1. How to Use Design Thinking
to Enable Innovation
Presented by
Kimberly Silk, MLS, Data Librarian,
Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto
Jeffrey Veffer, MBA, Partner, Brandsential

2. Agenda
• What is Design Thinking?
• What does Design Thinking have to do with
innovation?
• Why librarians are design thinkers and
innovators
• Design Thinking in the business world
• Using Design Thinking everyday
• Q & A

3. What is Design Thinking?
• Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, a global
design consultancy, popularized
the concept of “design thinking”,
or, “thinking like a designer”;
• Resist the urge to identify a solution
• Understand the problems absolutely, and the
solution will present themselves;
• Observe the world around you: what can be
improved upon? What will change?

4. Design Thinking and Innovation
Creativity : The process of having original ideas that have value
Innovation: Applied creativity!
(Sir Ken Robinson)
But why should I care?
•As problems move from complicated (a
series of steps with a “Central
Command” function, completed in
order- eg Apollo 11) to complex (many
possible linkages and less central
hierarchy eg peace-keeping in
Afghanistan), sequential processes we
have relied upon break down.
•Need a new approach at looking at
situations
Image Courtesy: Larry Cuban

5. A Design Thinker’s Personality Profile
Empathy- imagine world from multiple perspectives
Integrative Thinking- see all (even contradictory) aspects of problem
Optimism- Even with constraints there is a better solution than the status
quo!
Experimentalism- Not just making existing process better, but explore
creative ways that might go in entirely new directions
Collaboration- Need interdisciplinary skills to solve complex problems
Source: Vijay Kumar

6. Pick out the Designer
Is this a Designer?
Or this? We can all be Designers
It just requires different ways of looking at situations that are not
necessarily linear
Image Courtesy: Tom Kulbowski Image courtesy: Evan Sharboneau Image courtesy: Chrys

7. Design Thinker = Information Professional
Empathy – we have for those who need us
Integrative thinking – new ways to solve problems
Optimism – our desire for the collective “good”
Experimentalism – we learn by trial and error
Collaboration – we rarely work alone

8. Design Thinking in the Business World
• Roger Martin at the Rotman School of Management has been leading the
charge to apply Design Thinking in the business world;
“In a global economy, elegant design is becoming a critical competitive
advantage. Trouble is, most business folks don’t think like designers”
- Roger Martin
But why does business need design thinking?
Products can easily be copied (eg early MP3
players) but based on a deep understanding of
users needs yields an experience that is holistic
and hard for other companies to duplicate (eg
iPod and iTunes)
Source: Peter Foret

9. Design Thinking in Our World
• Using Design Thinking in non-design
environments is a new way of thinking – we’re
just at the beginning
• We can focus on our users’ experiences – how
can we pay close attention to what they
experience, so we can improve on it?
• As a profession, we must stop focusing on
content delivery;
• To remain relevant, we must focus on creating a
valuable, unforgettable user experience.

10. Exercise - What problems can you identify
that are preventing you from providing
a great user experience?
Think: Design + Creativity

11. References
• Brown, Tim. “Design Thinking”. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 2008.
• Martin, Roger. “The Business of Design”. Fast Company, April 2005.
• Martin, Roger. The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next
Competitive Advantage. Cambridge: Harvard Business Press, 2009.
• Roger Martin’s definition of Integrative Thinking at
http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/integrativethinking/definition.htm.
• Kelley, Tom. The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America’s
Leading Design Firm”. New York: Currency/Doubleday, 2001.
• Pine, Joseph B. and Gilmour, James H. “The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre
and Every Business a Stage”. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1999.
• Bell, Steven J. “Design Thinking”. American Libraries, January/February 2008.
• The Blended Librarians Online Learning Community - http://blendedlibrarian.org/
• Designing Better Libraries - http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/

12. Q & A
(and, Thank You!)
Kimberly Silk, MLS, Data Librarian,
Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto
kimberly.silk@martinprosperity.org
Jeffrey Veffer, MBA, Partner, Brandsential
jeffrey.veffer@brandsential.com