Motivated by curiosity and a strong conviction that the tools and methods of design thinking ignite innovative ideas and solutions, a group of Portland-based, like-minded practitioners set out to survey the local landscape. Our goal: to uncover the tactics, challenges, benefits and themes surrounding design thinking in our community.
This is the result.
We found more than a dozen common themes and insights. Some of them speak directly to the benefits of a design thinking approach. Some express deep challenges to making that approach work in the real world. In all cases, we are pleasantly surprised by the conviction, passion, and commitment to overcoming those challenges and sharing the benefits of design thinking. !
2. WHAT IS THE STATE OF
DESIGN THINKING IN PORTLAND?
Motivated by curiosity and a strong conviction that the tools and
methods of design thinking ignite innovative ideas and solutions, a
group of Portland-based, like-minded practitioners set out to survey the
local landscape. Our goal: to uncover the tactics, challenges, beneïŹts
and themes surrounding design thinking in our community. !
!
We found more than a dozen common themes and insights. Some of
them speak directly to the beneïŹts of a design thinking approach. Some
express deep challenges to making that approach work in the real
world. In all cases, we are pleasantly surprised by the conviction,
passion, and commitment to overcoming those challenges and sharing
the beneïŹts of design thinking. !
!
Some of the results align with our existing experience and intuition and
some are brand new. We hope that youÊŒll use this to invoke energy and
support for using design thinking in your own work, as well as ïŹnd other
advocates and practitioners to connect and share with. !
One major outcome of this project is a realization that there is a clear
and universal desire for more design thinking events, resources,
workshops, and community activities. To help meet that need, we have
committed to re-energizing a small, existing grass-roots organization
called Design+Strategy. !
!
The goal is to pivot that organization into a broad, community-based
center for design thinking to facilitate events, share learning resources,
build and provide access to a network of practitioners, and promote the
methods and tools of design thinking. !
!
FORWARD!
FORWARD!
3! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
3. TABLE OF CONTENTS!
TOP FIVE THEMES!
METHODS & APPROACH!
âąÂ 45+ individual contributors
âąÂ More than a dozen organizations
âąÂ Multiple disciplines
âąÂ Several working sessions
QUALITY!
Collaborative solution development produces better results.!
For more information!
contact Design+Strategy:!
!
Laura Allen!
Kord Davis!
Sada Naegelin!
!
info@designplusstrategy.com!
!
@designplusstrat!
!
www.designplusstrategy.com!
EXPERIENCE!
Design thinking is experiential.!
VALUE!
The value of design thinking is not always apparent (to the uninitiated).!
CULTURE!
A culture of empathy, iteration, and acceptable failure is critical to a successful design
thinking environment.!
CURIOSITY!
Tools, tips, tricks, learning and practice resources.!
4! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
4. QUALITY
01!
State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
Collaborative solution
development produces
better results..
5! THEME 01: QUALITY! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
5. 6! THEME 01: QUALITY!
âClients are energized by the session; they walk out at the
end looking at the walls saying, Ê»whoa, look what we did!ÊŒâ !
!
âCreates a shared learningâ!
!
âCreates more enjoyable work product and end result AND!
itÊŒs funâ!
!
âBuilds a common ground to grow and move forwardâ!
!
âGenerates a shared vision to guide future actionâ!
!
âItÊŒs a relationship building experienceâ!
!
âGo deep to go fastâit gets you better resultsâ!
!
âThere is a cumulative beneïŹcial effect to this approach: it
might be harder or take more time in the beginning but down
the road that work will pay off in faster and better solutionsâ!
!
Participants universally acknowledge that design thinking
methods and tools lead to better results. While common
challenges were frequently shared, the overall perspective is
that overcoming those challenges is well worth the effort. A
sense of joy, accomplishment, and pride from generating
elegant solutions and outcomes is a readily apparent trait of
design thinking. Among people who work collaboratively with
other disciplines, a sense of shared vision and deeper
commitment to the overall solution is a common experience
for cross-functional teams -- both internally and with clients.!
Participants passionately believe that design thinking drove
action more effectively than other methods. Given sufïŹcient
time and opportunity, teams experience a âboomerangâ effect
as their initial testing of hypotheses and prototypes result in
increasingly powerful results. The cumulative effect of
building on previous learning exponentially improves each
iteration. A design thinking approach is more enjoyable,
results in better work, and improves relationships. !
!
Find and share design thinking output examples widely:
artifacts, captures, ïŹnal deliverables!
Show your work in progress often and ask for feedbackâ
people support what they help build!
Drive toward action!
Do whatÊŒs right for the work!
!
QUALITY!
THEME01!
HEARING! THINKING! DOING!
The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
6. EXPERIENCE
02!
State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
Design thinking is
experiential.
7! THEME 02: EXPERIENCE! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
7. 8! THEME 02: EXPERIENCE!
