Design Thinking & Business Analysis
Design thinking is a people-centered approach that will change the way you develop products, services, processes and organizations. Recently, it has ceased to be a methodology used by those doing research in the field of UX; Focusing on innovation, it has become a method used for a long time by the world's leading companies and universities in order to understand and identify problems correctly at the point of solving all kinds of problems.
This method, which is used to cognitively produce solutions to problems through designs, consists of 5 steps. Each process consists of successive phases that include returning to the previous step when necessary.
Empathize:
The first step of the process, the step of empathy, is to know the user and understand their wishes, needs and goals. To understand people on a psychological and emotional level, it is necessary to observe and interact with them. Information about the user should be collected, leaving aside the assumptions.
Define:
The second stage, the identification step, is the stage in which the information obtained in the empathy stage is analyzed. By trying to define the basis of the problem and the needs of the user, the foundations of the steps are laid in the third stage. The first two stages are very critical stages. Often times, the real needs are overlooked because the problem is not properly defined!
Generate Idea:
It is the step that generates ideas for the solution of the problems that we define by understanding their needs. The goal here is not to get a great idea, but to come up with more ideas. Every idea can be a valuable step that can contribute to the solution. Problems can be solved in more than one way! For this reason, no solution should be perfect in the first place, nor should it be indispensable. Techniques such as Brain Storming, Worst Possible Idea, and Scamper can also be used to generate ideas. Empathy and Identification should be reconsidered if the solution is not emerging. Maybe we haven't been able to define the problem well enough, so the solution isn't emerging.
Prototyping:
Initial Sampling. It is the step where we try to embody the emerging ideas. During the prototype phase, proposed solutions may be accepted, developed, redesigned or rejected depending on how they work in prototype form. In summary, it is the step that aims to find the best solution against the identified problem.
Test:
It is the step where the entire product is tested using the best solutions determined during the prototyping phase. At this stage, it is used to convey the understanding of users, terms of use, and how people think, with the phenomena of "act, feel and empathize", including the situations in our previous steps. Changes and improvements can be made to eliminate problem solutions and gain as deep a understanding as possible about the product and its users.
The benefits of all these steps in the analysis/scoping processes of the projects and even in the SDLC process cannot be ignored. Design thinking can be applied in every moment and area of life, from individual plans to large-scale projects. It is beneficial in all respects to create a system of thought by following the aforementioned stages and to adopt this system in the long term and carry it to the whole life. Companies and institutions can organize various workshops to fully implement the design-oriented thinking system or get ideas from the users, who are also defined as the target audience.
Finally, let's see how the process has progressed for Airbnb, which we all know, which started with a simple idea and uses Design-oriented thinking steps.
Airbnb creators, designers Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia met in college, moved to San Francisco together, and rented a beautiful, spacious two-person apartment there. In 2007, there was a design conference in the city, and that's why hotel room rates went up a lot. That's when two friends came up with a simple business idea. They bought a few beds and hosted their coworkers in their apartment. They created airbedandbreakfast.com to find guests.
The idea was good and Brian and Joe wanted to continue developing it. Using the empathy method they studied in design school, they asked themselves:
- What do people do when traveling?
- How can they quickly and easily find out the way home from the airport?
- How would you recommend your favorite side street place to have dinner?
Answering these questions gave Chesky and Gebbia useful ideas on how to update the website. From this point on, with the help of the application, the user can rent an apartment, order breakfast and communicate with the landlord like a friend.
They solved the problem of distrust between host and guest with design thinking: the ability to leave feedback from both sides broke that barrier.
Feedback for the host. airhostsforum.com
Feedback for guest.Reviewtrackers.com
Sasha Lubomirsky, head of User Research at Airbnb, says: “Once you understand the problem, the solution is much simpler. If you understand the problem, ideas will follow!”
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