Design thinking

Design thinking examples

The following examples illustrate how design thinking can be applied across different industries to develop solutions that truly solve problems and improve user experience.

Redesigning Delta's in-flight experience

Delta Airlines used design thinking to improve the flight experience for its customers. Through interviews and observations, they identified passengers’ main pain points (problems, difficulties, or frustrations), such as waiting at airports and uncomfortable seats. With this information, they developed solutions such as redesigning waiting areas and implementing more comfortable seats.

Development of the Nest Thermostat

Nest Labs applied design thinking to create an easy-to-use and efficient smart thermostat. The team focused on understanding how people interact with traditional thermostats and what problems they face. From this understanding, they designed a device that learns the user’s temperature preferences and adjusts automatically, offering an intuitive and energy-efficient solution.

Improving health services at Kaiser Permanente hospital

Kaiser Permanente used design thinking to improve the patient care process at its hospitals. Through observation and analysis of the patient experience, the team identified areas for improvement in communication and time management. As a result, they implemented changes in the way doctors and nurses interact with patients and reorganized daily activities, which reduced wait times and increased patient satisfaction .

History of design thinking

The concept of design thinking has its roots in the design practices that emerged in the mid-twentieth century, although its formalization as a methodology occurred later. The following three phases stand out:

Origins in traditional design (1940-1960) : During the 1940s and 1950s, design focused primarily on the aesthetics and functionality of products. However, some pioneers began to view design as a process that could be applied to solving problems of any kind ;
development as a formal methodology (1960–1990) : Between 1960 and 1980, architect Horst Rittel and designer Melvin Webber introduced the concept of wicked problems , which are difficult to define and have no clear solutions. This idea influenced the development of more structured, research-based design methodologies. In the 1980s and 1990s, academics and practitioners such as Donald Schön and Nigel Cross emphasized the importance of reflection-in-action and design thinking;
Popularization and adoption in the business field (1990-present) : Beginning in 1990, design thinking began to be adopted more widely outside the traditional design field. The consulting firm IDEO was instrumental in popularizing it as a methodology for business innovation. In 2005, Stanford University founded the d-school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design) , a reference center for the teaching and practice of design thinking. Since then, this methodology has spread to various industries, being applied in fields such as technology, education, health, and product development.

Creative process: from ideation to validation

The design thinking process relies on creativity to generate innovative solutions that solve end-user problems. It all starts with user research, where a needs analysis is conducted to understand user pain points and expectations . From this information, we move on to the ideation phase, where brainstorming is used to generate a wide variety of ideas.

With ideas in hand, the most promising ones are selected to develop an initial prototype, a tangible representation of the idea that allows exploring what the user experience (UX) could be like. The focus remains on creating a human-centered solution, prioritizing user needs and expectations at every stage.

The prototype is subjected to user testing, where direct feedback is collected from end users, which is essential for validating ideas , allowing areas for improvement to be identified and adjustments to be made. Through this iterative cycle, solutions are refined until an optimal user experience is achieved that effectively responds to the identified needs.

Comprehensive approach to innovation

Design thinking integrates several types of thinking to tackle complex problems and create innovative solutions. During the ideation phase, divergent thinking is used to explore a wide range of possible solutions, fostering creativity and generating many different ideas. Convergent thinking is then applied to select and refine the most viable ones, focusing on those that best solve the identified problem.

Visual thinking plays a crucial role in the process, allowing abstract ideas to be represented graphically, facilitating understanding and communication between team members. In turn, systems thinking helps to consider how the different parts of a problem or solution interact with each other, ensuring that the impact of decisions on the whole is taken into account.

Critical thinking is essential to evaluate ideas objectively, questioning their feasibility and effectiveness. Finally, futuristic thinking allows us to anticipate how proposed solutions might evolve over time, ensuring that they are sustainable and relevant in a constantly changing context. By integrating these various approaches, design thinking provides a robust and adaptable framework for innovation.

Creating value through innovation

Design thinking promotes a culture of innovation that is based on a deep understanding of the customer and the market. This is achieved by combining qualitative research , which explores user emotions, behaviors, and needs, with quantitative research , which provides measurable data and statistical trends. Both approaches are essential in the research and development (R&D) phase to identify opportunities and define the characteristics of products or services that respond to real market needs.

In this framework, customer-centric design is essential. Companies seek to innovate through the creation of rapid prototypes that allow them to iterate solutions in an agile manner , receiving constant feedback from the customer to perfect the offer. Marketing integration ensures that the solutions developed are not only technically viable, but also desirable for consumers and competitive in the market.

Furthermore, open innovation is fostered by collaborating with external actors such as customers, partners or startups, which broadens the horizon of ideas and allows knowledge and creativity to be leveraged beyond the organization. This holistic approach ensures that solutions are not only innovative but also aligned with customer expectations and market dynamics .