Over the years Design Thinking has evolved from a niche specialism, appealing primarily to start-ups and entrepreneurs, and is now firmly on the agenda of large multinational companies, as well as the MBA curriculum. It offers enormous potential for innovation and competitive advantage. Firms synonymous with success including Google, Apple, Uber, Netflix and SalesForce.com have embraced design thinking at the core of their business models. Traditionally Design Thinking is carried out through a series of iterating stages. These stages; Empathise, Design, Ideate, Prototype and Test follow the Design Thinking model proposed by the HassoPlattner Institute of Design at Stanford; the leading university when it comes to teaching Design Thinking. How, though, do these steps align with the development of Design Thinking maturity? And is there maybe a sixth step that is equally important in the development of UX, service design and product?

Ahead of the Design Thinking 2020 summit, take a look back at some of the highest rated presentations from the 2019 event.

Featuring exclusive insights from:

- Uber (USA)

- NbN

- Latitude Financial 

For decades Disney has persisted in the subconscious of millions, with few other enterprises commanding the same staying power or ability to grow and adapt.

How though has this staying power been achieved? And how does Walt Disney continue to deliver products, services and experiences that have become synonymous with the ‘magic’ of Disney?

One thing is for certain, you don’t become Disney, nor command that level of presence within the social psyche, by thinking inside the box. For years Disney has embraced design thinking and human centred design to deliver customers the experiences, products and services that have cemented the organisation as a CX powerhouse.

These methodologies facilitate creative approaches to problem solving, and over the years have become integral to the business models and success of household names like Disney, Google, Apple and Netflix. Ahead of the Design Thinking Summit 2020 we chat to Kevin Schumacher, Principal UX at Disney. Kevin most recently has been involved in the development, application design and rollout of Disney+, Disney’s new streaming platform which launched in late 2019. He chats to us about maturing design thinking, driving tangible results and delivering exceptional customer experiences.

To read the Q&A, simply fill in your details or request a copy sent to your inbox. 

Whether a beginner or mature design, how do you make the most out of your Design Thinking potential? We’ve passed it over to the experts, gathering the insights of our expert International Keynote Panel, ahead of Design Thinking 2019.

Enjoy the expertise of:

• Pamela Bailey, Head of Design and User Experience at Facebook
• Margaret Price, Principal Design Strategist at Microsoft
• Ryan Rumsey, Assistant Vice President Experience Strategy at USAA 
  

Although Design Thinking can trace its roots back to the 1960s, in recent years the strategy has really come to the forefront. Today, Design Thinking is gaining broad recognition as an essential strategy in traditional design disciplines as well as a variety of other fields, like business. Design thinking is transforming workflows for everyone from amateur designers to corporate design professionals, and promising benefits like reduced risk, faster product development and deeper market insights.

While Design Thinking, based on the five founding principles of empathy, definition, ideation, prototype and test, has steadily gained ground as a crucial strategy; securing buy-in for the concept and effectively integrating the strategy to drive ROI is often easier said than done.

Ahead of the Design Thinking Victoria Summit 2019 we take a look at how four business organisations – Facebook (USA), NAB, Tabcorp and USAA (USA) – worked to secure buy-in, and have successfully integrated Design Thinking to streamline and optimise product creation.    

Design thinking is a mindset for solving complex problems. Originally stemming from the design process, design thinking challenges leaders, individuals, and organisations to think like a designer. That is, placing your client at the heart of the process and harnessing prototyping and testing for successful results. 

Check out this guide to learn the 5 steps of Design Thinking.

After gaining the baseline understanding for design thinking and growing proficiency, many organisations face barriers moving beyond a singular touch-point to organisation wide buy-in. Design Thinking 201 addresses various challenges and solutions to elevate design thinking to an organisation-wide design transformation. 

Some immediate benefits of design thinking are often difficult to quantify including employee engagement, customer-centricity, and cross-functional collaboration. However, successful organisations understand the impact of design thinking as driving revenue, cost savings, and economic impact.  

Design Thinking 301 goes over internal measurements of design thinking and research on the macro impact of design thinking in order to help you digital transform your organisation.