Unit-2 DESIGN THINKING TO BRIDGE RESEARCH &

CONCEPT

2.1 Introduction
Objectives: -
It starts by outlining why people involved in new product
development have challenges when coming up with new ideas.
It then explains why there is a need for a systematic method,
or approach, to connect the people responsible for coming up with new
product solutions to the user.
It goes on to describe a method based on design thinking
principles, which can be used to help bridge user research findings to
concept generation and concludes by explaining how this method can be
applied in industry.

2.2 Challenges in Idea Generation

1. The process of coming up with new ideas can sometimes feel
challenging for a number of reasons.
2. Sometimes the team coming up with a new product idea has been
working on that particular product line for a long period of time.
3. They may have years of experience working on one product, and
for that reason they may consider themselves experts in that
category.
4. In this case, their experience with what the product can and can't do
can actually create a barrier to their creativity when attempting to
reinvent or even refresh a product.
5. They may be very good at improving a product's performance or
optimizing its technology, but they may struggle when it comes to
effectively evaluating the relevance of the product to a user.
6. However, when deciding to enter a new category, the team faces
different obstacles in ideation.
7. The team may have limited exposure to the product category that
they are entering and they may not be familiar with users of that
particular product.
 8. This lack of familiarity can limit their ability to create a
competitive product with innovation that is meaningful to the end
user.
9. Even if we have substantial research and clear findings on the end
user, the transition from research findings to concept generation is
challenging. Often, the solutions that come from the concept
generation phase lack a meaningful connection back into the user
research.

2.3 The Need for a Systematic Method to Connecting User

Ethnography: is a study through direct observation of users in

their natural environment rather than in a lab. The objective of this
type of research is to gain insights into how users interact with
things in their natural environment
A deep understanding of the user and his or her experience
can help us develop more meaningful solutions.
Unfortunately, it is at times hard for people tasked with designing a
new product or system to understand the user. Even experienced
industrial designers, engineers, marketing professionals and other
new product development (NPD) team members struggle with
understanding the needs of users.
• Reasons for not understanding needs of users
• lack of ethnographic research on their end users' needs.
• Relied on quantitative data but user experience information also
needed
• Conducted ethnographic research may not be conducted in depth or
it is not truly representative of end users experiences.
• it is natural for the people on the teams to think of themselves as
the intended user, when in fact they are not.
• Their response to declare the idea good or bad is instinctive
because they are evaluating the idea from their personal
perspective and experience. But intended users experiences are
different.
Their personal judgment of an idea being good or bad indicates that
they are thinking of themselves as the end user. This is a false
assumption on their behalf because their personal preferences,
 demographic information, needs, pain points, and the problems and
frustrations they have with a product and/or within a system, may be
very different from the intended users'. Getting team members to
separate themselves and their personal judgments from what is
important to the end user can be challenging
Because it is challenging for people tasked with developing new
products, systems, and services to understand and identify with end
users, there is need for a systematic method that helps them make that
connection.
The method has to be systematic in order for it to effectively bridge
the collection of research findings into the generation of concepts. A
systematic approach also allows the method to be repeated and applied
consistently over multiple projects.
The Visualize, Empathize, and Ideate Method

• The first step is getting the participants to have a deeper

understanding of the user.
• The second step is getting the participants to identify what the
user's pain points are.
• In the final step, the participants use the information generated in
the previous two steps and ideate solutions that are specific to the
user.
• The Visualize, Empathize, and Ideate method was specifically
designed to help bridge the gap between research, product ideation,
and conceptualization.
 • Many research insights are collected, but the research findings
don't always make their way into new ideas and innovations.
• Sometimes people “stall” in taking the research findings and
turning them into a product idea.
• This method, helps people take ethnographic research findings,
extrapolate key insights, and form new product innovations and
ideas that respond to the research.
• this method has its own strengths and weaknesses that should be
considered prior to implementation.
• One of its strengths is that it can be completed in a short period of
time relative to the number of ideas that it produces.
• It also allows a group of people to establish an in-depth
understanding of the end user, including the users' pain points, and
then generate a large quantity of ideas that directly respond to these
pain points.
• This method also helps a team take the post-research mountain of
user insights and synthesize those observations into concepts that
can be built on during the development phase by breaking the
information down into more digestible components.
Applying the Visualize, Empathize, and Ideate method for
website development:
Visualize:
Basic sketch showing the layout of website
Use digital tools like Figma or Adobe XD
Detailed designing showing what the website looks like with
colors, fonts and images.
Using Canva that provides visual representation of final design.
Showing the structure and navigation of website.
Empathize:
Collect basic information of what user need
Conduct surveys or ask few people about their preferences.
 Create fictional characters representing different types of users
Write a brief for each persona including their goals.
Test website with real users.
Ask a few people to use it and observe how they are interacting
with website.
Ideate:
Identify problems and areas of improvement
Come up with as many ideas as possible
Create different versions of wire frames with different layout of
features.
Suggest new features or enhancements for website.

Where Do New Design Ideas Come From?

