The human brain is fascinating. It has 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections. Its main mission is to ensure that the human machine never stops. It is always learning, adapting and capable of adopting new habits and eliminating old ones. This is what we call brain neuroplasticity. It also does everything it can to save energy. One of the tricks is autonomous processes, those we do automatically, without even thinking or reasoning about it. These processes create pathways that are strongly marked, and our brain begins to save by making less effort to perform the same task.
This is great for repetitive activities and good habits, such as brushing your teeth, exercising, showering, getting out of bed, getting ready or commuting to work, etc.
But what about when we are challenged with more complex tasks, such as solving business problems and finding original solutions to new customer challenges? If, in these cases, we also get used to always looking for answers and solutions in the same way, it's very likely that we won't even see what the most creative and innovative solution is.
How many executives, leaders, managers have become so accustomed to always using the same method to carry out their tasks and solve problems that it has created an old-fashioned pathway in their brain?
You may think it doesn't happen to you, but believe me, it has.
Design Thinking has arrived precisely to alert professionals and help them escape from cerebral autopilot. The goal is innovation.
But what exactly is Design Thinking? To put it simply, it's a method that helps you "think outside the box" when it comes to finding solutions to business problems. Clint Runge, founder of Archrival and professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, goes further: "Design Thinking is not exactly thinking outside the box, but at the edge, the corner, the tab and the barcode," he redefined.
There are many approaches to Design Thinking today, and you'll find some with between three and seven phases, stages or modes. They are all very similar and incorporate the same principles that were first described by Herbert A. Simon, winner of the Nobel Prize, in his work 'The Sciences of Artificial'.
To make things easier, we're going to use the 5-phase approach, which is the most common and widespread. It's important to note that these phases are not always sequential:
Some of the world's leading brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung and GE, have quickly adopted Design Thinking. What's more, it's being taught at the most famous universities around the world, including d.school, Stanford, Harvard and MIT.
It's not just another buzzword, but an approach that works because it leads professionals in any field to systematize problem-solving in a creative and innovative way, whether in their projects, businesses, countries or lives.
Research shows that 89% of companies that have used Design Thinking have found more creative and disruptive solutions in which people/customers are at the center. This approach has made it possible to change the way we do business, create solutions and position ourselves in the market.
In your next challenge, focus on empathy, collaboration and experimentation. That's Design Thinking!
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