Applying Design Thinking Principles for Career Development

Design thinking principles, such as exponential insight, play a growing role in career development opportunities for those looking to maximize their skill set.

There is a disruptive movement in the design and development industries that is called "design thinking." Design thinking relies on the observation of user behavior, employs an iterative approach, and puts customer needs above all else. As skills in this area are in high demand, learn how to leverage these powerful concepts to develop cross−functional skill sets.

Design Thinking Principles for Career Development

With design, principles comes a totally different way of thinking. By always listening intently and playing the role of both technologist and psychologist, design thinking practitioners dig deep into what motivates and frustrates users by finding solutions that are both viable and desirable. By seeking out the tough questions, design thinking leads to compelling solving strategies, that drive more customer−oriented solutions.

To strengthen customer engagement and product development, design thinking focuses on five key principles. These include−

Empathize

Too often, entrepreneurs forget to focus on themselves as a product − with all their desires, quirks, and unique wishes. However, when you're building your company or career, remember− the customer is always you. It's essential that you design your life in a way where you focus on values and wants that meet your personal needs − not just professionally.

In order for the students to truly understand this material, they need to have a good grasp of the fundamentals.

• What are some of the key principles that you follow in your life?

• What do you hope to get out of your next career move?

• What role do you think money plays in managing your career? What role play meaning, personal growth, and growth in general in your career?

• How does all of this relate to relationships in our lives? What role might play? How about health, then?

• Which narratives about work did you grow up hearing? How about your identity?

It's impossible to produce good work without understanding the point. What matters most is the clarity you find in your own creative process and direction.

Defining

Executing any design project is no easy task. Effective design solutions need to be designed with a specific goal in mind, such as solving an issue or improving your work environment. This means that while you're thinking about how best to solve the problem, it's important to define what exactly you hope to achieve. Otherwise, you may get lost or overwhelmed.

Ideating

The ideate phase of the design thinking process is the part where many people imagine how a solution could be drawn up. Brainstorming, for example, is one way of generating ideas; but there are also methods like idea boarding or mind mapping. Regardless of what specific technique you use to generate an abundance of ideas, they'll all be geared toward solving the problem your company has set out to tackle.

It is essential to constantly think outside the box and encourage divergent thinking. We are conditioned not to think that way by our education system, which teaches us to converge and converge. However, it is important to get all the ideas on the table without judgment before you converge your thoughts. The process of coming up with new ideas and looking at them through a fresh perspective helps us break free from ingrained thought patterns.

Prototyping

It's hard to think about making a career change, especially if you're questioning whether or not it will work out. To overcome the fear and feel less risk, prototyping might be a good idea. It involves taking the smallest possible action and testing it out before getting ahead of yourself.

The key to finding a successful career is to understand what you love and what makes you happy. The best way to do this is by talking with people who are already working in that industry. These informational interviews can give you an inside look at what goes into the job, plus you'll make industry connections and learn the terminology.

One idea is to conduct informational interviews, which is a great way to learn more about a possible career change. You'll learn a lot just by hosting one cocktail night with friends and seeing what happens. Or you can spend time writing at local coffee shops or productively work on ideas for your next book. All of these options are low−cost, and low−risk and they don't involve much going out of your comfort zone.

Testing

Prototyping is not only an effective means of reducing fear and generating data. It's also important in the fifth and final stage when you test your product using that data to make necessary adjustments. There are three other stages mentioned here along with prototyping, which involves going back to earlier stages for more empathy, definition, or ideation as well as prototyping. Design thinking can be iterative and involved a lot of different steps.

The best way to see if you’ve learned anything is through “odyssey planning,” a process that doesn’t really involve planning. Instead, imagine three different visions for your next five years−

• If I could have a chance to experience my current life in the best possible way, would I choose it?

• What if you were forced to use your current skills newly?

• What if I changed my current path?

It's important to share your excitement for your future goals with others so that they can support you on your path. Think about how you've been feeling over the last few days and write them out. Which 'odyssey' looks more exciting? What do you think those who know you best would say is coming up next?