concept and to take advantage of the full val-
raised to solve problems as quickly as possible. ue of the methods, new experts and new skills
However, through this, it’s easy to tread the path in the organization are required. In order to get
already taken, missing out on new ideas. Design there, it’s highly advisable to search for exter-
thinking is consciously iterative. Calling into nal support until the skills are built internally.
question one’s own assumptions and allowing The selection of experts should ask whether the
oneself to take this approach is not easy to im- person in question has experience introducing
part if one has never been part of a design think- the method in an organization, not just with the
ing process. Therefore, here’s my advice: Involve methods themselves. Over time, one will need
the decision-makers in the journey from the this expertise in organizations. The investment in
beginning. Tenacity, endurance and consistent employees is an investment in the future of the
implementation are necessary for the realization organization and ability to offer customers the
of design thinking. Of course, in pilot projects, products and services they want.
fast results can and must be shown. But these
cannot dissuade one from the fact that complete
uptake and implementation of design thinking as
a part of the organizational culture takes time.
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CASE STUDIES
SWISSCOM
Short description of the organization models from IT and global business models.
Swisscom is the leading telecommunications This creates a unique situation for Swisscom
company in Switzerland, with its headquarters because while the company Swisscom works

in Ittigen, near the capital of Bern. Over 21,000 in a regulated national market, it is simultane-
employees have achieved sales of 11.7 billion ously dealing with international competition
Swiss francs. To customers, Swisscom positions that also position itself as a direct partner for
itself as the best companion in the connected customers, curtailing Swisscom’s ties to cus-
world, where customers can be assured that the tomers and its sales volume.
focus is on both the essentials and discovering
new opportunities. Swisscom offers its cus- What were the catalysts for starting with design
tomers the best in the connected world, always thinking?
and everywhere. Swisscom offers business and Until 2008, Swisscom was a telecommunication
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
private customers a cellular telephone network, organization organized according to technology.
FRANK SEIFERT
fixed lines, internet and digital television. It is Fixed lines, cellular coverage and internet were
Frank Seifert has worked in various man- also one of the largest providers of IT services in offered and provided by different departments.
agement positions for Swisscom since Switzerland. It handles the building and mainte- The result was that customers did not have any-
1999, and since 2010 has supported the nance of the cellular and fixed-line infrastruc- thing to do with Swisscom, but had to address
development of human-centered design ture, distributes broadcasting signals, and is ac- whichever area of operations was responsible for
(HCD). He developed the internal approach tive in the fields of energy and health. their concern — for example, Swisscom Mobile.

to consulting and led it with private cli- In part, the competition was coming from new
ents, IT, Network and Innovation and Group The Swiss telecommunications market has an organizations that were active worldwide, such
Security. He has led Swisscom’s external estimated annual sales value of around 13 bil- as Google, Facebook and Apple. Because of their
HCD consulting team since 2014. lion Swiss francs. Depending on the category, internet technology and business models, they
market share fluctuates between one- to three- wanted to take over an essential piece of the
fifths in each category. Telecommunications and market. This competition was omnipresent.
IT have been merging into a single market for
years. The market is increasingly bound by the
rules and laws found in the IT sector: high speed
of change, standardization through market
power (not standardization committees), quality

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So that we could more strongly differentiate our- However, a product manager cannot become a • It is not the customer’s job to say which offer
CASE STUDIES

selves and work in a more customer-oriented customer experience designer overnight. The they will use in the future. This is the work of
way in this environment, our concerns were reor- question that quickly arose was, what are the key the customer experience designer. He or she
ganized according to three main groups: private characteristics of a customer experience design- will only manage this when he or she observes
clients, small and medium-sized enterprises er? What makes him or her different? What meth- the customers’ needs as directly as possible.
(SMEs), and large clients. At the same time, we ods does he or she use? At this time, Swisscom Reading a market research report does not de-
wanted to take a big step and develop our offers was able to profit from the fact that a Swisscom velop empathy for the customer.
in a customer-oriented way. Instead of classic employee had worked for years at a Swisscom out- • To find the most successful path when design-

project management, we changed to the cus- post in Silicon Valley with Christina Taylor, and had ing customer experience, one must test single
tomer experience design (CED) approach — this explored what made the start-ups and other firms approaches to solutions with customers using

against the backdrop of a Swiss communication there successful. Two essential elements were the prototypes. Through this, one quickly and
market in which Swisscom has a market share keys to success: Customer journeys and design cheaply learns which offers should be created.
of over 50% as well as a price premium — which, thinking. Both approaches demonstrated the basis • A third important element of the method set

according to economic theory, is very difficult on which to develop the appropriate methods and for us is, the customer experience chain. This
to achieve. The theory behind CED (see Pine & mindset for Swisscom. These became the founda- describes the essential elements through
Gilmore, 1999) suggests that customers are pre- tion for human-centered design and training prin- which the customer experiences an offer. It
pared to pay higher prices for better experienc- ciples for new customer experience designers. consciously helps create the elements with
es, and are simultaneously loyal. The brand also which one would want to influence the custom-
comprises an important element. CED focuses How do you define design thinking? er experience.
on experience, thereby strengthening the dif- With the approach of turning product man-
ferentiation of the brand not only in relation to agement into CED, the question of what CED is
its direct competition, but also brands in other quickly arises. The important components are a
markets, as the effect of the experience is evalu- mindset and a method set. The mindset can be

ated across market boundaries. understood as a tool. As a catalog of questions,
leadership helps define the context, allowing a
culture of innovation to develop and results to
be achieved. The method set includes a range of
methods that helps when developing offers. The
essential elements of this method set, based on
design thinking, are:
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In the first phase, more than 600 employees and In the third phase, offering the best customer What happened with the results of your
managers in the private customer area were experience became part of our strategy. This ap- projects?
trained in the mindset and method set. The proach, previously developed and used above all The results we were able to achieve have con-
training itself was a multi-day experience which in the private client area, was broadened to cover firmed the validity of the approach. The con-
bound theory together with actual usage. In the all customers. To achieve this, additional teams scious creation of experiences aided by design
second phase, a pool of internal consultants was of consultants for the SME and large client areas thinking has become an established competence
assembled. These ensured that the mindset and were established. Consultants were also made at Swisscom. Impressive examples of success
method set came into use within selected proj- available for internal departments such as hu- are the newly developed Swisscom Shops, the
ects. It was important to build this consultant man resources, IT, network and innovation, group package offers for internet, fixed lines, digital
pool up from our own employees. Through this it security and marketing. In the fourth phase, we television and mobile coverage, Swisscom TV
was guaranteed that the consultants — called established consulting teams for Swisscom’s 2.0 and the new pricing plans for mobile tele-