âUntil you see or witness it itÊŒs very hard to describe in
advanceâa full, day-long experience is the best way to Ê»show
the valueÊŒâ !
!
âThere is a âtransformationâ experience that happens in a
design thinking sessionâ!
!
âThereÊŒs a Ê»magicÊŒ to good collaborationâ!
!
âProject kick off meetings are now more like workshopsâ!
!
âStart with insights directly from user, remove your
assumptions, act with empathy, prototype, fail fast, use
multiple discovery modes and co-createâ!
!
âItÊŒs a process/methodology, not something you buyâ!
!
One common theme is that the value and experience of
participating in a design thinking session is difïŹcult to
describe in advance. !
Creating a space for the experience to happen, in order to
lead to more fruitful collaboration, is a fundamental aspect of
design thinking methods and practice. !
Critical to this capability are participants who are curious,
willing to engage, and be transparent about their successâ
and failures.!
Individuals may be willing to âopt-inâ and participate fully but
can be locked out of the opportunity by organizational culture,
project approaches, or uncertainty as to how to encourage or
successfully operate in that mode. !
Once experienced, however, nearly all participants described
a design thinking approach in terms such as magical,
transformative, or valuable.!
!
Create opportunities to participate frequentlyâdefault to
including, not excluding!
Document and share session activities and results widely:
video, images, visual diagrams, sketch notes, capture
documents!
Everything is practiceâplanning, creating, exploring,
designing, developing, delivering!
EXPERIENCE!
THEME02!
HEARING! THINKING! DOING!
The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
8. VALUE
03!
State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
The value of design
thinking is not always
apparent (tothe
uninitiated).
9! THEME 03: VALUE! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
9. 10! THEME 03: VALUE!
âA room full of executives all day gets to be a very expensive
meetingâ!
!
âThere is a cumulative beneïŹt/effect to this approach: it might
be harder/take more time in the beginning but down the road
that work will pay off in faster/better solutionsâ!
!
âSometimes you gotta go rogue and âstealâ the time to
research or (re)deïŹne the problem â and then show the client
what you didâ!
!
âIf somehow there was a way to demonstrate the value to the
business side (ïŹnance, HR, marketing, etc.) perhaps we
could structure projects/approach in a more âdesign thinkingâ
wayâ!
!
âResearch is almost always skipped (clients struggle, wants
to see things sooner rather than later)â!
!
âAccess to research/knowledge/resources is often limitedâ!
!
âFinding a balance between managing the process (time,
resources) and giving the team the space to do the workâ!
!
âWeÊŒve never had a single client tell us a design thinking
workshop was a Ê»waste of timeÊŒâ!
Managing team and client expectations are major challenges
to operationalizing design thinking. Frequently cited is buy-in
from leadership and stakeholders unfamiliar with the
approach. Typically from disciplines tasked with management
including client stakeholders, team leads, accounts, sales,
and project management. !
To generate greater value, some participants admit to
seeking âforgiveness rather than permissionâ in their
approach.!
To those unfamiliar with it, design thinking can be seen as
risky. They often resist adopting the methods or try to
mitigate the risk by reverting to more familiar approaches. !
For example, the perception is that limiting access to
resources can reduce cost and time risksâwhile experienced
practitioners know that increasing access to resources such
as research, knowledge, and subject matter expertise is
highly beneïŹcial to generating greater value. !
!
Build a business case ïŹle to capture approaches and the
value generated as a result!
Ask for direct testimonials from everyone: participants,
stakeholders, leadership!
Encourage discussion about concerns, constraints, practices,
methods, and tools!
Do a simple-but-explicit âpost-mortemâ at the end of every
session (what worked? what would you change?)!
People know what they needâgive them as much as you can!
VALUE!
THEME03!
HEARING! THINKING! DOING!
The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
10. CULTURE
04!
State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
A culture of empathy,
iteration, and acceptable
failure is critical to a
successful design thinking
environment.
11! THEME 04: CULTURE! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
11. 12! THEME 04: CULTURE!
âWorks best when the whole process (from business
development through delivery) is transparentâ!
âCorporate America is NOT doing it well (even big
consultancies--they think innovation is something you can
buy. ItÊŒs not, itÊŒs a process not an outcome)â!
âIt works best with an âall hands on deckâ approachâ!
âItÊŒs very hard to âchange modesâ â if clients see you as one
thing, itÊŒs hard to get them to see you as another (the best
way to make that change is through the work itself)â!
âFreedom to fail in the room / âgoing back to the drawing
boardâ is acceptable (not being right in the room).â!
âHow do you bring design thinking into an organization?â!
âThere are different levels of âfailâ: in front of peers, in front of
clients, big groups, small groupsâ!
âThereÊŒs a difference between an individual willing to do
design thinking and an organization that is willing to permit itâ!
âClearly deïŹning roles and responsibilities (including the
client) is criticalâ!
