Think like a designer design thinking for managers. Books on creativity: “Think like a designer. Section iii. what if

13.11.2019

This book talks about one of the hottest business trends - design thinking, or the ability to put ideas into practice. Its goal is to turn the concept of design into a practical tool that any manager can use to solve complex development problems. The set of new tools includes: ten methodologies for combining design and traditional business approaches; design dictionary translated into business language; simple templates for project management, as well as clear instructions and real examples for each stage of innovation. All together - a real opportunity for profitable growth of your business with minimal risk.

Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie. Think like a designer. Design thinking for managers. - M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2015. - 240 p.

Download abstract ( summary) in the format or

SECTION I. DESIGN THINKING: HOW AND WHY

CHAPTER 1. WHY DESIGN?

What is design? When Tim Brennan out creative team Apple was asked to define design, and he drew this picture:

Rice. 1. Definition of Design by Tim Brennan

Design is pure magic, a mysterious realm of the unknown, where only the brave dare to enter. But don't be fooled by Apple's views on design. This concept has many different values. For example, Design thinking is a systematic approach to problem solving.

Design thinking can influence natural growth and innovation in the same way that Total Quality Management (TQM; see more) has affected quality: we take what has always worried us, give managers the necessary tools and processes, and we get the result.

Design starts with empathy- a deep understanding of the people to whom it is intended. Managers who think like designers will put themselves in the customers' shoes. Since design is also a process inventions, managers who think like designers will see themselves as creators. While scientists are doing research to find explanations for what already exists today, designers are inventing tomorrow - creating something that does not exist. Design implies that you need to prepare for iterative process, which will last until we find a solution. Therefore, for managers who think like designers, the need to constantly learn is obvious. Most managers were taught a direct, linear method of solving: define a problem, find different solutions, and choose the one that is right. Designers understand that successful inventions require experimentation. Therefore, you need to study.

Business thinking implies rationality and objectivity. Decisions are made on the basis of cold and pure economic logic. Reality is precise and quantifiable. There is "truth" and answers can be "right" or "wrong". In turn, designers make decisions based on human feelings and impressions, there is always confusion and the perception of objectivity as an illusion. For them, reality is created by the people who live it. Solutions can be "better" or "worse".

Today, with ever-increasing pace and less certainty, business needs design. First of all, design is all about action, and business often gets stuck in the conversation stage. We tell managers to be "customer focused" and cut travel budgets. We ask them to take risks and then we punish them for their mistakes. We set ambitious growth goals for them and only use Excel spreadsheets to achieve them. That won't work.

Thirdly, design is designed to work in conditions of uncertainty, and the obsession of business with analysis is best suited for a stable and predictable world. Designers have an enthusiasm for experimentation and a tolerance for failure. But it’s not pure bravery that sets designers apart, it’s the presence of a process they believe in. Designers have developed tools such as mapping and prototyping to actively manage expected uncertainty.

Fourth, design takes into account that products and services are bought by people, not target markets, segmented by demographic categories.

It's a common myth that designers don't like data. This is not true. Design is based on data analysis as much as traditional management. Good designers spend a lot of time shaping ideas, going out into the field and getting real world data, rather than using information from the past. This disproves another popular misconception: that the design approach is supposedly more risky than the traditional business approach. The reverse is also true: managers need to accept as a fact that their basic assumption that analysis reduces risk is wrong in the face of uncertainty. Hiding in the office and taking dubious numbers from the past to predict the future is precisely the most risky behavior.

CHAPTER 2 FOUR QUESTIONS, TEN TOOLS

Design thinking uses four basic questions to work (Figure 2). At the stage "What is there?" we explore the existing reality. "What if?" - Introducing a new future. "What catches?" - make a choice. "What works?" - We are on the market.

Rice. 2. Our definition of design as a process

There are ten basic tools that design thinking uses to answer these four questions (Figure 3).

Rice. 3. Design thinking tool; To enlarge an image, right-click on it and select Open image in new tab

To succeed in using design thinking to grow your business, you need to not only try out ten tools, you need to to rule the growth project itself. For this, four project management tools are used (Fig. 4). The bottom row in the following design thinking model illustration shows where in the process each pattern is used.