CoCreators and Validators — took on responsibil- large clients. In parallel, over years we built up phone calls for private and business customers.

ity for the project results and the use of methods a pool of facilitators. Facilitators are employees These successes would not have been possible
as members of the project team. that are trained specifically in the mindset and if numerous internal obstacles had not been
method set, so that they can apply them in proj- tenaciously taken on. Even the name — “design

As a consequence, the first successes could be ects both within and outside their typical work thinking” — can lead to misunderstanding and

shown, and they encouraged the organization to areas. When facilitating, a superior relieves them dismissive reactions. In German, “design” im-
continue using the approach. Prompted by this of their usual tasks for a designated period of plies the creation of forms and representations.
confirmation, a range of different projects em- time. Through this, the operating area of the con- Because of this, design is often placed at the end
ployed design thinking in an effort to gauge the sulting teams substantially increases. of a development process to make technical in-
universal applicability and/or limits of the ap- novations “attractive”. Design thinking, however,
proach. A critical factor is that the mindset and is effective only when it is consistently used, par-
method set supported the existing development ticularly at the beginning.
processes for offers, but did not replace them.
It is important to mention that both these roles
were supported by experts in the fields of market
and trend research, communication, visualiza-
tion, prototyping and work environment design.
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The term “thinking” also leads to confusion. What have you learned through and about de- How do you want to continue using design
CASE STUDIES
Design thinking methods are extremely ac- sign thinking up to this point? thinking?
tion-oriented and leave less room for boring, Seven years of experience in the introduction and For us, design thinking is a part of our HCD ap-
time-consuming discussions. Design thinking is usage of design thinking has taught us a lot: proach. Since we have the goal of establishing
not a method that can be taught to employees • Not every project in which design thinking HCD as a core competency of Swisscom, we will

“only” to bring better results. If one wants to suc- methods are used must lead to success. Design continue using design thinking. Over the past
cessfully carry out design thinking, management thinking is not magic. But it greatly helps us to few years, we have increased the size of the HCD
must also be ready to take on another manage- ask the right questions at the right times, and team to 60. These employees support various
ment style. At the beginning, design thinking will put a stop to developments in the wrong teams throughout Swisscom’s business divi-
often be perceived as time-intensive, and a slow- directions. sions. The staggered roll-out has resulted in var-
er process. In a similar vein, it was said that when • For design thinking to be successful, the proj- ied HCD development statuses at Swisscom. The

using classic project management methodology, ect team must be sufficiently heterogeneous. goal is to achieve a consistent stage of develop-
a short analysis of the actual problem statement This means different perspectives, know-how ment over the next few years.
followed by solution finding and a boomerang and thinking preferences, for example in line
into the same in later project phases kicks back with Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument
and makes projects tiresome, unsuccessful and (Hermann International, 2014). This influences
expensive. The introduction of design thinking is how the team approaches challenges. A good
therefore a fundamental change — sometimes use of design thinking methods does not make

a radical change — and this requires time. In our a poorly assembled team a success.

experience, these changes lead to resistance • New employees do not come into the organiza-

in the organization, as we know from change tion bringing design thinking know-how with
management. them. That means there is a permanent need to
train new employees.
• It has been worthwhile not to view design think-

ing as external knowledge that is brought in
when a project needs it, but as a competence
that one builds with one’s own resources.
Through this, design thinking has become a
standard method in many areas of the
organization.
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What recommendations do you have for other • We chose to take a holistic approach: A clear

organizations? why, an effective strategy, the right structure
Looking back, the following measures were criti- and organization, and measurement criteria
cal to success: that show us how we are doing, the right people
• It takes long-term support from top manage- and methods, as well as cultural elements such

ment and a strong team with strong personali- as specific spaces created for HCD. It is better
ties in middle management. Success is very to take a holistic approach in one limited area
dependent on the activities of the people of the organization than to use pieces across

involved. the whole organization.
• At the beginning, we formulated a clear “why” • The why and the implementation were promot-

for the introduction of HCD. The why was fo- ed by an area of the business with direct effects
cused on the Swisscom brand, and its ability to on business results. Relatedly, we have differ-
differentiate itself. Relatedly, there was a clear entiated ourselves from classic approaches to
business relevance, and could be concretely organizational development, which tend to be
measured using a net promoter score. The strongly rooted in human resources. As a result,
ongoing digital transformation once again con- other business divisions see these other ap-

firmed our clear orientation towards people and proaches as less critical to success, and are
the customer experience. Customers have nev- less likely to support them.
er before had the power they have today. The • Nothing is sexier than success. It is important

sales channel is a screen; information and pric- to deliver examples of successful projects as
es are completely transparent to customers. quickly as possible. These add momentum to
Only offers that quickly lead to positive experi- the change process. Selecting the appropriate
ences without obstacles are recommended by projects for this is not always easy.
customers over social networks. These secure • The selection of a method set that fits the orga-

the company’s success. nization and its scope is important. Over time,
one can observe which methods are accepted,
which terms are incorporated into the organiza-
tional language, and how they are discussed in
decision-making.
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CASE STUDIES
HAUFE-LEXWARE
The Haufe group is a digital media group. We future, good money will be earned only in mar-
CASE STUDIES
offer digital solutions to optimally set up work- kets where there is little or no competition. The
spaces for all the target groups in our solution book “Blue Ocean Strategy” (Kim & Mauborgne,
portfolio. Under the brand name lexware and 2005), describes methods still used today, such
online (connected) solutions, users can bring or- as strategic contour and ERSK — Eliminierung

der to both their business and private finances, (elimination), Reduzierung (reduction), Steigerung
from book-keeping and merchandising to taxes. (increase), and Kreierung (creation). It also de-
Haufe provides electronic products and online scribes companies that have done things differ-
offers, commercial user software and books as ently than their competition. However the ques-
well as periodicals on law, economics and taxes. tion of how the firms discussed came to the new
issues and needs of their customers and entered
With the Haufe Academy, our customers’ quali- these new markets free of competition generally
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CHRISTIAN STEIGER fications are available from a single point, in the remains open.
form of open, bookable events as well as individ-
Christian Steiger, born 1973, is the director ual, in-house seminars, customers receive of- We have developed the strategy “Wave (scout,
of business operations at Haufe-Lexware fers for customized, supplementary training and proof, deliver)” to find new markets. The first
GmbH & Co. KG. In this role, he is respon- development. phase (“scout”) is the need-finding phase, and
sible for the business division that deliv- plays a central role. The “proof” phase follows, in
ers new products, business models and In order to keep up with rapid changes in both which we carry out business modeling. Finally,
innovation. He is also responsible for the markets and technologies, it is critical to find “deliver”, is the final product concept. In the
building and further development of SaaS new fields in which to become active in business, “scout” phase, we implemented design thinking
EcoSystems lexoffice, developing online and become economically successful within as a method. Here, we have the goal of using
solutions for small and medium-sized them. In 2010, we established a new, completely need finding to solve complex problems with in-
enterprises, as well as the establishment of independent department called “Blue Ocean”, novative ideas. The principal approach in design