CULTURE!
THEME04!
HEARING! THINKING! DOING!
There is wide acknowledgement of a âspectrum of cultureâ
from operating in âexpert modeâ (most common) to operating
in âcollaborativeâ mode (most desired, but least common).!
Cultural challenges are viewed as obstacles to creating a
more collaborative environment. Those obstacles are often
expressed as âthings to changeâ to provide more opportunity
to create elegant and powerful solutions.!
The value of that opportunity is clear and deeply desired by
practitioners. !
There is a strong sense that the root cause of many
obstacles is that people hesitate to operate more
collaboratively as a result of cultural constraints including:!
Seek ïŹrst to understand, then to be understood!
Model appropriate behavior (for example, be willing to fail)!
Ask as many questions as you answer!
Build the culture you want!
âYes, andâŠâ!
âHow might weâŠâ!
âąâŻ fear of being perceived as not doing your job!
âąâŻ poorly understood methods or tools!
âąâŻ people who donÊŒt opt-in to the approach!
âąâŻ lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities!
âąâŻ projects hijacked for logistics reasons (budget, time, etc.)!
âąâŻ lack of organizational support for the methods and tools!
The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
12. CURIOSITY
05!
State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
Tools, tips, tricks, learning
and practice resources.
13! THEME 05: CURIOSITY! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
13. THEME 05: CURIOSITY!
âYou absolutely must be curiousâ!
âCreativity is an explorationâ!
âWhere CAN I learn more?â!
âIÊŒm not sure I have a common understanding of what we
mean by Ê»design thinkingÊŒâ!
âPlease let me know what I can do to helpâ!
âWhy isnÊŒt there an organization in town focused on this?â!
âI wish there were more events to teach people the toolsâ!
âI wish I had more time to learnâŠeverythingÊŒs moving too
fastâ !
CURIOSITY!
THEME05!
HEARING! THINKING! DOING!
Share with others!
Actively seek out collaborators!
Curiosity was the most frequently cited characteristic of
people who learn well. Resources for learning, however, are
either unknown or a challenge to ïŹnd. Participants
consistently expressed a desire for more formal workshops,
events, or organizational support. !
Examples spanned a wide range from more well-known and
formal programs, such as the Institute of Design at Stanford
(d:school) or XPLANEÊŒs Visual Thinking School to informal
sources, such as design blogs or various threads on the
popular site Reddit (known as âsubredditsâ).!
The value of being a âT-shapedâ person who exhibits a wide
base of knowledge in many areas combined with deep
expertise in one or two disciplines was often cited. !
Nearly all participants described themselves as self-taught
and volunteered to help others learn, contribute to a
community of practice, or participate in workshops and
events. !
!
14! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
14. METHODOLOGY & APPROACH
This report contains actual ïŹndings from real people. We collected data
from more than 45 individual contributors representing nearly two
dozen organizations & disciplines through focus interviews, multiple
working sessions and an online survey.!
!
Everyone was given an opportunity to contribute anonymously.
Participants who opted-in to be identiïŹed as contributors are listed in
the aggregate.!
!
We recognize that the methodology of our inaugural report inïŹuenced
the results. By sourcing participants from our personal and professional
networks, our close colleagues and peers are naturally pre-disposed to
a âpro-design thinkingâ attitude.!
!
As design thinking becomes more broadly used, we plan to source
client-side input for added diversity in future reports. We look forward to
exploring and sharing more perspectives as the community continues
to grow.!
AFTERWARD!
AFTERWARD!
15! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!
15. CONTRIBUTORS & PARTICIPANTS!
Dino Citraro!
Jodi Sweetman!
Dave King!
Roel Ulners!
Sara Mesing!
Stephanie Gioia!
Matt Morasky!
Adam Hoffman!
Laura Allen!
Sada Naegelin!
Christian Bayley!
Amy Santee!
Jeanne Turner!
Heather Penner!
Matt Cannell!
Martha Koenig!
Cary Otto!
Erica Hassinger!
James Macanufo!
Keiran Lyn!
Producers, Project Managers, Recruiters, Business Development, Strategists, Senior Executives, Managers, Directors, CEO/Owners, Creative
Directors, Senior Art Directors, Designers,VP of Client Services, Operations Directors!
Barbara Holmes!
Jason King!
Erica Dillon !
Armando Manalo!
Glenn Scott!
Patrick Ezell!
David Hughes!
Betsy Reed!
David Shaw!
Ash Shepard!
Denise Ransome!
Scott Smith!
Debbie Shaw!
Verne Linder!
Bryan Howarth!
Tim Haskins!
Tom Williams!
Kellee Jackson!
Ben Cerezo!
Khris Soden!
CONTRIBUTORS &
PARTICIPANTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!
CONTRIBUTORS & PARTICIPANTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES INCLUDED:!
16! The State of Design Thinking: Portland Edition!