Rice. 4. Design Creation Project Management Tools

SECTION II. WHAT IS?

CHAPTER 3. VISUALIZATION

Visualization is the transformation of information into images that you see either literally, with your eyes, or figuratively, with your inner eye. A different part of your brain comes into play, including a different way of knowing the world. By making your work visible, you significantly reduce risk. Text is much easier to interpret in many ways than illustrations or stories.

Recent brain research has advanced our understanding of why it is so important to visualize ideas and actions by demonstrating the existence of mirror neurons. These neurons are found only in humans and primates (hence the word "monkey"). They imitate physical action or facial expressions that we observe from the side, without giving commands to the muscles (for more details, see). Therefore, observation can actively promote action (and also actively promote empathy).

Consider the basics of visualization. Be simple. Often enough sketchy little men. Break the problem down into its individual components: who, what, how much, where, when, how, and why. Think of metaphors and analogies. Metaphorical thinking is the process of making connections between two seemingly unrelated things. Use photos. Experiment with storyboards - a series of frames showing the sequence of events. It is the fundamental tool of visual thinking. It includes six simple elements (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Storyboard elements

Create personas - fictional characters, the image of which develops when, as a result of research, you have a picture of the situation. This makes it easier for you to achieve the empathic understanding of your customers that is at the heart of design thinking. Tell stories instead of making a list of items (for more on storytelling, see). Use managed images. Stephen Covey says that starting with completion already in mind and imagining opportunities as clearly as possible can be a powerful tool in the innovation process (see Skill 2: Start with the end in mind).

CHAPTER 4. RESEARCHING USER SCENARIOS

By creating a scenario of behavior, or a user scenario, we represent in the form of a diagram or other graphic format the impressions and sensations of the user that arise during the interaction with the product. The resulting scenarios reflect an existing or ideal customer experience. Either way, describing the steps or stages of the scenario forces you to focus on the customer rather than the organization. In the process of research, you put yourself in the place of the user, capturing the emotional ups and downs that he experiences. it key points necessary to create innovations that add value to the product or service to the user.

The main reason why new ideas fail is a misjudgment of user needs. And The best way reduce risk - feel them more deeply. Behavioral scripting brings you closer to the lives of your customers, their problems and frustrations, while you strive to figure out how to create value for them. Focus groups should be replaced by observations in the natural environment.

How is a script usually created? Select the user whose experience you want to learn more about. Expand your hypothesis of what the user behavior scenario looks like from start to finish. For example, the Darden Business School team identified 12 key milestones in the MBA student's "journey" (Figure 6).

Rice. 6. Student Behavior Scenario at Darden Business School

Pick a small group of users (usually 12 to 20 people). Conduct some pilot interviews. Make corrections to the list of questions based on what you learned from the first interviews. Identify major “moments of truth” and other interview topics. Explore the themes you find to highlight a range of dimensions—usually psychographic rather than demographic—that you think will help highlight differences in the information collected. Choose the two dimensions that you think best represent the current picture. You will end up with a 2 x 2 matrix, with each quadrant representing an archetypal person (Figure 7). Place each interviewee in one of the quadrants. Write a behavior script for each model persona.

Like visualization, scenario mapping does not provide material for generalizations or statistically significant results - it does not "confirm" anything. Instead, it encourages creative thinking about unspoken user needs that often cannot be addressed using larger sample methods. Its goal is not to provide a set of recommendations for action, but a set of hypotheses that can be tested.

Rice. 7. Matrices of the Darden team

CHAPTER 5. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

Value chain analysis is the study of how an organization interacts with partners to produce, market, distribute and support its offerings. You receive important data about the capabilities and intentions of partners, as well as the vulnerabilities and capabilities of your company. This will help you opt out of creating an offer that has potential value for users, but is unlikely to bring profit to your company.

Consider a value chain analysis using the personal computer industry as an example. Depict the value chain for your business (Figure 8). Assess the competitive environment for each cluster - the key players and their relative market shares, the key strategic capabilities needed to create value in each cluster, the ability of each player to dictate terms.

