Design thinking in present times

Considering the current situation all around the world where for the past 12 months we have been forced to adapt to the new normal way of life, design thinking in the times of covid is one of the much-needed approaches to solve the problems where the problems, as well as the solutions, are not defined. We have been forced to think of out of the box solutions whether it is virtual proctoring for exams or managing the supply chains for transporting the much-awaited vaccines for fighting against the pandemic induced by the coronavirus.

Any design thinking is ideal for a project where there is a high level of ambiguity. However, there are not many frameworks that can be applied but the basic approach of design thinking include the following steps;

The process is essentially human-centered, iterative, and rapid. Hence, helping the problem solver in excluding any kind of guesswork and fluke based problem-solving. For problem-solving, there are three dimensions that are to be looked at; Toolsets, skillsets, and mindset.

Also, some principles of design thinking are:

However, the absence of designated frameworks in the world of design thinking can also be considered as a drawback or limit to design thinking as there are some domains and areas where it brings transformative results but there are various instances where these methods could be useless. Some of the instances where DT is not applicable or falls short in providing a solution have been listed below:

So, the question arises how can we overcome these limitations posed by design thinking. One way lies in the world for Scrum, which gives a way of how products and projects are managed at various companies, where the need for solving an ambiguous problem can be done while keeping a tab on the time invested and resources exhausted.

Design thinking can be thought of as the process of developing an approach for problem-solving which is complimented by Scrum as an effective tool for solution implementation.

The traditional approaches for problem solving such as the waterfall model and stage-gate model don't allow for the scope of parallel improvement which in turn leads to delayed detection of failures. However, just like the design thinking process model, the scrum model helps to keep the customer in the centre while keeping the process flexible, iterative, incremental and fluid. Therefore, giving an improved and realistic approach to problem solving. Some, common features between design thinking and Scrum are;

Some ways through which scrum stands above design thinking are:

Hence, in this VUCA world, that needs constant innovation and problem-solving. We can leverage design thinking by complimenting it with models such as Scrum to develop a sustainable solution.

Sources:

https://pavansoni.medium.com/what-insights-scrum-has-to-offer-to-design-thinking-74aab0a80326

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