Just get started! Try and keep trying!
In this next chapter in our exploration of Design Thinking mindsets we will be diving into the concept of Iteration. This really is where the magic happens in design thinking. Where empathy, creativity and experimentation come to life and change happens, and happens fast!
Listening, embracing the mess and learning
Iteration is essentially about moving forward. It’s making tweaks and changes and constantly moving forward. It’s about having an openness to the voice of your end-user deeply rooted in empathy.
Have you ever had a great idea? An idea you were sure would solve all of your workplace's biggest problems and change everything for the better. You got so attached to the idea and started vigorously planning. You took months to put together proposals. You built up every aspect of the idea. You believed in this idea and had become so attached with all the time and energy you put in… But then you talked to your colleagues… you talked to your boss… you talked to your customers. It turns out, maybe your idea needed more work. Maybe you haven’t actually solved the problem at all. Maybe you didn’t even fully understand the problem.
This is where the concept of iteration comes in. Before you get too attached, it's important to take a step back and listen. Ask questions. Engage with those who you are designing a solution for. Dig deep into the problem itself to understand what it actually is, and why it’s important. It is from this place of deep understanding that we then start to design meaningful solutions. Solutions that will bring you closer to solving the actual problem.
Iteration can be messy. It's not a neat, linear path from problem to solution. Sometimes, it requires that we take a step back because we realize we were heading in the wrong direction.
Iteration forces us to accept that not every idea will be a winner and that is okay. We might end up in a place entirely different from where we started, and that's a sign that we are truly listening and adapting.
Prototyping, Testing, Adjusting, and Repeating
Think of iteration as a cycle of prototyping, testing, adjusting, and repeating. We start with a prototype. It might be a rough sketch, a digital model, or a physical item (it can even resemble a craft project!). Then, we use this to share the emerging solution with those we are designing a solution for.
This prototype is a starting point as we ask for feedback, take that feedback, make improvements to our prototype, and then do it all over again. With each step we get closer to a potential solution.
Prototyping is about moving quickly, letting go of perfectionism, bringing our emerging solution to those we are designing for, and together co-creating new iterations of a potential solution.
Have a challenge in mind that might be a good fit for a design process? We’re here to help. Reach out today. Let's talk.
In this next chapter in our exploration of Design Thinking mindsets we will be diving into the concept of Iteration. This really is where the magic happens in design thinking. Where empathy, creativity and experimentation come to life and change happens, and happens fast!
Listening, embracing the mess and learning
Iteration is essentially about moving forward. It’s making tweaks and changes and constantly moving forward. It’s about having an openness to the voice of your end-user deeply rooted in empathy.
Have you ever had a great idea? An idea you were sure would solve all of your workplace's biggest problems and change everything for the better. You got so attached to the idea and started vigorously planning. You took months to put together proposals. You built up every aspect of the idea. You believed in this idea and had become so attached with all the time and energy you put in… But then you talked to your colleagues… you talked to your boss… you talked to your customers. It turns out, maybe your idea needed more work. Maybe you haven’t actually solved the problem at all. Maybe you didn’t even fully understand the problem.
This is where the concept of iteration comes in. Before you get too attached, it's important to take a step back and listen. Ask questions. Engage with those who you are designing a solution for. Dig deep into the problem itself to understand what it actually is, and why it’s important. It is from this place of deep understanding that we then start to design meaningful solutions. Solutions that will bring you closer to solving the actual problem.
Iteration can be messy. It's not a neat, linear path from problem to solution. Sometimes, it requires that we take a step back because we realize we were heading in the wrong direction.
Iteration forces us to accept that not every idea will be a winner and that is okay. We might end up in a place entirely different from where we started, and that's a sign that we are truly listening and adapting.
Prototyping, Testing, Adjusting, and Repeating
Think of iteration as a cycle of prototyping, testing, adjusting, and repeating. We start with a prototype. It might be a rough sketch, a digital model, or a physical item (it can even resemble a craft project!). Then, we use this to share the emerging solution with those we are designing a solution for.
This prototype is a starting point as we ask for feedback, take that feedback, make improvements to our prototype, and then do it all over again. With each step we get closer to a potential solution.
Prototyping is about moving quickly, letting go of perfectionism, bringing our emerging solution to those we are designing for, and together co-creating new iterations of a potential solution.
Have a challenge in mind that might be a good fit for a design process? We’re here to help. Reach out today. Let's talk.