Rice. 8. The value chain in the personal computer industry

Identify opportunities to increase your impact and profitability along the chain. Assess your vulnerabilities. Identify topics related to the ability to dictate terms, overall capabilities, partners, and defensive readiness.

CHAPTER 6. MIND-MAPING

Mind mapping is the process of finding repetitive patterns in large amounts of information collected during What is? research. We use this term to describe the process of extracting meaning from a large amount of information (on the topic of processing big data, see ,). With mind mapping, you replace the single-right-answer argument in traditional business with data-driven research and dialogue.

Present the data in the form of an art gallery, summarizing the information collected so that it can be captured by the invited experts. Ask them to mark any data they think might form the basis for new ideas. Ask the participants to return to their teams, sort the stickers and put them into thematic groups. Ask the teams to take a step back and try to identify what insights emerge from each cluster of ideas. Have the teams look at other teams' flipcharts and together, as a large group, come up with a basic list of criteria that an ideal project would meet.

SECTION III. WHAT IF?

CHAPTER 7. BRAINSTORMING

Brainstorming is a way to generate ideas, in our case, fresh alternatives to the established state of affairs. We propose the following brainstorming model:

the right people (small groups, diverse and free from internal politics);
correct statement of the problem (design brief);
the right attitude (to create, not to destroy);
proper empathy (user-person);
the right inspiration (insight, thanks to the scenario map);
the right stimulus (trigger questions);
proper organization (tempo, individual and group tasks);
correct processing of results (clustering of ideas and formation of concepts).

CHAPTER 8. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Concept development is a process in which best ideas, obtained as a result of brainstorming, collect detailed solutions from them, and then evaluate them from the point of view of the user and business. It is imperative to create several concepts in order to offer a choice to your audience - the client.

Have you ever assembled anything from a Lego constructor? Concept development is much like this process. Gather the key ingredients you will need to develop your concepts: core team, design criteria, and brainstorming results. Arrange ideas on the walls like you would in an art gallery. Leave some space so that you can move the elements around if you see links and repeating patterns. Choose from five to twelve topics to serve as hooks for certain concepts. Form initial concepts (make chili). The chili menu is a neat metaphor for finding new combinations.

SECTION IV. WHAT IS CLICKING?

CHAPTER 9. HYPOTHESIS TESTING

Hypothesis testing is a tool for identifying the key hypotheses that determine the attractiveness of any business concept and for using the collected information to determine how true they are. There are two testing options to choose from: collect new data with a field tool in the market, or use existing data to conduct an analytic mental experiment without going to the market. Because market experiments tend to be expensive and attention-grabbing, it's more appropriate to run your first tests with the data you already have.

Hypothesis testing involves the following steps. Schedule general business tests to pass new concept to be able to move forward:

Value test: users will buy it - and at the right price.
Feasibility test: you can create and provide it - at a cost that is acceptable to you.
Scale Test: If you get past stages 1 and 2, you will eventually (the sooner the better) achieve volumes that will justify all the effort.
Defensiveness Test: Once you've done all the work required for the first three stages, competitors can't easily copy the result.

Determine what data is needed to test them. Sort the data you need into three categories: what you know, what you don't know and can't find out, and what you don't know but might know. Determine how quickly you can collect data in category 3. Prepare a mental experiment plan, giving Special attention data that can refute your hypotheses.

CHAPTER 10 HOT PROTOTYPE

Hot prototyping is the creation of visual embodiments of your concepts. This is also an iterative work. Prototype early and often. This is necessary, first of all, to obtain information, and not to test a theoretically complete proposal. The process should be simple and quick to “make mistakes sooner” and identify areas that can be corrected while agreeing on the good elements.

At the most successful projects prototyping starts early and often. Their authors admit incompleteness. A prototype that leaves some room for interpretation invites users to contribute and complete it. Determine the story you want to tell. Present the concept in pictures using as few words as possible. Make it harder as you go along.

Show, don't tell. Try to evoke empathy by drawing the observer into the concept. Depict different possibilities. Provide some choice. Play with prototypes, don't defend them. Let others evaluate them, not those who created them. But always remember that you are the one testing. Prototypes are made to test the hypotheses that you think are most important.