1. In the earliest phases of the design process, design thinking
typically focuses on identifying user needs.
2. Using these insights, designers begin to identify possible
solutions. The best opportunity to identify creative solutions
depends on considering many different ideas.
3. But designers attempting to generate new ideas often fall
into a trap: while the first idea or two may come easily, it is
often difficult to generate more and different ideas.
4. designers are often “fixated” on their first ideas
5. By systematically comparing their steps in creating new
concepts, we hoped to uncover underlying cognitive
strategies.
6. Close observation of design thinking in the earliest stages of
idea generation may provide some evidence of how
successful designers create new concepts, and provide
guidelines for other designers to use when generating new
ideas.
Design Heuristics
Design heuristics are guidelines based on best practices and expert
knowledge in designs used to access and improve usability and user
experience. They are not strict rules but flexible principles to aid in
creating effective designing.
Or
Design heuristics are principles used to guide the creation of effective,
user centered solutions by evaluating and refining designs. They help
ensure that products and services meet user needs and provide positive
experience.
Purposes:
Enhance usability
improve user experience
guide evolution
prototypes in design thinking:
prototype: prototype is a tangial representation or early version of
product used to explore and test ideas
stories : these are narratives are scenarios that describe how user
interacts with products or services.
➢ Stories or prototypes play essential role with a design thinking
process
➢ They contain both problems to be solved and a hypothesis about
how to solving.
➢ Stories and prototypes serve as a means of communication between
customers and product developers, enabling the mapping of
rotational and emotional customer needs to concepts and ideas
A Design Thinking Product Development Framework

First phase: -
To create an understanding of user needs and test the first
hypotheses of the development team.
These early story fragments are usually focused on describing the
need.
Build, Test, Iterate, and Refine: -
Build, Test, Iterate, and Refine, is used for development of the
stories and supporting prototypes.
This is done through cycles of testing with users, evaluating
feedback from users, and cycles of iteration.
The result of this phase of work should be a set of stories and
prototypes that can be used to describe the user needs and
problems, along with concepts that resolve them.
The final phase: -
Validate and Communicate Broadly, is used to validate the
concepts developed in the first two phases.
At this point, the stories and prototypes are refined into use cases,
product architectures, and product descriptions.
These are validated through focus groups and quantitative user
testing.
 Additionally, they are communicated broadly through the product
development organization, by employing personas, scenarios of
use, and preliminary product specifications.
integrating design into the fuzzy front end (FFE) of the innovation
process involves embedding design thinking and principles early in the
process to shape and refine ideas before they are developed into fully-
fledged products or services. The FFE is the initial phase of innovation
where ideas are generated, explored, and defined. Here's how design can
be integrated into this phase and the challenges associated with it:

Integrating Design into the Fuzzy Front End

Design Thinking Workshops:
1. Approach: Conduct workshops that use design thinking methodologies
to explore problems and generate ideas. This can involve empathy
mapping, ideation sessions, and prototype development.
2. Benefits: Encourages creativity and user-centered problem solving
from the start. Helps in understanding user needs and defining the
problem clearly.
Cross-Functional Teams:
1. Approach: Form teams with diverse expertise, including designers,
engineers, marketers, and strategists, to collaborate on early-stage
concepts.
2. Benefits: Brings multiple perspectives to the table, leading to more
innovative and well-rounded solutions.
Rapid Prototyping and Testing:
1. Approach: Develop low-fidelity prototypes and test them with potential
users early in the process to gather feedback and refine ideas. 2. Benefits:
Allows for iterative improvements and validation of concepts before
significant resources are committed.
User Research and Insights:
1. Approach: Conduct user research to gather insights about user needs,
pain points, and preferences. Use methods such as interviews, surveys,
and observation.
2. Benefits: Provides a strong foundation for idea development based on
real user needs and problems.
Scenario Planning:
1. Approach: Create different scenarios or use cases to explore how
concepts might perform in various contexts or environments.
Benefits: Helps anticipate potential challenges and opportunities,
allowing for more robust concept development.

Challenges of integrating design into FFE Process

Unclear objectives:
At the FFE stage, Objectives and goals many not be well-defined,
which can make it difficult to apply design methods effectively.
Resistance to change:
Stakeholders may resist design-driven approaches, especially if
they are used to traditional methods.
Lack of resources:
Integrating design early in the process requires time, expertise and
resources that may be limited in the initial stages of innovation
Ambiguity and Uncertainty:
The FFE is inherently ambiguous and integrating design can add to
the complexity if not managed well.
Coordination and Communication:
Effective integration requires coordination and communication
between diverse team members, which can be challenging in the FFE.
Balancing Exploration and Focus:
There is a risk of exploring too many ideas without focusing on
those with the highest potential
Timing and Speed:
Integrating design thinking can slowdown the process due to
iterative cycles of prototyping and testing.
How to Integrate Design Professionals
Early Involvement:
1. Approach: Include design professionals from the very beginning of the
innovation process, even before formal project kick-off.
2. Benefits: Allows for a user-centered perspective to shape the problem
definition and ideation from the start.
Collaborative Ideation Sessions:
1. Approach: Organize brainstorming sessions where designers and other
team members collaborate to generate and refine ideas.
2. Benefits: Leverages diverse perspectives and expertise, leading to more
innovative and well minded solutions.
Cross-Functional Teams:
1. Approach: Form multidisciplinary teams that include designers,
engineers, marketers, and strategists to work together on early-stage
concepts.
2. Benefits: Encourages a holistic approach to problem-solving and
ensures that all aspects of the user experience are considered.
User Research and Insights:
1. Approach: Engage design professionals to conduct user research and
gather insights about user needs, behaviors and pain points.
2. Benefits: Provides a deep understanding of the target audience, which
is critical for creating relevant and effective solutions:

Rapid Prototyping and Iteration:

1. Approach: Utilize design professionals to create low-fidelity prototypes
and conduct iterative testing with users
2. Benefits Allows for quick validation of concepts and refinement based
on user feedback reducing the risk developing flawed solutions.
Scenario and experience Mapping:
1. Approach: Use design professionals to create experience maps or
scenarios that explore different use cases and user journeys.
2. benefits
Helps in identifying potential challenges and opportunities in the user
experience, guiding the development of more effect solutions.
Design Thinking Workshop
Facilitate workshops led by design professionals that apply design
thinking methodologies to tackle complex problems.