The term design thinking conjures thoughts of Sir Norman Foster and fellow architects hand drawing the designs for a structure of beauty like the Millau Viaduct or Jony Ive developing the Apple iPhone. Ive was responsible for both the exterior design and the software interface. In truth, design thinking is about the end-to-end user experience. Therefore, design thinking is about people, customers and what we clumsily call users in the technology sector.
In tandem with Agile working methods, design thinking has created a completely new technological culture. A culture that studies and seeks to constantly understand those using technologies and shapes the service to ensure the outcomes meet the user’s demands. That outcome could be a financial transaction, a civic service from a government department or a business process. As a people-centric ethos, design thinking reduces friction – which is the core value technology should always bring to an organisation.