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Below is a recent TED talk by Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO (a global design consultancy).

“Design-thinking begins with the ability to exploit opposing ideas & opposing constraints to create new solutions.”

Mr. Brown describes the movement from “design” to “design-thinking”–and the importance of a more inclusive, participatory model where innovation is concerned. He emphasizes “getting the process out of the hands of designers, and getting the active participation of the community.”

He outlines 4 precepts in a progression towards more effective and impactful innovations for the modern world (e.g. systems design):

1. Human-centered design. Though design may integrate technology and economics, it is grounded first and foremost in human needs/desires: “What makes life easier? More enjoyable?” Culture and human context are integral to good design.
2. Learning by making. Designs are best informed by those who actually interact with them in practice.
3. Shift from consumption to participation. The future will place more emphasis on the design of participatory systems (rather than passive, producer –> consumer relationships), where the experiences of many are meaningful, productive, and profitable, and where non-monetary forms of value are both created and measured.
4. Design by all. Design has its greatest impact when executed not just by traditional designers, but by many–with collaboration/knowledge-sharing across communities.

Design-Thinking Discussion

In a feat of collaborative innovation (with a meta twist) at the close of his talk, Mr. Brown calls on his viewers to suggest the kinds of problems that design-thinking might be used to tackle. Click here for the archive of relevant tweet-responses, and here for some longer commentary on his query and design-thinking in general.

(We think that IDEO exemplifies forward-thinking, human-centered approaches to research and design. To follow us following them, check out our past IDEO entries here.)

Header image courtesy of buenosaurus’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.