new technologies, methods and procedures based on blue ocean strategy. The goal and phi- thinking is similar to our agile organizational
(Wave strategy, agile development and de- losophy of the department is to implement blue approach: new ideas only arise in an interdisci-
sign thinking). ocean strategy in action. Blue ocean strategy plinary team, which together develops a ques-
states that only relevant, differentiated needs tion that has peoples’ needs and their motiva-
can lead to new markets, and thereby new clients tions as a fundamental point of departure. The
and long-term success. To put it simply: in the concepts are then implemented and reviewed
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from multiple perspectives (such as lean man- freelancers (excluding employed persons without explorative interviews, personas, empathy maps
agement, agile organization, agile software reporting requirements), craftsmen and others, and question funnels were particularly interest-
development [Pautsch & Steininger, 2014]). as the team sees relevant. ing. We continue to use them today, dependent
This iterative and agile (in German “beweglich”) upon the context and question statement. Then,
approach is in the DNA of our department, and We carried out the handover and briefing on- we continued with the critical function proto-
anchored within all processes and phases of the site with the team, and assigned an employee type (CFP), with the goal of identifying the criti-
Wave strategy. as the central point of communication. The cal functions that could lead to a solution from
team was comprised of three master’s students the perspectives of users. The methods we used
In the context of our Wave strategy, we decid- at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Haufe- were prototyping (scribbles, PowerPoint screens
ed to pilot a design thinking project. Initially, we Lexware employees, and instructors at the and also “thrown-together prototypes” such as a
formulated a visionary challenge with a problem University of St. Gallen and Stanford. During the “ring with scanner”), where we included a partic-
statement in order to provide the future team a kick-off event at Stanford University, we had the ular critical function and tested it with users.
rough frame. The project started with a briefing, opportunity to be on site at the d.school during
and having the right question was fundamental. the presentations and workshops on methods The dark horse prototype phase (DHP) was par-
We worked on this question internally within an and philosophy by Larry Leifer, among others. ticularly fun, since it had the goal of turning all
interdisciplinary team, and then finalized it with In addition to well-known methods (such as of our assumptions and experiences up until
Falk Uebernickel and the design thinking teach- the empathy map and personas), we also got to that point on their heads, to help in the search
ing team at the University of St. Gallen. know the Business Model Canvas (BMC), which for innovative solutions. Here, we used methods
is today a central component of the aforemen- such as “stretch the goals” — that is, pushing

The goal was to generate prototypes of ap- tioned Wave strategy during the proof phase. the goals so far that current solutions are no
proaches to solutions that take online activities Here, the BMC summarizes the results of our longer sufficient. Two examples are the “solution
into account. This included the proposal process, business modeling. for tax evasion” and “do the pig”, which is a role-
winning customers, customer relations, ser- play activity involving all stakeholders, including
vice provision, back office and administration. The design thinking project had a timebox of five the client, the tax consultant and the financial
With a focus on these, the solutions proposed months and was divided into five phases. In the authorities.
should show how management and related or- first phase, design space exploration, the goal
ganizational challenges might look for small and was to observe people facing a certain problem. We also carried out framing and reframing. With
medium-sized enterprises in the future (within Here, we could learn how quickly we try to in- framing, the issue is identified and the basic
a five-year maximum time horizon). The focus terpret and come up with solutions, instead of assumptions are discussed. With reframing,
was predominantly on those in service provision, observing and listening. For us, the methods of these basic assumptions are reversed. In the
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subsequent funky prototype phase, the goal • Somba automatically logs administrative back- In our experience, it is important to direct a
CASE STUDIES

was to refocus and reorganize needs. Relatedly, ground data. strong focus towards need finding and proto-
the ideas for solutions were newly tested and • Somba allows for the improved exchange of in- typing, and to clearly separate business mod-

further developed, as informed by successfully formation between business partners. eling (feasibility, business model, etc.) from
tested functions from the CFP and DHP phases. • Somba is paperless. these activities. However, in business modeling

The “wish list” offered a picture of the functions • Somba is focused on people, and therefore fits language, design thinking delivers two of the

that the users had liked the best up until that into the structure of small businesses. nine essential building blocks, namely the value
point. Through the idea of “let others do”, people proposition and customer segments. For us,

external to the project were brought in to devel- These results have directly flowed into the the other building blocks are completed in the
op new approaches to solutions. Members of conceptualization and realization of our subsequent proof phase of business modeling.
other teams did this. In the functional and final lexware solutions today. Lexoffice is an invoicing
prototype phases, the final prototype had both and book-keeping program for small businesses,
horizontal and vertical elements. For us, this was freelancers and the self-employed (see
a completely web-based prototype that included www.lexoffice.de). The feedback and customer
all the successfully tested functions identified in satisfaction with this solution show the value
the preceding phases. that the design thinking approach can add to real
products.
Besides the final prototype “Somba” — the pri-

mary result — we received all the partial results From our perspective, design thinking is of inter-

of the individual phases in a 250-page final est to all employees of the Haufe group whose
document. work involves conceptualizing new products, solu-
tions, or services. Design thinking, however, can
Somba stands for “social micro business admin- only be seen as part of our Wave strategy process
istration”, but is also the name of an African peo- (see the Wave scout phase). We intensively use
ple who organize themselves using similar struc- design thinking in the scout phase. After Somba,
tures to small businesses. we realized two more design thinking projects
with the University of St. Gallen, and certainly will
The user promise of Somba: again. Within the Haufe group, we started addi-
• Somba is a web-based workspace that is al- tional projects in the field of design thinking with

ways accessible. support of the University of St. Gallen and others.
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CASE STUDIES
MARIGIN
How did design thinking flow into this project? What was the concrete procedure?
ABOUT MARIGIN Initially, it was more traditionally planned: func- First, the existing procedures and needs of the
tional, treatment-specific procedures would be different user groups were analyzed in terms of
Technologically cutting-edge and both analyzed, conceptualized and optimized by ex- their precise strengths and weaknesses with
conceptually and culturally innovative, perts, and the architecture would be organized the help of persona and touch-point analyses in
“Marigin — Center for Animal Medicine” accordingly. A rational use for the building was relation to existing practices. Then we generated

