Why Design Matters with Bill Burnett

When I first encountered the concept of “Design Thinking”,  I became intent on finding a definition that was concrete enough to translate the abstract term into its application of a business tool. I came upon a podcast interview with Bill Burnett who shared his definition.  His definition satisfied me that design thinking framework and tools can make a very practical and powerful impact on product and business strategy design that can be transformational.

Here are the key comments that I found most significant:

“The big thing that unlocks innovation for businesses and non-profits and others is not, coming up with the solution, it is coming up with the right problem.” We say the process is divided into two processes problem solving and problem finding. “The difference between problem solving (everyone is good at problem solving) is the trick is how to execute and leverage problem finding.” Everyone is good at problem solving you have to get good at “problem finding” That’s where “DT” (Design Thinking) gets in and finds the new place of innovation. This is where design thinking is best used to find the best opportunities for innovation. A direct connection with the people or the problem you are trying to solve for. This is how teams can get in and find the new places of innovation.

One of the challenges but also an important points of view as to how design thinking is an optimal framework for fully leveraging the power of multi-disciplinary teams is how  the word “Design” is used from an engineering and business perspective. This greatly assistants the design thinking leaders role in bringing together and optimizing the integration of each of these disciplines.

a) Engineering Thinking: Analytical, Mathematical , Problem solving technique, Bound the Problem, and to then identify single answer.

b) Business Thinking: Comparison Method Problem solving technique, Net Present Value, Strategic Fit to identify best course of action.

What is different about design thinking? It works on a different kind of problem, poorly bounded messy problems with a lot of different stakeholders with rapid and global time to market pressures. These problems cannot be bounded like an engineering problem or be fully organized by the comparison methods of traditional business planning approaches. “Essentially, there is no single answer. By the time the solution is developed the world has changed.”

Below is his high level overview of the 5 main steps of a  Design Thinking framework.

Step 1: Problem Finding and POV Framing Step:

What is the Problem we are working on?

Where is the center of gravity?

(Realize the first definition of the problem is likely to be wrong.)

Step 2: Start with empathy to identify the human aspects of the problem:

Core Techniques to use include; Ethnography, Anthropology, Beginners Mind to directly connect to the people you are designing for.

Step 3: Frame the point a view (POV):

Where do we think the problem lives?

What is the interesting aspect of that problem space?

Step 4: Looking for a lot of answers:

Let go of the first answer and first POV. (If you pick the first answer it is likely the wrong answer. First answer is often in response to perceived problem or the problem space not actual problem.)

Come up with many answers. (There is a lot of evidence that if you choose from a big bucket of possible answers it is likely you will choose better.)

Core Techniques: Ideation and Brainstorming, Mind Map, Biomimicry, et al.

Step 5: Prototyping and Feedback

Build prototype based on current understanding of POV. Not suppose to be a solution.

Design prototype to re-engage the users, test POV, and provoke early and often failure (because the first pov is likely wrong.) and so you can succeed more quickly.

Optimal outcome of early prototype discussions with users that result in “failure” (eg. NO that is not what I want is a great advantage)

Core Techniques:

Rapid prototyping, iteration, brainstorming, reframing point of view

Co-innovation: Co-creating the way to the solution with your users gives a true competitive edge to the traditional research, plan, execute model because you have a chance to fail lots and lots of times, in very very small ways, and collapse the boundary conditions around your problem, get all the stakeholders to the table, reveal all the issues that are behind the things people say, the things people say and do are not really what they think and feel, and you have to get to the thinking and feeling part of the problem. In summary it starts with empathy, identifying the problem and iterating.

Resource: “Why Design Matters, Definition of Design Thinking and Impact on Leadership” Bill Burnett, The D-School, Stanford’s Innovation Center, Wise Talks, Mariposa Leadership Series, 3.22.12.