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DESIGN THINKING
Workshop Guide

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Learning Objectives
1. Acquire a deep understanding of the key concepts and principles
of Design Thinking
2. Understand the mindsets of a Design Thinker
3. Acquire detailed knowledge of the Design Thinking process,
methods and tools in creative problem solving
4. Develop skills in applying Design Thinking mindsets, methodology
and tools in co-creating an improved customer experience journey
through workshop practice
5. Learn how to improve personal effectiveness by becoming a more
empathetic service provider

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Contents
Design Thinking
Process, Methods
& Tools
Mindsets of a
Design Thinker
Key Concepts &
Principles of
Design Thinking
NOTE: This is a PARTIAL PREVIEW. To
download the complete presentation, please
visit: https://www.oeconsulting.com.sg

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The Designer Paradox
How the customer
explained it
How the project
leader understood it
How the analyst
designed it
How the
programmer wrote it
What the beta
testers received
How the business
consultant
described it
How the project was
documented
What operations
installed
How the customer
was billed
How it was
supported
What marketing
advertised
What the customer
really need

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“Design thinking is a
human-centered approach
to innovation that draws
from the designer's toolkit
to integrate the needs of
people, the possibilities of
technology, and the
requirements for business
success.”
Tim Brown
British Industrial Designer
& President of IDEO

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What is Design Thinking?
§ Design thinking takes a human-centered approach to
problem solving
§ Helps us to get a deep understanding of customers’
unmet needs and wants
§ It encourages creative consideration of a wide array of
innovative solutions
§ It is as much a mindset as a process

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Three Lenses of Human-Centered Design
What can be financially viable?
Desirability
Viability
Feasibility What is technically and
organizationally feasible?
What do people desire?

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Design Thinking Combines Creative &
Analytical Thinking
Left Brain
§ Analytical
§ Rational
§ Objective
§ Present &
Past
§ Facts
§ Order/pattern
§ Planned
Right Brain
§ Creative
§ Holistic
§ Subjective
§ Present &
Future
§ Feelings
§ Spatial
§ Spontaneous

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What Design Thinking IS NOT
§ Only for the “creative” people or product designers
§ A narrow equation to aesthetics and craft
§ Just a brainstorming session
§ A “one-day” process where problems can be solved in
24 hours
§ A process to replace analytical problem solving
§ A silver bullet for all types of problems

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Benefits of Design Thinking
§ Complements other problem
solving techniques
§ Helps organizations to become
more innovative
§ To solve human problems
§ To increase customer satisfaction
§ To gain competitive advantage

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Activity: Brainstorming of Problems
1. In your respective groups, brainstorm problems that
occur in:
a) Society (e.g. overcrowding in trains)
b) Business & Services (e.g. bad online experience in re-
contracting mobile/broadband service)
c) Processes & Operations (e.g. backlog issue, excess
inventory)
d) Situations (e.g. customer complaints, natural disasters)
2. List your ideas on the flip chart.
3. Present your findings to the class.
Time: 10 mins

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What Is Unique About Design Thinking?
Design
Thinking
Human-
centered
Highly
creative
Hands-
on
Iterative

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Impact of Design Thinking
According to the Design
Management Institute’s
Design Value Index, for
example, design-driven
companies have maintained
a significant stock-market
advantage, outperforming the
S&P 500 by an extraordinary
219 percent over the past ten
years.

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Industrial Applications of Design Thinking
Launched the mobile
payments app (alternative to
the SB card).
Store lines move 10-20%
faster
Retail stores designed
around activities, not
products.
Most profitable retail
store per square foot
Changed product-based
model to a cloud-based
subscription model.
Creative Cloud software
revenue increased by
44% since 2013
Launched Tide PODS so
customers don’t have to
measure.
Estimated earning of
$131 million in 2012

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Framework of Design Thinking
Learn about
the audience
for whom you
are designing,
by observation
and interview.
Who is my
user? What
matters to this
person?
Create a point
of view that is
based on user
needs and
insights.
What are their
needs?
Brainstorm
and come up
with as many
creative
solutions as
possible.
Wild ideas
encouraged!
Build a
representation of
one or more of
your ideas to
show to others.
How can I show
my idea?
Remember: A
prototype is just
a rough draft!
Share your
prototyped
idea with your
original user
for feedback.
What worked?
What didn’t?
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

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Understanding the Framework of Design
Thinking
§ A design action plan is a series of
action phases that execute the design
thinking process
§ A mindset is a set of thinking traits or
behaviors that runs the design thinking
process consistently and effectively
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
The Action Plan and Mindsets are required to run together!

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Design Thinking Checklist – Tools &
Materials
q Space for collaboration
q Paper
q Writing tools
q Cutting and sticking
tools
q Camera / Images
q Sketchbook
q Post-its
q Cardboard
q Whiteboard / Wall / Pin
board
q Cards
q Materials for
prototyping

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Desired Traits of a Design Thinker
q Able to step into the shoes of
your customers
q Have empathy on users and
stakeholders
q Like to challenge the status
quo rebelliously
q Able to ask the right questions
- even to your boss
q Draw and sketch instead of
typing an email
q Like to collaborate in multi-
disciplinary meetings instead
of working in silo
q Able to look at the big picture
and think holistically
q Generate many new ideas
and not afraid to share
q Find and reiterate alternatives
to approach your desired
goals
q Willing to fail early and often

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CASE STUDY 1
Design Thinking &
Innovation at Apple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir3E-TEUk48&t=81s