is a newly founded veterinary hospital in developed, that in addition to veterinary func- an optimization profile.
Feusisberg, Switzerland. tions, offered tenant‘s space.
The process knowledge gained was useful as an
The organization is based on a very suc- The team responsible, however, had the feeling affirmation, and bolstered basic quality, but it
cessful veterinary clinic that was built up that this purely rational-functional approach was not surprising.
with the help of private investors. did not reflect the full potential of the operator,
and formulated the wish for a central theme that Planning mistakes that had already been made
Marigin offers a full range of services, emotionally connected all the functional aspects were quickly identified. For example, the origi-
from modern diagnostics (laboratory, in an appreciable fashion. nal plan called for a large, traditional reception
digital x-ray, CT, ultrasound and endosco- counter. This implied a barrier from behind so

py) to special therapies and operations by For this, they searched for an external innovation that the assistants would not even be able to see
selected specialists, to physiotherapy partner that would help them to iteratively elab- their four-legged patients.

with a water treadmill and alternative orate these emotional aspects together with all
medicine. Supplementary services such relevant stakeholders. The design thinking pro- Really high potential for innovation emerged on

as a veterinary shop and cat hotel round cess was initiated. emotional and cultural levels.
out the offering.
Who was involved? With this learning, Marigin decided also to use
Marigin is a medical one-stop experience The design thinking team consisted of the lead- the DNA analysis method (see p. 82), in order to
for pet owners. ing doctors, assistants, investors, customers, ar- identify the essential core of the organization.
chitects and some lateral thinkers foreign to the The goal was to define these existing core char-
subject. New people were always integrated into acteristics, and secure and scale them for the
the process for given periods of time to prevent future.
the perspectives from entering a static loop.
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The team intuitively felt that this specific emo- How was design thinking implemented? content, and could hand it over to the realization
CASE STUDIES
tional core was the real reason for the enormous It was now about extending these unique emo- reality-check.
success the organization had enjoyed up until tional aspects that initially appear coupled to a
that point. limited size of organization to one of the largest Another idea was the desire to build up person-
clinics in Switzerland. The recipe for success al interaction, and reduce “impersonal” interac-
What was the most relevant outcome of the should of course not be lost. tion. This led, through the aforementioned design
DNA analysis? thinking process, to the idea of building of a costly,
Although the practice already had an extremely The design thinking team described previous- medicine-distribution robot. In the future, this

high number of clients, it was possible for the ly began a completely free collection of ideas would prevent staff from having to walk away to
staff to remember names and personal details, regarding how this individuality could also be retrieve medicine, allowing personal interaction
and to use these during interactions with clients achieved on a larger scale. to carry on uninterrupted and eliminating waiting
and their animal patients. time.
Being able to greet clients personally was an
Additionally, casual conversation with one anoth- important aspect, but with 2,000 customers ap- Primarily using design thinking together with
er and with customers was unfamiliarly friendly peared to only be partially possible and certainly clients, the idea was developed that instead of a
and direct — very open, and marked with real not with 10,000. During brainstorming, the fol- standard, bordered waiting room, there should be

sympathy and credible interest. lowing ideas came up: automatic patient recog- areas that made communication easier between
nition upon entering the practice through a chip pet owners, since they are typically so interactive
The whole staff differentiated themselves implanted in the animal, and automatic avail- with one another anyway. Through this, bar tables
through their attractive and approachable dy- ability of patient data before interacting with the to foster communication were developed. These
namic, which broke through the common “white customer and patient, including an index of ex- also serve to establish separate zones for dogs,
standard” effect of a traditional practice in a isting profiles (including shopping lists, pet food for example. The inner space was implemented
pleasant way. All of this was possible without giv- preferences, etc.). with the same qualities as the outside waiting
ing an impression of diminished seriousness or areas, as animals tend to be much less nervous
professionalism. In the process, ideas were always quickly waiting outside than inside.
sketched, and sometimes readjusted to gain
Ultimately, this unconventional cocktail led to a feedback as quickly as possible. On the basis of
regular, widespread fan club that extended far these reactions, the ideas were revised, present-
beyond the normal preference for a doctor. ed again, and then once again critically reviewed
until the team had the right solution in terms of
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Another factor was the unpleasant smell that The design thinking process proved itself to be The process is therefore not a one-off thing
normally permeates veterinary hospitals: Special the right approach in this case, and led to innova- that ends, but is rather hidden within a philoso-
air purifying systems, a spring and aromatic tive solutions that were able to be implemented. phy that promotes optimization and innovation
herbs were found to be solutions during the de- potential being proactively and continuously
sign thinking process, and were implemented in What do we need to pay attention to? searched for within the organization.
reality. Since the decision and realization teams were
firmly stuck in the operational scope from the
In the clinic, a room for dying was integrated in a very beginning, it would not have been possible
sensitive manner, which delicately took into con- to reach such results without the help of fresh
sideration the strong bond between the human professional coaching through external partners.
and animal, and the uniqueness of the situation.
These partners also helped when it came to the
What was unique in the process? concrete realization of ideas, which was of course
The combination of different methods (DNA anal- more expensive because of the numerous inno-
ysis, personas, touch points and design thinking) vations. When choosing partners, one should also
quickly led to an emotional and strategic “pan- ensure that they are not only capable of gener-
oramic view” that easily brought the potential to ating strategy papers and rough models, but can
light. also handle their concrete implementation.
Above all the design thinking process, with its How will this design thinking attitude continue
quick interactions around visualization and im- in the organization?
provement, helped realize solutions efficiently. Firstly, there is already a large surplus of inno-
That was critical from the beginning, due to a vations and ideas from the design thinking pro-
tight schedule. cesses we have carried out to this point. We will
be busy implementing these for a while.
It was about developing realistic, innovative
landscapes and being able to quickly reach de- Secondly, check-ups (à la “mystery shopping”)
cisions. It was explicitly not about developing will be regularly carried out, so that the goals and
unrealistic visions and time-wasting PowerPoint ideas can be reviewed, allowing new tendencies
presentations. and learning to be integrated.
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CASE STUDIES
© Marigin AG, milani design & consulting AG
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CASE STUDIES
MEDELA
engineers. In 1999, the then director of develop-

