Solving Problems with Design Thinking: Ten Stories of What Works

by Jeanne Liedtka, Andrew King, Kevin Bennett

Design-oriented firms such as Apple and IDEO have demonstrated how design thinking can affect business results. However, most managers lack a sense of how to use this new approach for issues other than product development and sales growth. Solving Problems with Design Thinking details ten real-world examples of managers who successfully applied design methods at 3M, Toyota, IBM, Intuit, and SAP; entrepreneurial start-ups such as MeYou Health; and government and social sector organizations, including the City of Dublin and Denmark's The Good Kitchen.

Using design skills such as ethnography, visualization, storytelling, and experimentation, these managers produced innovative solutions to such problems as implementing strategy, supporting a sales force, redesigning internal processes, feeding the elderly, and engaging citizens. They elaborate on the challenges they faced and the processes and tools they used, providing a clear path to implementation based on the principles and practices laid out in Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie's Designing for A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers .

Genres: Business, Design, Nonfiction, Management, Audiobook

232 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

ِAn American strategist and professor of business administration at the Darden School of the University of Virginia, particularly known for her work on strategic thinking, design thinking and organic growth.

Reviews

[Shobhit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Introduces design thinking in introduction and talks about its application in different industry. But apart from awareness in different varied industry, I couldn't get details on challenges faced, barriers overcome in implementing the change in any organization. In many cases, IDEO experts were called and they ran the show which may not be possible for all size companies.

Also, I am not able to distinguish it from lean product development that also promotes customer focus and knowing the current situation clearly.

[Kevin Orth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What really makes this read worthwhile is the intertwining of theory with real world examples of them being applied. The narrative is further strengthened by having short chapters that with samples from a variety of organizations and situations.
Being organized as it is the reader can jump around as topics are more pertinent and focus on what is precisely of interest.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Design thinking is more about the approach to the problem than it is about the solution.

Some good stuff here, although the relentless clichés and cringey jargon are a drag: mine the graph, leverage tools, curate the data, and so on.

pp. 41: For 'What-is', map the conversation. "A lot of managers throw away all kinds of opportunities before they even get started by framing the problem too narrowly." Discover unarticulated needs of stakeholders.

pp. 56: Managers like to pass along answers in the form of directives. While this may get compliance, it will rarely get commitment. On our own, we often ask the wrong question. Achieve engagement and innovative spirit from allowing stakeholders to 'live' in the question with you - far surpasses the false sense of efficiency you get from skipping the conversation.

pp. 67: Practice ethnography. This is where true value is added to transactional relationships.

pp. 78: What is the ideal, if anything were possible?

pp. 89: Knowing the 'why' is perhaps more important that 'what'. Know the context.

pp. 202: Individual differences hold the key to higher performance. Super cheese: "The design process cuts through complexity to find the nuggets of wisdom." Design is comfortable with emptiness. Leave space in the emergence of a solution so that many can contribute to it.

Heidegger: access the 'withheld': the better self within each of us who wants to be made present - if the space and invitation are provided. The same ambiguity that makes us uncomfortable has the potential to unleash a high level of energy, which we don't see when there is certainty.

[Bharath · Rating 2 out of 5]

Design thinking is the in thing now. This book does well to provide an introduction and 10 varied examples of design thinking. However, the narrative is too procedural and the not all the examples are good. There is very little material on great design thinkers and the principles in common, steps to foster design thinking, what would be the challenges, and also a realistic take beyond the hype is missing.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit vague on how to implement other than its ethnographic principal about observing customers, employees, etc., and how they actually accomplish their jobs. Also the results were not well conveyed. Overall a bit of a superficial treatment of the latest buzzword term. Freely admits in the first chapter it fails to work quite often.

[Đọc Gì Hong? · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tư duy thiết kế hay Design thinking là thuật ngữ quen thuộc trong ngành của mình. Có rất nhiều bài định nghĩa cũng như phương pháp chuyên sâu về thuật ngữ này bạn có thể tìm hiểu thêm trước khi đọc.