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“Insanity is doing
the same thing over
and over gain and
expecting different
results.”
Albert Einstein

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Summary of the 5 Thinking Mindsets
Mindsets: Need to cultivate: Traits to follow: Trait to avoid:
1. Think Users
First
§ Ability to understand and
put user’s needs above
every thing else when
designing
§ Step into the shoes of your
customers
§ Have empathy on users and
stakeholders
§ Think that you know best
about your customer and
putting business needs
first
2. Ask the Right
Questions
§ Ability to ask the questions
to uncover deep lying
issues of the project
§ Like to challenge the status quo
rebelliously
§ Able to ask the right questions,
even to your superiors
§ Follow your
management’s decision
and conform to red tapes
3. Believe You
Can Draw
§ Ability to believe and be
confident in drawing and
facilitating your ideas to
your audience
§ Draw and sketch instead of typing
an email
§ Like to collaborate in multi-
disciplinary meetings instead of
working in silo
§ Afraid of people criticizing
your drawing
4. Commit to
Ideate
§ Ability to commit in always
exploring and searching for
innovative ideas to solve a
problem
§ Look at the big picture and work
holistically
§ Generate many new ideas and not
afraid to share
§ Thinking that one solution
is enough
5. Prototype to
Test
§ Ability to work on creating
tangible ideas to test with
users by prototyping
§ Find and reiterate alternatives to
approach your desired goals
§ Willing to fail early and often
§ Launch a solution without
prototyping and testing

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3. The Design Phases Contains Both
Divergent & Convergent Thinking
Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test
Divergent Convergent Divergent Convergent
Problem space Solution space

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Activity: Let’s Start to Design!
Time: 5 minsDesign your ideal WALLET.
Sketch of your ideal wallet:

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Summary of the 5 Design Action Phases
Phase Activities Tools to use Deliverables
Empathize § User interview
§ Informal chats
§ Observation
§ Shadowing
§ Mystery shopping
§ Picture-taking
§ Immersion
§ Interview checklist
§ Observation checklist
§ Writing tools
§ Flipcharts and paper
Camera
§ Personas
§ Empathy map
§ List of user feedback
§ Problems identified
Define § Workshops
§ Shareholder meetings
§ Drawing and writing tools
§ Post-its
§ Flipchart / Whiteboard
§ User feedback (from
Empathize)
§ Design brief (POV +
HMW)
§ Stakeholder map
§ Context map
§ Customer journeys
§ Opportunity map
Ideate § Ideation activities
§ Brainstorming
§ Workshops
§ Mindmaps
§ Sketching/drawing
§ Drawing and writing tools
§ Post-its
§ Flipchart / Whiteboard
§ Personas (from Empathize)
§ Design brief (from Define)
§ Brainstorming tools
§ Ideas / concepts
§ Sketches
§ Prioritization map
§ Affinity map
§ Idea evaluation

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ILLUSTRATIVE
Pain
Gain
Holiday
Maker
Think & Feel
Say & Do
Hear See
Will I have a
memorable
experience?
Tourists get
picked-
pocketed
Tourists look
happy &
having fun!
Wow, I
can shop
all day
and night!
Many locals
don’t speak
English
May not be
safe to go
out at night
Food are
cheap and
delicious!
I am
uploading
photos into
Facebook!
Food taste
really great!
I don’t want
to go home!
Polite and
patient
service staff
at hotel
Many touts
on the
streets
Traffic jam
almost
everywhere
Did the hotel
reserve us a
non-smoking
room?
Will I be hit
with food
poisoning?
Will taxi
drivers over-
charge me
for rides?
Tired walking
and carrying
shopping
bags
Taxis that
don’t use the
meter
Hot and
humid tropical
weather
Enjoy the
sightseeing
and local
food
Clean and
comfortable
hotel room
and facilities
Friends and
relatives like
my Facebook
photos
A holiday maker’s concern
Made friends
with some
locals and
tourists
The flea
markets are
interesting
Nice
breakfast
buffet
Hotel wifi is
so slow!
Empathy Map – Example 1

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Point of View
POV = USER + NEED + INSIGHT
I am a college student and I hate folding laundry
because I can’t seem to fold it the right way.
§ Developing a strong POV can be challenging
§ Getting it right is very important as it will shape the future of
the project

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Touchpoints and Channels
PAY
a Bill
Pay Online
Pay in
Person
Pay via Mail
Channels
Touchpoint

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Ideation Methods
Diverge Converge
Create
Choices
Make
Choices
Divergent Method
1. Initial Exploration
a. Brainwriting
b. Problem Brainstorming (Nyaka)
c. Sharing Brainstorming (NHK
Method)
2. Pushing Boundaries
a. SCAMPER
b. What If?
Convergent Method
1. Prioritization Map
2. Affinity Map
3. Idea Evaluation

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Prototype
- Storyboard: Create
a scenario you can
role play in a physical
environment and let
people experience
your solution

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Activity: Group Discussion
1. How did engaging and testing the prototype with the
real person change the direction that the prototype
took?
2. What was it like showing unfinished work to another
human being?
3. How did the pace – the quick iterative cycle – feel
relative to how you normally work?
4. If you have to do it over again, what step(s) would you
want to improve?
5. What is one thing (e.g. step or tool) that you want to try
tomorrow?

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“Design is not
what it looks like
or feels like.
Design is how it
works.”
Steve Jobs

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END OF PREVIEW
To download this presentation,
please visit:
www.oeconsulting.com.sg