In a company history spanning more If mothers cannot or do not wish to nurse ment integrated a female-run creativity agency,
than 50 years, Medela has grown from a directly, or are at times unable to nurse di- which established the design thinking process
small, predominantly technology-focused rectly, milk can be pumped from the breast in the organization with the support of top man-
company in Switzerland to a global, fam- to feed the baby. This can be the case when agement. This step enabled womens’ needs,
ily-run producer of the most advanced mothers work, or when it is medically not and above all the emotional aspects, to take a
milk pumps and medical nursing systems. possible to nurse. This is where Medela stronger place in the foreground, and lead to
From the beginning, Medela developed re- solutions come in. innovations.
search-based, safe and efficient products
and thereby always set new standards. Market research and insights
In addition to other approaches, design Since then, we have increasingly focused on user
thinking was introduced within the organi- observations, above all in the biggest market,
zation to bolster its position in the market. What is the innovation culture of the the United States. Through this, we have com-
organization? piled deep and comprehensive knowledge of
Medela is the global market leader for At the beginning, the company was influenced by our users — mothers — which flow into innova-

breastfeeding products. Breastfeeding the founder and inventor, Olle Larsson, and later tive services, communication, apps and product
is indisputably best for the baby. Medela his son, Michael. Brilliant technological problem- solutions.

is the godparent, and upon the basis of solving stood in the foreground, and numerous
scientifically proven fact, offers various patents and first-market introductions came Research

products and services for infant nutrition soon after, and with these, market leadership. Simultaneously, the founder’s son, Michael
worldwide. This focus is at the center of Over the decades, the competition grew, along Larsson, intensively promoted research on lacta-
all activities of the Medela mother’s milk with the pressure to innovate. tion at the University of Western Australia.
sector.
For a long period, subsequent innovations were The result was groundbreaking new knowledge in
related to technology and mechanical improve- the field. For example, due to new measurement
ments. It was important to establish the design and observation methods, the natural nursing
thinking process to serve as a supplementary behavior of the infant’s mouth and on the moth-
source of innovation. Although breastfeeding er’s breast was precisely determined and docu-
appears to be a very feminine topic, the em- mented. Previously this was accomplished only
ployees responsible were overwhelmingly male with a large margin of error.
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How does one bring insights, engineering and How could the process be established? What is needed for implementation?
CASE STUDIES
research together, whether divided in terms of Through the clear and open support of the own- Coordinating the process requires the availability
place, content or culture? ers and chairman of the board of directors, an of a physical room in which concentrated work
Through the neutral support of external experts interdisciplinary process was established. On the can happen, and the interim results can be doc-
in combination with the training of an internal basis of the strong collaboration between the umented and remain accessible. It must include
team, the design thinking process was estab- various team members from different disciplines case-dependent opportunities for international
lished to unify these aspects. such as innovation, design, development, re- exchange and expert involvement — for example,

search, and so forth, the next wave of innovation the Australian experts can participate via Skype.
First, we carried out the method of “DNA analysis” could be initiated.
(see p. 82), in order to define a collective strategic How does the procedure run?
and emotional orientation. These collaboratively Who is part of the process? For example, the results of preliminary research
defined, overriding goals laid the groundwork for The lactation scientists from the Australian can provoke rough ideas within the team. One
a homogeneous motivation and relatedly, efficient university bring the newest — otherwise idea was to transfer the nursing behavior onto

decision-making processes in the whole team. unknown — scientific learning. This is always the bottle nipple, since up until that point the

integrated into concrete solutions. nipple was too reactive and allowed too much

In the first step, all relevant content and strategic milk through, which led at times to complaints
aspects of Medela were collectively expressed Internal engineers who enjoy experimenting can such as colic. Since transferring research results
in their most extreme interpretations: How do also integrate the necessary technical knowl- into practice can sometimes depend upon very
we act today? Where do we stand? Where are we edge. Through internal marketing and market complex physical dependencies, in the context of
strong? We then compared all the experienceable research employees, comprehensive insights design thinking we use short animation streams
factors of the strategic status quo at the time. can be integrated within the team. Mothers and to make the basic principles “digestible” for ev-
The deltas between the potential and experi- nursing specialists, as well as midwives, allow eryone. First models are quickly assembled using
enceable contribution were shown and debated. direct experiences and market knowledge to flow alternative materials, which make the functional
into products. The external lateral thinkers, who principles comprehensible for everyone. These
Based on this, we determined the strategic de- have known Medela and its market to be a strong are iteratively measured, tested, newly built and
sign goals we wanted to achieve in the future. innovation and design partner for many years further optimized in a ping-pong method. This
This DNA analysis process established the nec- (but who are also at home in transport, consumer is a cycle that repeats itself countless times
essary pressure to act and the necessary col- goods and MedTec) also support the process and through an iterative process between very differ-
lective understanding for entry into the design bring in transfer impulses from other branches. ent team members.
thinking process.
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At the end of this design thinking path, a con- Some of the internal and external team members Whoever is offered the opportunity to live and
crete product solution was developed: the in the design thinking process have been involved anchor design thinking culture within an organi-
Medela Calma breastmilk feeding bottle. The in this planning from the beginning. They are re- zation should use this potential.
product solution was then used in the standard sponsible for ensuring that the culture of inno-
process, and has since become well-positioned vation is given the appropriately central space (a
in the market and won many innovation prizes. design thinking lab) in this new architecture.
How can the design thinking culture become A new build offers the chance to architecturally
anchored and visible within an organization? structure places in a way that makes economic
An approach, from the perspective of design sense, but also inspires creativity, communi-
thinking, might be as follows: Employees that are cation, and the strengthening of a living orga-
interested must first qualify themselves as team nizational culture. Through the design thinking
members to push the selection process for the lab, the motor of the organization should be
team. Only the best should become part of the constantly palpable. Simultaneously, so that the
team, which substantially boosts its attractive- individual teams pull resources into the central
ness and image. Proof of knowledge, out-of-the- design thinking lab, certain floors and depart-
box thinking, innovation potential and team spirit ments should also be optically connected with
is required. When team members are selected, the design thinking lab.
they have the possibility of leaving their exist-
ing job profile for the most part, and entering The design thinking lab is more than just image
the design thinking lab. Who the design thinking management and corporate appearance; it has
team members are should be openly and actively an effect that is far-reaching. The central space
communicated. means that the culture can be felt both inside
and outside, and achieves authenticity.
Design thinking and architecture
Everything visible and experienceable in an or- To start innovative processes that need to be
ganization (such as products, services and ar- further developed and actively discussed, it is
chitecture) mirrors the existing culture. Medela advantageous to be in an inspiring environment.
plans to build a central operational and adminis- This design thinking lab is part of a healthy de- © Medela, milani design & consulting AG
trative building in Switzerland. sign thinking culture.
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6
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APPENDIX
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INDEX
5 Whys 129 Camera study 107, 133–135 Design thinking

