Design Thinking
A Human-centered approach
to innovation
( we will be working in teams of 4-5 today )

Today’s
Agenda
1.What is design
Thinking?
1.How do we do it?
1.Wrap up

What actually is
Design
Thinking?

Design thinking is just a
stupid marketing term
invented to persuade
men in suits that designers actually
think…”
Yes, and...
“

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, president and CEO, IDEO
“

What
People
Want
DESIRABILITY
Innovation
What’s
Possible
FEASIBILITY
What
Business
Wants
VIABILITY
Design
thinking
helps you
get here...

Innovation requires
a shift in mindset,
and a change in
behavior.

Making
people
want
things
Making
things
People
want
From To
Traditional Marketing &
Advertising
Product Dominant
Business Centered
Exploitive
Service Design
Design Thinking
Service Dominant
Human Centered
Innovative

Intuitive
Thinking
Analytical
Thinking
Integrative
Thinking

Design Thinking Process
The Design thinking Process by Stanford Design School
IdeateEmpathize
Define Prototype
Evaluate
Observe
Engage
Listen
Synthesize
Clarify
Name
Build
Hands On
Light & Fast
Explore
Imagine
Leverage Groups
Real Users
Feedback
Insights

Actually, it’s less
about thinking and
more about doing.

Today we’ll focus on 2
stages...
Ideate
Empathize
Define
Prototype
Evaluate
The Design thinking Process by Stanford Design School

Form groups of 4 -5 people

Journey
Mapping
[Empathize Tool]
Traces the journey of a customer
as they experience a product or
service
Empathize

Journey Mapping
Activity
A recent painful customer experience that
you each have had in 60 seconds (or less)
Within your team discuss:
1. What “job” you were trying to do
2. BRIEFLY tell what happened
Do NOT use Uber or an Airline

Journey Mapping Activity
A recent painful customer experience that you have had
Within your team discuss:
In 60 seconds (or less)
1. What “job” you were trying to do
2. BRIEFLY tell what happened
Do NOT use Uber or an Airline

As a team
decide which team member
had the WORST,
most PAINFUL experience .
( 1 MINUTE )

As a team
decide which team member
had the WORST,
most PAINFUL experience .

For the NEXT STEP:
Map out the step-by-step process of the
WORST experience
( shoot for about 10 steps)

1. Needed a haircut
2. Make an appointment
…..
6. Really frustrating customer and stylist
who would not stop talking
…..
10. Paid for haircut
STORY TELLER (worst experience): Tell your story
sequentially beginning with the need...
Need
Haircut
SCRIBE: write down EVERY STEP with SHARPIE on
Yellow Stickies

STORY TELLER: Tell your story sequentially
beginning with the need...
Need
Haircut
EMOTION DETECTORS:
on scratch paper, jot down the
EMOTIONS (e.g., frustration, relief, excited,
angry, happy, etc.) that you hear in the
story
Place Yellow Stickies on WALL or TABLE
sequentially.
SCRIBE: write down EVERY STEP with SHARPIE on Yellow Stickies
( 6 mins)

STORY TELLER: Tell your story sequentially
beginning with the need...
Need
Haircut
SCRIBE: write down EVERY STEP with SHARPIE on Yellow Stickies
EMOTION DETECTORS:
on scratch paper, jot down the
EMOTIONS (e.g., frustration, relief, excited,
angry, happy, etc.) that you hear in the
story
Place Yellow Stickies on WALL or TABLE
sequentially.

With another color sticky note, write down
the Emotional Highs (e.g., happy, excited)
and Lows (e.g., angry, sad) of that experience
Happy
Furious
• Place above/below the corresponding step
• Distance from step corresponds to the
magnitude of the emotion
HIGHSLOWS
(3 mins)

With another color sticky note, write down
the Emotional Highs (e.g., happy, excited)
and Lows (e.g., angry, sad) of that experience
Happy
• Place above/below the corresponding step
• Distance from step corresponds to the
magnitude of the emotion
HIGHSLOWS
Furious

How would you fix the low
without investing any
capital?
Now imagine that you have been
hired to fix one of the Lows…
(4 mins)

How would you fix the low
without investing any
capital?
Now imagine that you have been
hired to fix one of the Lows…

How would you fix a low
if money was not an issue?
Now you are a consultant, and you
have been hired to fix the lows…
(3 mins)

How would you fix a low
if money was not an issue?
Now you are a consultant, and you
have been hired to fix the lows…

How many of you were able
to come up with a solution
that did not require capital
expenditures?

