Design Thinking
The book traces design thinking back to the concept of wicked problems, then critiques its corporate simplification into a rigid, linear five-step process, citing Natasha Jen's and IDEO's own concerns that this packaging strips out the deep research and rigor of genuine design thinking.
The book frames Design Thinking first through its lineage of 'wicked problems' — a concept 'first named by Rittel and Webber in planning theory, but brought powerfully into design thinking by Richard Buchanan back in the 90s.' It then critiques Design Thinking's corporate afterlife as a 'glorified procedure': the 'corporate co-option of "Design Thinking"' that was 'widely marketed and simplified into a linear, five-step process (e.g., Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test)... sold to corporations as a universal panacea for innovation,' a packaging the book ties to Natasha Jen's influential critique that the formulaic approach 'bypasses the deep research, critical thinking, and rigorous iteration that constitute genuine design thinking.' The same pattern is described for IDEO's own formalized practice, whose 'simplification into a rigid, linear methodology for non-designers has, at times, led to superficial application and a disconnection from its original depth and ethical grounding.'
Related in Community
Entries this one is tied to through the book.
Examples
- Juicero Press · both placed under Pseudo-Design
- Natasha Jen's critique of “Design Thinking” · both placed under Glorified
- Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore · discussed together in section 158
- Bauhaus · discussed together in section 015
- Center for Health Design · discussed together in section 134
- Cradle to Cradle (book by William McDonough and Michael Braungart) · discussed together in section 015
- European Union's Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC) · discussed together in section 134
- IDEO · discussed together in section 158
- Kigumi · discussed together in section 134
- Phoebus Cartel · discussed together in section 015
- Sense-Making Methodology (Brenda Dervin) · discussed together in section 134
- Ulm School of Design · discussed together in section 015
- Ushahidi · discussed together in section 158
Books and references
- Design Issues · discussed together in section 158
Methods
- Circular Economy · discussed together in section 015
In the Framework
- Wicked Problems · problem type
- Procedures Component
- Glorified · variable
- Design's Core
- Outcomes Component
In the book
- Chapter 1, section 008 · Wrestling with Wickedness: The Tangled Knots of Now
- Chapter 2, section 015 · Engaging the Past: A Critical Inheritance
- Chapter 13, section 134 · Variables
- Chapter 16, section 158 · Core Dimension
Mentioned in
Methods