5W method 92 Case studies 272–291 Basic principles 18, 30, 52

Catch-up 61, 266 Definition 16

AEIOU 120–121 CED → see Customer experience design History 20

Agile approach 22–23 CEP → see Critical experience prototype Micro-cycle 24–35

Architecture CFP → see Critical function prototype Perspectives 23

Creative spaces 216–220 Clean desk policy 221, 224 Problems 20–21, 24

Golden rules 221–223 Clear problems 20–21, 24 Value 22–23

Workspaces 224–233 Code → see design thinking code Design thinking code 52–55

Arduino 154 Comics 164–165 DHP → see dark horse prototype

Competition analysis 105 Diffusion of innovations model 102–103

Basic principles 18, 30, 52 Confluence dynagram 182–183 Divergent thinking 22

Benchmarking 27, 112–113 Consent Form 213 Diverging 36

Benchmarks 40, 112 → see also design thinking code DNA analysis method 82–85, 284–286

→ see also benchmarking Consumer clinics
186 Do the pig 130–131

Blue Ocean 281 Converging 36 DOIM → see diffusion of innovations model

Blueprint → see also service blueprinting Creative spaces 216–220 Dyads 104

Blueprinting → see service blueprinting Critical experience prototype 36, 42–43

BMC → see Business Model Canvas Critical function prototype 36, 42–43, 65, 68 Early adopters 102

Bodystorming 158–159 Critical reading checklist 212 Early majority 102

Brainstorming 138–139 Customer experience chain 277 Elevator pitch 188

Brainwriting 140–141 Customer experience design 277 → see also NABC pitch

Business Model Canvas 180 Customer persona 126 Empathy map 122–123

Business model prototype 180–181 Customer selection matrix 102 Engagement 27, 96, 109, 111

ERSK 281

Dark horse prototype 36, 44–45, 65, 68 ESOMAR 52 → see also design thinking code

Data security 53 Expert interview 107

Design space 40

Design space exploration 36, 40–41, 65, 68

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Fail forward 18 HRP → see high resolution prototype Laggards 102

Feature prioritization 105 Human centered design 234, 276–280 Late majority 102

Feedback 19, 34, 50, 204–212 Lateral thinking → see six thinking hats

Critical reading checklist
212 I like, I wish, what if 206–207 Lead user 107, 132

Fail forward 18 Ideation 25, 30, 50, 67, 136–145 Lead user interview 107

Feedback capture grid 210–211 Brainstorming 138–139 Low resolution prototype 32, 148, 178, 190

I like, I wish, what if 206–207 Brainwriting 140–141 LRP → see low resolution prototype

Plus or delta 208–209 How might we 138, 145

Field notes 116–117 Lateral thinking 142–143 Macro-process 36–49

Final prototype 37–38, 49, 66, 68 Power of ten 144 Critical experience prototype 36, 42–43

Foamboards 71, 243, 247, 251 Six thinking hats 142–143 Critical function prototype 36, 42–43, 65, 68

Focus group 104–105, 190 Infrastructure 71–72, 234 Dark horse prototype 36, 44–45, 65, 68

Focused prototype 148 Innovators 102–103 Design space exploration 36, 40–41, 65, 68

Frameworks 28, 98, 114–115 Integrated prototype 36, 46, 66, 68, 177 Final prototype 37–38, 49, 66, 68

Framing 27, 92–93, 115, 282 Interdisciplinary 19, 218, 286 Functional prototype 37, 47, 66, 68

Functional prototype 37, 47, 66, 68 Interviews 27–28, 34, 98, 106–108, 190 Funky prototype 36, 46, 66, 68, 148

Funky prototype 36, 46, 66, 68, 148 Expert interview 107 Integrated prototype 36, 46, 66, 68, 177

Furniture 254–255 Lead user interview 107 Paper bike 35, 38

Retrospective interview
107 Proof of concept 260

Golden rules 221–223 Wake-up interview 107 X-is-finished prototype 37, 48, 66, 68

Grand tour 106 Intuition 73 Mastermind 74

Iterative approach 25, 66, 264, 273 Materials 69, 71–72, 250–255

HCD → see human centered design Micro-cycle 24–35

High resolution prototype 32, 148 Kick-off 106 Ideation 25, 30, 50, 67, 136–145

HMW → see how might we Need finding 25, 27–29, 50, 96–99

Hot desk 228 Problem definition 25–26, 50, 86–95

How might we 138, 145 Prototyping 25, 31–33, 50, 67, 146–183

Synthesis 25, 27–29, 50, 96–135

Testing 25, 34–35, 50, 67, 184–191

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Mini focus groups 104 Observation 27, 109–110, 120 Prototyping 25, 31–33, 50, 67, 146–183, 273

Mock-up 152–153 Open hardware 154, 176 Bodystorming 158–159

Moodboard 118–119 Business model prototype 180–181

Multidisciplinarity 56, 73–74 Paper bike 35, 38 Comics 164–165

Paper prototyping 160–161 High resolution prototype 32, 148

NABC pitch 188 Party groups 104–105 Low resolution prototype 32, 148, 178, 190

Need finding 25, 27–29, 50, 96–99 Patent 40, 112 Mock-up 152–153

5 Whys 129 PechaKucha 189 Open hardware 154, 176

AEIOU 120–121 Persona 88, 125–127, 190 Paper prototyping 160–161

Benchmarking 27, 112–113 Personality type 56, 73 Rapid 3D prototyping 166–167

Camera study 107, 133–135 Plus or delta 208–209 Roleplay 156–157

Clear problems 20, 24 Point of view 130–131 Scribbles 172

Empathy map 122–123 Post-its 78–81, 250 Service blueprinting 170–171

Engagement 27, 96, 109, 111 Power of ten 144 Sketches 172

Field notes 116–117 Primary persona 126 Storytelling 25, 146–183

Focus group 104–105, 190 Problem definition 25–26, 50, 86–95 Video prototyping 168–169

Frameworks 28, 98, 114–115 Problems 20–21, 24 Wireframing 150–151

Interviews 27–28, 34, 98, 106–108, 190 Clear problems 20–21, 24 Purposive sampling 101

