Throughout
my entrepreneurship class, we have discussed in great detail design thinking. Design
thinking is the process by which a person defines a problem, creates and
considered many options, refines and selects the direction for the result, and
then finally executes the product. This thinking process is very important when
creating a project as an emerging entrepreneur.
The
most important of the four stages of design thinking is defining a problem. Once you have defined the correct problem that
needs to be solved, things will fall into place. When you are deciding a
problem, you should keep asking “why?” and from there you will get the right
answer to move on to the next step in the process.
The
next step in the process is creating and
considering many options. Even if the option seems so obvious, you need to
keep thinking of more options. In this step, collaborating with others and team
work will lead to more opportunities for ideas.
The
third step in the process is to take these ideas just made and formulate the direction in which you
want to take your product. You will have to develop your ideas even further to
maximize all of your options. From there you will finally know the exact
product you want.
This
brings us to the fourth step. You finally pick
the “winner.” When you have thought through all of your options, asked
“why?,” considered all of your options, and pick the direction your want to go,
you will choose your final product and execute it to its full potential.
One
of the main things that interested me in design thinking was a quote from
Herbert Simon. He explained that critical thinking was associated with the
“breaking down of ideas” and design thinking was the creative process in which
you “build up ideas.” Through the four step design thinking process, the
building up of ideas is perfectly executed.
