Three Phases of Design Thinking - Free Essay

The process of design thinking is perceived as a system that includes overlapping stages instead of a sequence of orderly phases. It includes three phases, such as inspiration, ideation, and implementation.

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Inspiration is regarded as the initial step towards product or service development. It includes observation of how individuals work, especially in the real world, which helps in drawing inspiration (BUS 131, p. 14). Inspiration should be perceived as the opportunity or problem that motivates individuals to find solutions. From the background of the design project, the inspiration included entrepreneurs in the food industry aimed at making waves in the instant ramen industry—the need to enhance the instant ramen experience. The problem included complaints of unhealthy and lack of satisfaction with the ramen. The problem can be employed as a motivator to identify the solutions how to improve the instant ramen experience. The problem and scope need to be framed, where meaningful information is gathered, especially from customers, such as the members' feedback about the ramen instant experience. The customers' pains are all assembled, and the data is synthesized and interpreted to allow actionable steps in the next phase, the ideation stage. The customer problem is formulated using questions such as “How might...” to give a direction on the particular action. For instance, how might the ramen instant experience be improved? The initial question will always begin with customers and the issues raised since the design process is human-centered.

The next step is the ideation space, which is perceived as the process of producing, creating, and testing ideas (BUS 131, p. 14). It is important to allow ideas to flow up to the end of a session in brainstorming. More ideas and divergent thinking usually lead to disruptive solutions, and they prove beneficial, especially in the long run. A small and well-chosen sample is used to test to facilitate the creation of a revolutionary product. The ideation phase involves how the problem will be solved through the interpretation of members’ feedback and the definition of the problem. The ideation stage will include asking the right questions to understand the real problem and include innovation. Strengths and perspectives of team members are employed to enhance innovation.

The third step includes implementation space, which describes the path leading from the project phase into the lives of people. It is the key to developing the final service or product (BUS 131, p. 14). It is essential to use prototyping in the implantation stage. Numerous concepts from the ideation stage output help to select the best concepts. In this stage, assumptions will be made regarding the product, which includes identification and choosing the best ideas. Prototypes include designing and building concepts. It is also important to include experimentation through designing and execution practices. Every implementation will produce an understanding of the ramen instant experience. If further prototyping is required based on the first experimentation, it is performed, and another experimentation is done to allow validation. Generally, implementation includes outlining the assumptions such as dissatisfaction or pain from customers, how to address it, and the benefits that customers receive. The next steps in implementation include prototyping and experimentation.

Works Cited

BUS 131: Entrepreneurship: Using Design Thinking. Neck, Entrepreneurship. © SAGE Publications, 2018.