When people talk about ‘design thinking’ nowadays, they are referring to a specific definition: a methodology and organisational approach to solving problems and building products. Design thinking is about bringing these tried-and-tested methodologies to a wider audience and wider stakeholders across the organisation.
Over the past few years, ‘design thinking’ has gone from being an obscure technical term to being hailed a ‘magic bullet’ in management speak. On the one hand, it is welcome that management sees the importance of design in serving customers better. However, it requires cultural as well as behavioural change to transform an organisation into one that is capable of making decisions that start with the customers’ needs and works backwards.
What can the public sector teach the private sector about agility, transformation and truly user-centric design? Johan Hogsander, Managing Director at Engine Transformation, shares the lessons he has learned from working for the ‘biggest business’ in the UK.
It’s not always enough to trust in the process of design sprints. They push people to shift their mindsets, change their behaviours and deal with awkward situations. A solid process alone just won’t cut it.
You need to put people’s needs at the heart of the process. That’s the only way to get the full and lasting benefit of a design sprint.