Quyển sách này viết về 10 case study cụ thể áp dụng Design Thinking để giải quyết nhiều vấn đề trong mô hình kinh doanh của họ. 10 case study đa dạng về loại hình kinh doanh. Viết khá chi tiết, từ đưa ra problem, thử thách, đến dẫn dắt công cụ sử dụng, phân tích sâu vào quá trình thực hiện và đưa ra kết quả cũng như bài học sau khi áp dụng.

Mình thích nhất câu chuyện của Toyota và Good Kitchen. Bài học của Toyota nhấn mạnh sự quan trọng của việc xây dựng văn hoá nhóm, cũng như họ rất tôn trọng quan điểm của nhân viên mình, góp phần thành công cho cả dự án. Trải qua mấy năm làm việc, làm việc nhóm cũng có, làm việc độc lập cũng có. Thì mình cảm nhận được rằng, sự gắn kết giữa các thành viên với nhau là 1 điều mà những người đã đang sẽ hoặc muốn làm lãnh đạo phải biết cách làm và thử thách hơn nữa là luôn đốt lửa hừng hực nhiệt huyết yêu nghề của team members. Và khi làm bất cứ cái gì trong công việc, bằng 1 cách nào đó phải hiểu được cái mình đang làm và nó mang lại giá trị gì.

Còn về GoodKitchen, họ áp dụng Design Thinking trong công cuộc thay đổi thực đơn để thấu hiểu sự cô độc của người cao tuổi, sự bất mãn của nhân viên làm dịch vụ ẩm thực, và tìm cách giải quyết nỗi bức xúc ấy. Giống như câu nói nổi tiếng của Steve “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” “Người làm thiết kế” không chỉ tạo ra những thứ đẹp đẽ, mà bây giờ thiết kế còn phải giải quyết được vấn đề nữa. Mình không include “người làm nghệ thuật hay artist” nhé. 😂

Khái niệm về User Experience (UX) hay là về UI/UX Design gần đây mình thấy khá phổ biến nhưng chưa rộng rãi lắm. Mình cũng mong muốn nhiều người biết hơn vì nó thực sự là 1 ngành nghề hay, thú vị mà không chỉ trong tech mà còn được nghiên cứu và ứng dụng nhiều trong những ngành nghề khác ngay cả trong cuộc sống. Quyển này thì đi vào case study khá thực tế. Nhưng có nhiều khi dịch sát nghĩa quá cái thành ra mình phải lựng khựng vài giây để biết đang nói về gì. 😂 Anw, đó chỉ là chi tiết nhỏ. Mình đánh giá quyển này okie.

Tình hình dịch bệnh đang rất chi là tình hình và căng thẳng. Mình có đang chán đến mấy thì cũng phải tìm cách để luôn cảm thấy “yêu nghề” 😂 Chính vì vậy, những lúc cảm thấy không biết còn đam mê hay không, mình hay đọc những thể loại sách như này để vực dậy tinh thần. Và mình tự an ủi bản thân, rồi mình cũng sẽ đạt được “dream jobs” sớm thôi. Còn “dream jobs” đối với mình là gì thì…. có khi dành cả đời để đi kiếm và trải nghiệm. 😂 Vì mình luôn quan điểm rằng, mọi thứ bạn phải đi kiếm chứ không có gì tự nhiên mà tới. 😂

[Tracy Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Design thinking is a human-centred approach to problem-solving. I've been interested in design thinking for a long time and and forever curious as to how it is applied in different contexts. I think someone recommended this book to me. I'm pleased they did as it contains interesting and useful, case studies from IBM, Suncorp and Intuit amoung others.

There are also descriptions of useful tools including visualisation, journey mapping, value chain analysis, mind mapping, brainstroming, concept development, assumption testing (a personal favourite), rapid proto-typing, customer co-creation and learning launch.