SECTION V. WHAT WORKS?

CHAPTER 11. CO-DESIGN WITH THE USER

Co-design with the user - the process of involving a potential client in the development of a new proposal. You present several prototypes to potential clients, observe the reactions, and use the results to refine the concept through iterations.

When implementing collaborative design with the user, you need to follow a few simple principles. Invite users who are interested in you. Invite a group that is heterogeneous in composition. During co-design, you should not try to sell your solution. 80% of what is said should come from the user. Use only one user at a time. Remember that you are not aiming for a statistically significant sample. It is possible to learn much more if the participants in the experiment do not experience social pressure.

Typically, you should give users two or three options and invite them to explore the one that appeals to them the most. Provide visual stimuli, but don't perfect them. The prototypes you provide for the first iterations should look rough to emphasize your willingness to change the solution based on comments given by users. If you hone the prototype too much, they may decide that you are waiting for the answer: “Looks great!” Set aside time for discussion. Let's do it in time feedback.

CHAPTER 12. TEST RUNNING

A test run is an experiment that is carried out in the market quickly and at low cost. It serves as a bridge between co-design with the user and commercial implementation. Unlike a full-fledged launch of a new product, a test launch can be considered successful if you learn a lot, and not sell a lot. Its purpose is to test the remaining key hypotheses about the attractiveness of the business idea. Distinctive feature design thinking - an opportunity to bypass the tradition of making decisions as a result of long discussions. Thanks to the test run, managers can learn from real processes going on in the market.

Set specific limits for all variables such as time, geography, number of users, features, and partner firms. Get feedback quickly and respond to it.

Solutions should be the result of test runs. By testing key preliminary hypotheses, you can already make concrete decisions about what to do with the growth project. If you decide not to develop it further, consider that you have "postponed" it, not "hacked it." We decided to move on and make additional investments - the test run should show which features should be improved, which user segments to focus on, and many other aspects inherent in the development of a new product. Here's the recipe for success in the What If stage: reduce the number of unknowns to a certain set of problems that you can definitely solve using the processes already organized in the company.

SECTION VI. WE INITIATE GROWTH AND INNOVATION IN YOUR COMPANY

While Jackie Jordan learned the traditional business approach and spent ten years leading the strategy team in the banking division corporate clients at Suncorp, one of Australia's largest insurance companies. Jackie has found that starting small and keeping a low profile is the best way to bring design into the traditional corporate setting: “I've found it's much easier and more relaxing to pick a couple of design tools and use them on every project. Lately, we've been working on a set of design tools, but we don't call it a design methodology. I think it helped to avoid resistance."

The most common reason that prevents managers from testing hypotheses is the lack of opportunity to conduct an experiment. Usually this is mainly related to what is happening inside the organization, and not outside it. We know that the main obstacles to growth and innovation in most companies are not related to competitors, customers and market conditions. They are linked to an internal army of "appointed doubters" who exercise their veto power without even a chance to try.

Entering the path of design thinking is not easy, especially for those who work in large, mature organizations. Several practical advice to help make your design thinking debut a success. Choose the right task. Design thinking is not a paradigm shift that renders all other forms of problem solving obsolete. It's just a different approach, optimized for a certain type of task. To determine if there is a good opportunity to use design thinking, ask yourself if your problem is related to the following factors:

exploring unknown possibilities (rather than exploiting known ones);
creating elements of value and differentiation that do not yet exist;
discovering new opportunities for growth in an unfamiliar context;
work with complex problems that did not succumb to other methods.

Enlist the support of a top manager. Start small. Resist the urge to go big from the start. Carefully select a team and manage it. You need variety. If everyone is the same, you won't have anything to work with.

In addition to project management tools, we recommend three solutions for successful teamwork: working hub(a common space where people can gather and work together freely); work wall(a fairly large part of the wall on which the working materials will be placed; there should also be stickers and markers so that you can leave comments “in passing”); weekly meeting.

