Design Thinking
Design is one of the most important aspects of any project and plays a pivotal role in determining the success or failure. A well designed product will have a better return on investment than one that is poorly designed. It is also essential to keep in mind that we all come with different talents and within each of us there are different design skills. The designer is an expert in his field who has to be able to use his talents and knowledge to design a product that meets the specifications of his customers. The job of the designer is to think of the most economical, functional and aesthetically pleasing design solution for his client. All the three combine to give the end product of the client a superior quality which will more often than not outlive its designer.
To put it simply, design thinking is the process by which business people come up with good designs that meet their customer’s needs and expectations. A good design is a clear-cut plan or blueprint for the design of an object, a process or even for the execution of such a plan or blueprint, or the outcome of that plan or blueprint in the shape of a successful prototype, manufactured product or service. The word ‘design’ in this context means ‘to give life to something beautiful or useful.’
In order to make the most of design thinking it is necessary to identify and analyze the problems that users encounter. It is also necessary to come up with efficient solutions to those problems. Design thinking on the basis of problems identified by users will help users explore alternative strategies to overcome the problems rather than sticking to the existing design. Some designers use the scientific approach and some employ the creative approach. Some of them use both approaches.