Our bootcamp was my introduction to the concept of Design Thinking. It was a completely foreign concept to me, and my initial guesses on what it could have been be were completely wrong. Upon hearing the name Design Thinking, I immediately predicted our end goal would be something fixed to finite concepts like graphic design or efficient packaging/inventory. I expected an extravagant list of steps that required perfection for an end goal to be accomplished. Alas, it turned out to be the complete opposite. It was a rather simplistic concept: Discover, Design, Create, Evaluate. Of course, little caveats slightly complicated each step, but my experience was much less complex than my initial interpretation made things to be.
Although Design Thinking was a completely alternative train-of-thought for our class, it took us merely a few readings and a lecture to successfully grasp its overall methodologies. I was impressed by the innovation I witnessed amongst my table members and in the class’ Show&Tell segment. Nearly every revision of modern phones was diverse, realistic, and pragmatic. One idea simplified things drastically, yet still maintained power necessary to for the essentials: calling, texting, and taking photos. Another concept contained amendments to internet services, of which entire geographic populations would benefit. Contrarily, there were several new interfaces that could improve consumer satisfaction on a person-to-person basis.
But, despite an overall success, I found one aspect of Design Thinking rather difficult: the interview. Thanks to our PollEverywhere segment, I’m relieved to know I’m not alone. I’ve never experienced an interviewing process like Design Thinking’s. It is literally the polar opposite of what my modern B-School education has prepared me to expect during a formal internship/job interview. Nonetheless, this difference is pretty understandable. The purposes of each interview is completely different. Jobs must determine which interviewee is the best candidate for employment. Contrarily, Design Thinking’s focus was to please our interviewee through innovative creativity. A second aspect that I found problematic was interpreting my partner’s interview subjectively enough to see which changes to their modern iPhone would benefit them most. My partner shared two very similar stories; the main themes of both were seeking more connection. However, modern phones have already done such a great job of connecting people that my final idea hardly seemed innovative.
In conclusion, our class’ bootcamp on Design Thinking was awesome to experience. Great work, friends! I’ve never channeled innovative thoughts down the path that our workshop led them, and I can’t wait for my next opportunity to improve from the unique methodology.