EXAMPLE
X
X
Time
Researching cars,
found new model
Found special
financing offer
Call from employee who
explained alternative
Received
“Thank You” letter
First Ride in
New car
Waiting to
receive contract
Signed Financing and
Purchase Contract
The financing offer is actually
not what was promised.Car has
engine failure
Purchasing a Car
EMOTIONS
Positive
Negative

EXAMPLE
EMOTIONS
X
X
Time
Excited about
getting a
new car!
Purchasing a Car
Hate sales
people
Love to negotiate
– got a great deal!
There is all this
other stuff that
has to be paid?
(uggh)
Paperwork
(tedious)
Wrote huge check
“I feel sick”
Taking home my
new car!
Positive
Negative

How could use journey
mapping in your business?

Next activity...
IdeateEmpathize
Define
Prototype
Evaluate
The Design thinking Process by Stanford Design School

20 sticks Masking tape 1 Marshmallow 1 yard of
string
DESIGN CHALLENGE: Build the tallest free
standing structure out of spaghetti.
REQUIREMENT: The marshmallow must
be on top of the structure.

GROUND RULES
1. Who wins: The winning team is the one who has the TALLEST FREE STANDING
structure measured from its base to the top of the marshmallow. The structure
cannot be suspended from a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or chandelier.
It cannot be leaning on another structure (e.g., desk or wall). You may build on
top of the desk or floor. You may tape the base of your structure to the
table/floor.

GROUND RULES
1. Who wins: The winning team is the one who has the TALLEST FREE STANDING
structure measured from its base to the top of the marshmallow. The structure
cannot be suspended from a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or chandelier.
It cannot be leaning on another structure (e.g., desk or wall). You may build on
top of the desk or floor. You may tape the base of your structure to the
table/floor.
2. The Challenge Lasts 18 minutes: Teams cannot hold on to the structure when
the time runs out. Those touching or supporting the structure at the end of the
exercise will be disqualified. The 18 minutes includes your planning time for this
challenge.
3. The Entire Marshmallow must be on top of the structure: Cutting or eating
part of the marshmallow DISQUALIFIES you.
4. Materials: You may use as many or as few of the 20 spaghetti sticks, as much or
as little of the string or tape. You may NOT use the (1) manila envelope, (2) the
rubber band holding the spaghetti, (3) the plastic thing holding the string, or (4)
scissors as part of your structure.
5. Cut/Break: You are free to break the spaghetti and
cut the tape or string to create your structure.

GROUND RULES
1. Who wins: The winning team is the one who has the TALLEST FREE STANDING
structure measured from its base to the top of the marshmallow. The structure
cannot be suspended from a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or chandelier.
It cannot be leaning on another structure (e.g., desk or wall). You may build on
top of the desk or floor. You may tape the base of your structure to the
table/floor.
2. The Challenge Lasts 18 minutes: Teams cannot hold on to the structure when
the time runs out. Those touching or supporting the structure at the end of the
exercise will be disqualified. The 18 minutes includes your planning time for this
challenge.
3. The Entire Marshmallow must be on top of the structure: Cutting or eating
part of the marshmallow DISQUALIFIES you.
4. Materials: You may use as many or as few of the 20 spaghetti sticks, as much or
as little of the string or tape. You may NOT use the (1) manila envelope, (2) the
rubber band holding the spaghetti, (3) the plastic thing holding the string, or (4)
scissors as part of your structure.
5. Cut/Break: You are free to break the spaghetti and
cut the tape or string to create your structure.

Why are kindergartners
“better” at this?

The Marshmallow
is a Metaphor for the Hidden
Assumptions of a Project
“Light & Fluffy” - the assumption is that marshmallows
are light and fluffy and easily supported by the
spaghetti sticks.
Not so “Light” - When you actually try to build the
structure, the marshmallows don’t seem so light.
Lesson - We need to identify the assumptions in our
project – the real customer needs, the cost of the
product, the duration of the service – and test them
early and often.

What did
we learn?

What’s
next?
1.Engage real
humans.
1.Learn.
1.Co-create with a
design team.

John Cardone
(MetaMeta.works)
john@metameta.works
@jdcardone
Kathryn Wessling
(Wharton)
wessling@wharton.upenn.edu