Gain momentum. In our experience, coasting is an underestimated resource for working on innovative project. The number one tool for building momentum is speed. The key to maintaining speed is fast decision making.

Be prepared for bouts of acute fear. During a design-thinking project, there are predictable moments of truth that can provoke feelings of intense fear and test your personal courage (Figure 9).

Rice. 9. Critical moments of projects using design thinking

How to “sell” design thinking? To anyone who is thinking of taking on the role of a preacher and is ready to convert the ignorant masses, we have only one thing to say: STOP! You already believe, but they don't. An abstract debate about the definition of design thinking and how it differs from the traditional analytical approach will not add a cent to your bottom line and will not captivate your audience. So start implementing design thinking and let the results speak for themselves. For starters, call it a tool to improve user satisfaction, create innovation, or identify new opportunities for growth.

When we first started writing the book, several experienced designers tried to dissuade us from this idea. They said: "Design thinking does not exist, you just need to design." Their stance reminded us of Apple's design tangle (see Figure 1). We hope we've been able to demonstrate that the design process can be unraveled and made transparent, and that it can be mastered by managers of all backgrounds.

APPENDIX. PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Although the design environment is full of uncertainty, design project management should not be uncertain. Project Management Assistants (PMAs - project management Assistants) will help provide as much clarity, control and transparency as possible when managing a design project.

PMA 1: design brief tells the project team where they are going and why, what pitfalls to avoid, and what resources are needed. He sets the schedule, names important milestones, and defines the metrics by which you will evaluate the project (Figure 10).

Rice. 10. Design brief

PMA 2: Design Evaluation Criteria is a concise description of the ideal end state of your project. It uses the conclusions obtained at the stage "What is?" (Fig. 11).

Rice. 11. Criteria for design evaluation

PMA 3: pitch on a napkin provides a simple and robust format to summarize new concepts and demonstrate them (Figure 12).

Rice. 12. Pitch on a napkin

PMA 4: test run guide allows you to reformulate the strategic intention, and then defines the parameters for testing key hypotheses (Fig. 13). Corporations are using a test run guide in response to a common obstacle to growth - risk aversion. If you learn more about key hypotheses, your efforts will not be in vain.

Rice. 13. Test run guide

Editions in Russian

Rome D. Visual thinking. How to "sell" your ideas with visual images. Moscow: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, Eksmo, 2013.

Gladwell M. The Power of Instant Decisions. Intuition as a skill. Moscow: Alpina Publisher, 2013.

Osterwalder A., Pigne I. . Handbook of the strategist and innovator. Moscow: Alpina Publisher, 2014.

Khargadon E. Management of innovations. Experience of leading companies. M.: Williams, 2007.

Pink D. The future belongs to the right hemisphere. What to do, what to think and how to be in the age of new creative thinking. Moscow: Ripol Classic, Open World, 2014.

Kaplan R., Norton D. A strategy-oriented organization. How balanced scorecard organizations thrive in the new business environment. M.: Olymp-Business, 2009

Neustadt R., May E. Contemporary Reflections on the Benefits of History for Decision Makers. M.: Library of the Moscow School political research, Ad Marginem, 1999.

Lehrer D. Moscow: Corpus, Astrel, 2010.

Insight is a term that describes a complex intellectual phenomenon, the essence of which is an unexpected, partly intuitive breakthrough to understanding the problem posed and “suddenly” finding its solution.

This book can be purchased at

“Think like a designer. Design Thinking for Managers is a practical guide to preparing a project in any field. “Design thinking is a systematic approach to problem solving,” say the authors, Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie. In the book, they describe in detail the process of preparing a project and provide effective tools for a comprehensive methodology that combines a business approach and design elements of the work.

In the first part of the book, the authors talk about what design thinking is, consider the relationship between design and business. They divide the preparation of the project into 4 stages: “What is there?”, “What if?”, “What catches?”, “What works?”. The introductory part briefly describes each of them, and also talks about 10 tools that help you work productively at all stages.

The following sections detail the steps and tools, starting with briefing - description, scope, client identification, deliverables, and project planning. The authors explain in detail the techniques of visualization, the study of the user's reaction to the product, the analysis of the company's interaction with partners, and the method of analyzing the information received.

