Brown Tim: Change by design

Tim Brown: Change by design

How design thinking is reshaping organizations and driving innovation

Design thinking, the subject of this book, offers an approach to innovation that is powerful, effective and widely accessible, that can be included in all aspects of business and society, that individuals and teams will use to generate breakthrough ideas that will then be implemented and influential. 

Design thinking has its roots in design training and professional practice, but these are principles that anyone can practice and apply in any field of activity. Design thinking taps into capacities that we all have, but which have been neglected by more conventional problem-solving practices. This approach not only puts man in the center of events, but is itself very humane.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part goes through some of the most important stages of design thinking.

It is not my intention to present the book as a practical guide, but it shows the skills that will ultimately be best acquired through work. I hope to present a framework that will help the reader identify the principles and practices that make design thinking powerful.

As I hypothesize in Chapter Six, design will flourish in its rich culture of storytelling, and in that spirit I will explore various ideas that rest on the stories of IDEO, as well as other companies and organizations. The first part of the book focuses on the application of design thinking in business. Furthermore, you will see how it is applied in some of the most innovative companies in the world and how it has led to incredible solutions and situations in which design thinking has sometimes been unsurpassed (every business book that lists unbeatable success secrets has a place on the shelf among science fiction books).

The second part is a challenge for all of us to think about "big things". I hope that, by considering three broad areas of human activity - business, market and society, I will be able to show you how design thinking can be applied in new ways of creating ideas that can deal with today's challenges.

If you are a hotel manager, design thinking can help you rethink the very nature of hospitality. If you work for a philanthropic agency, design thinking helps you understand the human needs you're trying to meet. Even if you're investing in venture capital, design thinking helps you peer into the future. 

This book will teach you to measure the success of your ideas, but not through the balance of your bank accounts, but through their impact on the world.