Came across this really nice video that talks about the value of Design, and what people perceive of Design. While the term Desin Thinking is nebulous, there are a lot of attempts to answer it in the correct words. But the fact is that there is no correct answer to that. Design thinking according to me is a way of life, a thought process that is focused on problem solving, but with a strong focus on the Human and their life world.
Some scholars fear the misuse of the term and feel that when Design thinking takes over, the working takes a back seat. It could be true only in the case that Design thinking is a thing to do. In my opinion its not. You do not put it in as an activity, like I did Design thinking for X number of hours on this particular problem. Its something that you adopt in your working culture. It is something that is there at all times, as an underlying theme towards your problem solving approach.
There have been many who have also spoken and written about the death of Design thinking too.
Bruce Nussbaum, one of Design Thinking’s biggest advocates, is moving on to something new. Here, he begins defining “Creative Quotient.” While I do not agree to most of what the post says, and neither to the call for a new framework, I do agree to this point: Design Thinking has given the design profession and society at large all the benefits it has to offer and is beginning to ossify and actually do harm.
This above statement aligns itself with the fear that many Design thinking proponents talk about, that is that design thinking is all just thinking and no action.
And then there is Erik Stolterman, who provides a counter argument, in his article on his blog The Death of Design Thinking.
Design as an approach or as a form of “thinking” is not dead. At the same time, it is not yet alive as a fully developed intellectual and philosophical tradition. A lot of people are doing a great job today trying to develop such an understanding, but it will probably take another century to reach a situation where design as an approach is recognized at the same level and in the same intellectual and intuitive sense as art and science.
It is interesting to read this view too.
Like I earlier mentioned, thinking can only survive and flourish, if it goes along with and is supported by action. We as Design Thinkers need to propagate the action part and ensuring that the thought processes and discussions thereafter lead to concrete tangibles.