"What if?" The stage at which the collected information is put into actionable forms. It uses the method of "brainstorming" and goes through the process of developing concepts. Liedtka and Ogilvie talk about the reasons why some managers hated brainstorming, which is the incorrect implementation of the method.

At the stage "What catches?" uses a project management tool called "Pitch on a Napkin" by the authors. This tool helps to formulate concepts and compare them. Next, testing and visual embodiment of the hypotheses is carried out.

The last, fourth, stage involves real users, with the help of which it is possible to more accurately test the hypothesis. After involving potential customers, a test launch of the project is carried out. The authors focus on minimum investment in both of these tools, subject to the maximum obtaining of the result.

Each of the described tools is considered in detail - from the question “where to start” through practice that can be worked out in everyday situations, to a description of specific results (what should be the output).

Readers

The book is addressed to business owners and project managers.

Translation: Taira Mammadova

Publisher:"Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"

Year of issue: 2015

ISBN: 978-5-00057-314-3

Number of pages: 240

Format: 210x210mm

This book can be purchased at

Designing for Growth:

A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers

Scientific editor Maria Stashenko

Legal support of the publishing house is provided by law firm"Vegas Lex"

Dedicated to Salz and Caroline

Design Thinking: How and Why

Why design?

Every leader needs a design. You can't build a business without it. But what is it? When Tim Brennan of the Apple creative team was asked to define design, he drew this picture:

Design, this exquisite definition tells us, is pure magic. A riddle of riddles, a mysterious sphere of the unknown, where only the brave (and very smart) dare to enter. If this is so, then it is impossible to imagine that there is a formal process for mastering these sharp turns. Of course, we all would like to invent the equivalent of the iPod in our business. But when it comes to such development and such innovations, mere mortals, ordinary business people, are at a loss. We shrug our shoulders and continue to pore over spreadsheets and results marketing research, trying to find another magic tool - another catalyst for growth.

But don't be fooled by Apple's views on design. This concept has many different meanings. It turns out that the design thinking process we'll talk about in this book is more like Dorothy's silver slippers than a magic wand. You already have magic power. It remains to be seen how to use it. Find someone in any organization who launches innovations, and you will surely see that this person constantly practices design thinking.

If you are a manager, get ready to roll up your sleeves rather than throw up your hands in desperation. Because design thinking is a systematic approach to problem solving. It starts with users and your ability to create a better future for them. And he takes into account that, perhaps, the first time will not work. It does not require supernatural powers, and it is absolutely safe to try it at home.

The time for design has come.

We believe that the recent explosion of interest in design thinking is not only due to the success and prestige of Apple. We need a new set of tools. By increasing productivity and reorganizing processes, we have exhausted our possibilities. Competition has raised the bar: with the advent of the Internet and networking, it is no longer possible to accumulate knowledge in secret from others. Our views on the sources of creativity are getting wider every day: we learn new things about how the brain works, we study new cognitive models and their functioning in different contexts. Finally, design tools - including stickers and whiteboards - have become simple and common.

Design thinking can influence natural growth and innovation in the same way that Total Quality Management (TQM) has affected quality: we take what has always worried us, give managers the necessary tools and processes, and we get results.

Can and should managers be taught design thinking? Designers lively discuss this topic. But at the center of the debate remains the question of what is meant by design. The very idea of being able to train managers in design seems extremely dangerous to designers. Cause it takes years special training, and if managers begin to think of themselves as designers, the quality of work and respect for the profession may suffer. We believe that these concerns should be taken seriously and that the first thing to do is to separate the concepts design and design thinking.

Gifted designers combine aesthetic sensibility with great visualization, ethnography, and pattern recognition abilities. All this is far beyond our capabilities, and managers are no exception. But when it comes to spurring growth in a business, we are interested in abilities that are not about natural talent and art education, but about a systematic approach to problem solving. For us, this is what distinguishes design thinking - and it can be taught to managers.