The authors wanted to understand the extent to which the methods, techniques, and processes traditionally associated with design, had been adopted. All the case studies shared are positive, with the authors noting that they had collected many other stories, which were less successful. How you measure success is important and I note that other book reviewers observed that the stories described within, lacked metrics. Still, a very useful read which I recommend to others interested in the practical application of design thinking.

[Vishal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good weekend read with decent examples of how different business applied design thinking to do things better. I would have loved to read a more in-depth study though. Some case studies were useful to be inspired by and some were a good-to-know reads. Overall, this book opens up people to the thought of how design thinking can work for businesses. I read at a very slow pace by covering one case study per day trying to think through the situations and circumstances of every story while I would commute to-n-fro to work.

[Bob Ferrante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah. Examples. THIS is useful

Well I so admire the deep thinking that goes behind so many theories, I also think it's the thing that keeps so many theories behind. So this book actually reveals the deep thinking and does it in the context of example after example. There's something in here for technical people, there's something in here for managers, and even people who are just drive-by.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. While I do think some of the examples were not nearly as relevant or captivating than others, I was surprised to find myself more interested in the examples that were non-Financial Services than the ones that were. A must-read for anyone interested in Design Thinking, and different scenarios where it was successfully used.

[Arnold Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Design thinking is quite a big subject these days however it's not a good idea to drag very unrelated topics to dress them as design thinking. I really loved a few topics covered by Andrew and Kevin however some of the stories are far off the design thinking principals and really do not apply in any form here, overall I loved the book.

[202 unknown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tựa Việt: Giải quyết vấn đề bằng tư duy thuyết kế
Mông lung như một trò đùa có lẽ vì chất lượng bản dịch một phần, phần nữa là cách tiếp cận và thể hiện của tác giả quá khác so với những gì mình đang hiểu về tư duy thiết kế. Và đọc một hồi vẫn không hiểu tại sao các case study thành công, cũng không rút ra được cái gì lắm.

[Thomas-James C Goin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, got me thinking.

Design thinking is something I have been thinking about for a long time, and learning how to apply it, even in my limited capacity, is thrilling. Great book, worth a read whether you’re a C-level executive or a new hire.

[Toan Ho Huu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sự cạnh tranh trên thị trường ngày càng khốc liệt, trong khi nguồn lực cả về người lẫn vốn trong doanh nghiệp đều rơi vào tình trạng cạn kiệt. Chỉ một vài công ty có thực lực mới có thể vực dậy. Còn những công ty trên bờ vực sụp đổ sẽ phải làm sao?

[Alvaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good learning tool

Through very different examples the book covers the principles of design thinking for business solutions in a simple and engagong way.

[Valentin · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good examples on how Design thinking was used to solve problems

[CARLOS LEMUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solved one of many using this book.

[Dat Thai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Khá là khó đọc. Vẫn chưa thực sự thấy được sự đột phá hay mới mẻ mà tư duy thiết kế đem lại.

[Nourddine Boughaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always had a love for graphic design. When I recived a copy of this ebook, I was intrigued to see how the elements of design could flow into other areas of life and business.

One of the first things I noticed was the truly creative approaches one could take when applying the principles from one field and applying them to another. This book does a great job of illustrating ten different and unique design approaches to solve problems. Each chapter (based on one of the ten approaches) provides real life stories and conversations with managers, designers, and organizational leaders that enhance the value of each approach.

I came away from this book with a better appreciation for problem solving outside of the box. One of the ways to find better solutions is to use more creative approaches. This has strategic implications for organizations at all levels.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful book for managers which describes how they can apply design thinking to their work and inspire their employees. It provides ten case studies of excellent design thinking. It isn't very helpful for self-employed people, although one can apply some of the principles.

I found this book extremely dry, so I didn't finish it. However, I enjoyed the story of the Suncorp merger with CGI Insurance and I liked reading about some of the tools of design thinking, such as mind-mapping, posters and metaphors.