Lead user 107, 132 Wicked problems 20–21, 24

Moodboard 118–119 Project assignment 64 Quota sampling 101

Need finding cycle 27, 98–99 Project planning 64–70

Negative persona 126 Proof of concept 260 Races 198–199

Netnography 124 Rapid 3D prototyping 166–167

Observation 27, 109–110, 120 Real size persona 125

Persona 88, 125–127, 190 Recommended actions 267–268

Point of view 130–131 Redefinition 25–26

Target group 102–103 Reflection 30, 106

Why-how laddering 128

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Reframing 27, 44, 90, 92–93 Stick figures 202–203 Usability testing 34, 187

Requirement engineering 261 Storytelling 25, 146–183 User Interface 150–151, 152, 160

Retrospective interview
107 Storywriting 162–163

Roleplay 156–157 Stretch Goals 90–91 Video prototyping 168–169

Study booth 230

Scientific persona 125 Success factors 267–268 Wake-up interview 107

Scribbles 172 Super groups 104 Warm-ups 38, 50, 138, 192–203

SCRUM 60, 69, 260, 262 Supervisor 74 Assembly 200–201

Service blueprinting 170–171 Synthesis 25, 27–29, 50, 96–135 Races 198–199

Setup 11, 50, 64–85 Spaghetti tower 194–195

Framing 27, 92–93, 115, 282 Tame problems 20–21, 24 Stick figures 202–203

Infrastructure 71–72, 234 Target group 102–103 Yes but, yes and 196–197

Post-its 78–81, 250 Teacher 74 Wave 281–283

Reframing 27, 44, 90, 92–93 Team setup 73–77 Why-how laddering 128

Stretch Goals 90–91 Teamology 56, 73–74 Wicked problems 20–21, 24

Team setup 73–77 Testing 25, 34–35, 50, 67, 184–191 Wireframing 150–151

Shared spaces 226 Consumer clinics 186 Workspaces 224–233

Silo structures 61, 268 NABC pitch 188 Wrap-up 106

Six thinking hats 142–143 PechaKucha 189

→ see also lateral thinking Usability testing 34, 187 X-is-finished prototype 37, 48, 66, 68

Sketches 172–173 Thinking hats → see six thinking hats

Snowball sampling 101 Toolkit 23, 50–51, 63, 261, 264 Yes but, yes and 196–197

Somba 283 Tools 252–253

Spaghetti tower 194–195 Town planning 178–179

Stakeholder 40, 130 T-profile 57, 74

Start-up screening 41 Transformation journey 257

Transformation levels 264–266

Trend analysis 105

Trend scouting 41

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THE AUTHORS
Falk Uebernickel Li Jiang Walter Brenner

Prof. Dr. oec. Falk Uebernickel is a professor at Dr. Li Jiang is the Director of Stanford AIRE Since April 1st, 2001, Prof. Dr. oec. Walter Brenner,
the Hasso-Plattner-Institute (HPI) in Potsdam (AI, Robotics and Education), and has been doing is Professor of Information Management at the
(Germany) and an adjunct professor at the research in the field of Robotics and AI for many University of St. Gallen and Managing Director of
University of St.Gallen (HSG) in St. Gallen years. He won the top award Best of Innovations the Institute of Information Management. Before
(Switzerland). He is teaching Design Thinking at at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that, he held professorships at the University of
the master student level together with Stanford Innovation Awards as well as the top award Essen and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. His
University and is conducting executive lectures Best of the Program at the National Lincoln research fields are: Industrialization of Informa-

at companies. Alongside, he has worked for Design Competition. Dr. Jiang has served on tion Management, IT Service Provider Manage-
companies globally in various industries such the Judging Committee for the CES Innova- ment, Customer Relationship Management,
as banking, insurance, automotive, sports, phar- tion Awards, and he is a board member of the New Technologies and design thinking. Next to
maceutical and many more on over 80 different International Robotic Expert Committee for this he is also a freelance consultant on issues

projects. Furthermore, Prof. Uebernickel is the China (IRECC). His current research focuses on of information management and business prepa-
spokesperson of the SUGAR network — a global the ways that AI and Robotic Technologies will ration for the digital, connected world.
movement and initiative of over 20 universities impact our education system and how we need

and more than 100 companies to apply design to adjust the existing system to accommodate
thinking to real-world challenges. His focus is the coming era of Robotics and AI. His class AI,
on training and teaching as well as on strategic Robotics and Design of Future Education is the

planning of digital transformation projects in first class at Stanford University to address this
companies. multidisciplinary field of AI, Robotics, Educa-
tion and Design Innovation. Dr. Jiang attended
Stanford University where he earned a Master’s
Degree in Design Innovation, a Ph.D. in Robotics,

and a Ph.D. minor in Management Science.
He holds more than 50 U.S. and international
patents.
302
060_DT_Annex.indd 302 30-04-2020 21:47:17

Britta Pukall Therese Naef Bernhard Schindlholzer

Britta Pukall, owner of the leading industrial Therese Naef initially completed a technical Dr. oec. Bernhard Schindlholzer is Product
design agency milani design & consulting AG in model-making apprenticeship and then led Manager at Google. Prior to that, he founded

Zurich-Thalwil and Berlin. On the one hand, an architectural model construction branch. several companies in the areas of Digital Product

the focus of her work is on innovation devel- Subsequently she studied product design in Development and User Experience Design.

opment for market leaders in a wide variety of Zurich (Dipl. Des.). For more than 10 years, she In his dissertation at the University of St. Gallen,

industries — using design thinking alongside is the Managing Director and Managing Partner he researched the practical application of

other approaches. On the other, she supports of the leading Swiss industrial design agency design thinking and documented it in the context
start-ups and more mature companies in terms milani design & consulting AG in Zurich-Thalwil. of a comprehensive methodology.
of their strategic and emotional positioning, Above all, she is responsible for the implemen-
because only when this is known one can tation of customer and in-house projects. With

generate suitable innovations. With her inter her understanding of both, content-related and

disciplinary team, she ensures that the innova- implementation-oriented processes and solu-

tion approaches and strategies are implemented tions, she forms the necessary bridge for compa-
in detail. Britta Pukall studied Design and nies between strategy, innovation and tangible
Architecture (Magister Artium) in Kassel and realizability.
Vienna and completed an Executive MBA at
the University of St. Gallen.
303
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ocus groups 104 described in the design thinking handbook. The indicators
240mmx190mm
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b3899 The Handbook
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being for each phase. Finding each method’s description in and Synthes
Observation 109 the book is supported by page number listing.
ngagement 111 Testing
Benchmarking DESIGN THINKING