Like any process, design thinking is practiced on different levels people with different talents and abilities. Can the middle manager turn into Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief designer? You are just as likely to turn into Serena Williams under the guidance of a district tennis champion. But can you learn to play better? Of course. And as you learn, you will appreciate the accomplishments of the Jonathan Quinces of this world even more. More importantly, you will have a new set of tools with which you can solve difficult task development.

The purpose of this book is to demystify design thinking and transform the concept of design from an abstract idea into a practical, everyday tool that every manager can use. We'll look at design from a business perspective, translate the design vocabulary into business language, unravel the mystifying link between design thinking and profitable growth, describe system procedures with simple project management templates, and give you ten tools to combine design and traditional business approaches. . With their help, you will expand the opportunities for the growth of your business and your profits. Along the way, we'll introduce you to other people like Dave Jarrett - none of them trained in design, but all use design thinking to drive innovation and growth in their organizations. Among them are Christy Zuber, a nurse with a passion for design, and Diane Tai, an MBA-trained political scientist with the American Retiree Association. Diane helps young people manage their finances, which allows baby boomers to forego cash assistance for adult children. All of these managers have mastered design thinking. So fasten your silver shoes and let's go!

Design Thinker

Dave Jarrett

Imagine a hotbed of design thinking. Now imagine auditors and economists. Don't see the connection?

If you meet Dave Jarrett, a partner at Crowe Horwath, one of the largest accounting firms in the US, he might ask if you know a joke about becoming a partner in an accounting firm. “You should not be offered anything better,” he jokes with a stone face.

Dave joined the firm in 1975 and spent twenty years as an auditor and tax expert. For the last ten years he has led a team that provides solutions that improve the firm's capabilities, market visibility, sales and profitability. And he knows what you're thinking right now.

“Design thinking makes people feel timid – as if it requires completely different skills than we ordinary people have. When people talk about designers, high fashion immediately comes to mind. I'm not good at combining two pieces of clothing. In fact, we are trying to make sure that the user gets exactly what he wants.

Jeanne Liedtka, Tim Ogilvy

Think like a designer. Design thinking for managers

Designing for Growth:

A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers

Scientific editor Maria Stashenko

Legal support of the publishing house is provided by the law firm "Vegas-Lex"

* * *

Dedicated to Salz and Caroline

Design Thinking: How and Why

Why design?

Every leader needs a design. You can't build a business without it. But what is it? When Tim Brennan of the Apple creative team was asked to define design, he drew this picture(1):

Design, this exquisite definition tells us, is pure magic. A riddle of riddles, a mysterious sphere of the unknown, where only the brave (and very smart) dare to enter. If this is so, then it is impossible to imagine that there is a formal process for mastering these sharp turns. Of course, we all would like to invent the equivalent of the iPod in our business. But when it comes to such development and such innovations, mere mortals, ordinary business people, are at a loss. We shrug our shoulders and continue to pore over spreadsheets and market research results, trying to find another magic tool - another catalyst for growth.

But don't be fooled by Apple's views on design. This concept has many different meanings. It turns out that the design thinking process we're going to talk about in this book is more like Dorothy's silver slippers than a magic wand. You already have magic power. It remains to be seen how to use it. Find someone in any organization who launches innovations, and you will surely see that this person constantly practices design thinking.

The time for design has come.

Can and should managers be taught design thinking? Designers lively discuss this topic. But at the center of the debate remains the question of what is meant by design. The very idea of being able to train managers in design seems extremely dangerous to designers. After all, this requires years of special training, and if managers begin to consider themselves designers, the quality of work and respect for the profession may suffer. We believe that these concerns should be taken seriously and that the first thing to do is to separate the concepts design and design thinking.

Like any process, design thinking is practiced at different levels by people with different talents and abilities. Can the middle manager turn into Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief designer? You are just as likely to turn into Serena Williams under the guidance of a district tennis champion. But can you learn to play better? Of course. And as you learn, you will appreciate the accomplishments of the Jonathan Quinces of this world even more. More importantly, you will have a new set of tools with which you can solve the difficult task of development.

Design Thinker Dave Jarrett

Imagine a hotbed of design thinking. Now imagine auditors and economists. Don't see the connection?