Design Thinking: What It Is and Why You Should Adopt It in Your Company

Design Thinking is a practical and creative approach to problem-solving with the primary goal of enhancing people’s everyday well-being.
It’s an interactive process that seeks to understand the needs of the end user, constantly questioning even the most obvious assumptions and redefining the problem to identify alternative strategies and innovative solutions that might remain under the surface otherwise.
It revolves around developing a deep understanding of the people for whom we are designing the product or service, helping us empathize with our target audience, and pushing us to question everything: the problem, the assumptions, the solutions.

Developed at Stanford University and quickly spreading across the USA, Canada, and much of Europe, Design Thinking draws inspiration from a human-centered approach, where science and technology come together to foster creativity, sharing, and co-creation, addressing issues that can sometimes be extreme in people’s lives (like poverty, lack of hygiene, water scarcity, etc.).

The managerial methodology of Design Thinking consider people as the main focus, observing their behaviors and intuiting their needs.

It’s an innovative and dynamic business management method that overturns the traditional view of business schools (where business sits at the top of the triangle, with people and technology at the base), with a vision focused on people.

It is particularly effective in addressing problems where the root cause is uncertain or unknown, reframing the problem from a human-centric perspective that starts with the consumer/customer to understand their real needs and find solutions that effectively respond to those needs.
By building from the ground up, business models emerge that dramatically increase an organization’s ability (whether for-profit, non-profit, or public administration) to make innovative and profitable decisions, creating value and well-being for all stakeholders, both internal and external.

The Method

The process unfolds across three main phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation.

In the Inspiration phase, you learn directly from the people you are designing the project for, living closely with them to truly understand their needs.
In the Ideation phase, you make sense of what you’ve learned, identifying opportunities to test and prototyping potential solutions.
In the Implementation phase, the idea takes shape, becoming a product or service.

These phases are further broken down into five key steps: Empathy, Definition, Ideation, Prototyping, and Testing.

In each step, creative tools and activities are used, where art combines with science and technology. Brainstorming sessions generate ideas, which are then prototyped and tested using experiential tools. Theater, video, metaphor, music, and visual displays are intertwined with statistics, canvases, and management models to effectively tackle serious business problems and spark innovative processes.

In my work—whether it’s a consulting project, training, or facilitation—I frequently draw on the methodological approach and tools that Design Thinking offers. The client is always at the center of my thoughts, and their satisfaction, along with that of their customers, employees, and consumers, becomes my satisfaction!

An example of this is the Sales Design Process®, the first experiential training program dedicated to commercial teams. It aims to develop internal resources and potential by increasing self-awareness, identifying strengths and weaknesses, stimulating creativity, encouraging self-criticism, and fostering empathy, all while ensuring high levels of engagement and participation.

If you’d like to learn more about Design Thinking and its possible applications for your company, feel free to get in touch. I’d be happy to listen to and understand your needs, so we can design the right project for your organization together!