112 TOOLBOX Code
rameworks 114
Macro-process
Setup
ield notes 116
The toolbox is a collection of methods for systematically solving problems Feedback Prototyping Ideation
Moodboard 118 As a guideline, it offers beginners support in identifying
during design thinking. and Storytelling
EIOU 120
the right method in each particular phase.
Warm ups
mpathy map 122 Need Finding The toolbox is a collect
Category Technique Page Design Space Critical Darkhorse Funky Functional Legend
X-is- Final
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Netnography 124 Exploration Function Prototype Prototype Prototype Finished Prototype
Method is highly appropriate offers beginners suppo
ersona Setup Project planning 64
his table lists all125
the methods found in this handbook and orders them within Testing Method is appropriate each particular phase.
Why-how ladderi 128 Infrastructure 71

he steps of the micro-cycle and the process phases of the macrocycle as Method is conditionally appropriate
Experienced design th
escribed in the book. Team setup 73
Whys 129 The indicators show how appropriate the authors regard of inspiration.
ach method as being Post-its 78
oint of view 130 for each phase. Where there is no indication, methods may The table lists all the m
e conditionally appropriate toDNAphases. Finding
analysis methodeach method’s description
82 in the Thinking: A Handbook”
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ook is supported
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definition and listing.
Definition of problem statement 88
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amera study 133 and Storytelling
re-definition described in the design
Brainstorming DESIGN THINKING
138 TOOLBOX
Stretch goals 90
show how appropriate
Framing and re-framing 92 being for each phase. F
Brainwriting 140 Macro-process
Legend the book is supported
Get inspriration from the future 94
ix thinking h 142
Need finding and synthesis Need finding cycle 98 Method is highly appropriate
ower of ten 144
Guidelines for formulation 100 Method is appropriate Setup
How might we 145 Sampling techniques 101 Method is conditionally appropriate
Wireframing 152 The toolbox is a c
Feedback
Category Technique
Target group identification Page
102 Design Space Critical Darkhorse Funky Functional X-is- Final
Exploration Function Prototype Prototype Prototype Finished Prototype solving problems
Mock-ups 154 Focus groups 104 offers beginners s
Setup Project planning 64 Warm ups
Open hardwar 156 Interviews 106 each particular p
Infrastructure 71
oleplays 158 Observation 109 Experienced desi
Team setup 73 Testing
of inspiration.
Bodystorming 160 Engagement 111
Post-its 78
aper prototy 162 Benchmarking 112
The table lists all
DNA analysis method 82
Frameworks 114 Thinking: A Handb
torytelling a ywriting 164
Problem definition and Definition of problem statement 88 the micro-cycle a
Field notes 116
omics re-definition 166 described in the d
Prototypin
Stretch goals
Moodboard 118
90
show
andhow approp
Storytellin
D rapid proto 168
Framing and re-framing
AEIOU 12092 being for each ph
ideo prototypin 170 the book is suppo
Get inspriration
Empathy map from the future 12294
ervice blueprint 172 Legend
Need finding and synthesis Need finding cycle
Netnography 12498 Method is hig
ketches and scr les 174
Guidelines for formulation
Persona 100
125 Method is apS
hotoshop proto es 176 Samplingladdering
techniques 101
Why-how 128 Method is con
ombined protot s 178 Feedback
5Target
Whys group identification 102
129
own planning 180 Focusofgroups
Point view 104
130
Warm ups
Business model otypes 180 Interviews
Lead user 106
132
onfluence dyna m 182 Observation
Camera study 109
133
onsumer clinics Ideation 186 Engagement
Brainstorming 111
138 Testin
Usability testing 187 Benchmarking

Brainwriting 112
140
NABC Pitch 188 Frameworks
Six thinking hats 114
142
echaKucha 189 Field notes

Power of ten 116
144
Proto
paghetti tower 194 How might we
Moodboard 145
118 and Story
es but, yes and Prototyping and storytelling

196 Wireframing
AEIOU 152
120
aces 198 Mock-ups

Empathy map 154
122
Legend
Open hardware
Netnography 156
124
ssembly 200 Method
Roleplays
Persona 158
125
tick figures 202 Method
Bodystorming
Why-how laddering 160
128
like, I wish, what if 206 Method
Paper
5 Whysprototyping 162
129
lus or delta 208
pg 304 and 305.indd 304 Storytelling
Point of viewand storywriting 164
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Prot
240mmx190mm Moodboard 118 b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook and Stor

AEIOU 120
Empathy map 122
Legend
Netnography 124 Method
Persona 125 Method
Why-how laddering 128 Method
5 Whys 129
Point of view 130
Lead user 132
Camera study 133
Ideation Brainstorming 138
Brainwriting 140
Six thinking hats 142
Power of ten 144
How might we 145
Prototyping and storytelling Wireframing 152
Mock-ups 154
Open hardware 156
Roleplays 158
Bodystorming 160
Paper prototyping 162
Storytelling and storywriting 164
Comics 166
3D rapid prototyping 168
Video prototyping 170
Service blueprinting 172
Sketches and scribbles 174
Photoshop prototypes 176
Combined prototypes 178
Town planning 180
Business model prototypes 180
Confluence dynagram 182
Testing Consumer clinics 186
Usability testing 187
NABC Pitch 188
PechaKucha 189
Warm ups Spaghetti tower 194
Yes but, yes and 196
Races 198
Assembly 200
Stick figures 202
Feedback I like, I wish, what if 206
Plus or delta 208
Feedback capture grid 210
Critical reading checklist 212
Design thinking code Declaration of consent 213
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240mmx190mm

b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Copyright © 2020 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Desk Editor (WSPC): Shreya Gopi

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Imprint 4 1 METHOD OVERVIEW 15

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2 TOOLKIT 63 Observation 109

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Prototyping and storytelling 146 Testing 184

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3 THE DESIGN THINKING LAB 215 4 APPLICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS 257

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WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?

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WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?

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WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?

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WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING?

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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

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Instead of writing only text on Post-its, they

1. Problem definition and redefinition

Prototyping and Ideation

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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

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Conversation partners: Conversation partners

Synthesis concludes the need finding process.

A large number of techniques are available for

Analysis of need finding interviews,

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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

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1 Putting paper bikes together at Radicand Labs, Palo Alto (2014)

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THE MICRO-CYCLE — HOW DESIGN THINKERS WORK

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1 Paper Bike Challenge at Stanford University,

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THE MACRO-PROCESS: THE 7+1 PHASES OF DESIGN THINKING

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b3899 Design Thinking: The Handbook