design thinking
I do not consider product and design thinking as distinct. What they have in common is having a clear vision for the product's future and understanding how it fits into the organization's overall strategy about which features to prioritize and how to evolve the product over time to stay competitive and meet changing user needs.
Early-stage startups do not have the luxury of time and are strapped for resources. Designers who succeed in these companies are product managers in many ways. Moving fast means thinking about a product from the perspective of a designer, product manager, engineer and product marketer. In short, product and design thinking are the mindsets in which design strategy and principles are developed, after which designs are executed.
hallmarks
User-centred: The approach prioritizes understanding and addressing the needs of the customer (the entity buying the product) and the user (the person interacting with it). In doing this, I ensure that my design strategy is grounded in empathy and focused on creating products and experiences that deliver actual business value. I anchor my research in the Jobs to Be Done framework, increasing the likelihood of shipping a commercially viable solution to the market.
Solves real problems: Using the Jobs to Be Done and User Journey research insights, teams can identify and prioritize users' most pressing challenges, leading to significantly more effective design solutions. Using the problem-solving orientation helps product and design teams focus on delivering measurable outcomes rather than getting lost in speculative or irrelevant design concepts. Early in my career, when I wasn’t using such a structure methodology, I got lost in the “what if" approach to design — wasting precious time on designs that would never see the light of day or, worse, I designed and shipped the wrong thing.
Iterative: Iterative product development fosters a culture of experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement. By iterating on designs based on user feedback and data, product teams can ensure that their strategy remains adaptable and responsive to changing user needs and market conditions. This iterative approach also helps mitigate risks associated with large-scale design initiatives, as teams can course-correct and refine their approach based on ongoing feedback.
Cross-functional: This isn’t anything new! Cross-functional collaboration and alignment ensure that all stakeholders work together towards common goals. This approach breaks down silos, encourages diverse perspectives, and facilitates the integration of design into all aspects of product development. By involving stakeholders from different disciplines early and often, design leaders can ensure that their design strategy is well-informed and effectively executed.
Strategic and impactful: Design and product thinking encourage design leaders to take a strategic approach to design, considering their decisions' long-term vision and business impact. By aligning design strategy with overall business objectives, design leaders can demonstrate the value of design to organizational leaders and secure buy-in for design initiatives. This strategic perspective also helps design leaders make informed decisions about resource allocation, prioritization, and investment, maximizing the impact of design on business outcomes.
new ideas are born via play
When individuals engage in playful activities, such as brainstorming sessions, improvisational games, or creative exercises, they often tap into divergent thinking. Play provides a low-pressure environment where individuals can freely explore ideas, take risks, and experiment with different approaches without fearing judgment or failure.
Successful product development teams purposefully make time for brainstorming as a part of the process of narrowing down what they will build at any given time. I aim to ensure that these processes and subsequent design iterations are playful. The point of play in business is to encourage divergent thinking. Innovation comes from a team’s ability to generate various creative ideas or solutions by exploring multiple perspectives, possibilities, and associations. Startups that successfully bring new ideas (or approaches to existing problems) have avoided conventional or linear thinking patterns and explored different directions and possibilities.
In play, divergent thinking fosters creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. By encouraging individuals to think outside the box and consider unconventional ideas, play stimulates the imagination and opens up new possibilities for exploration and discovery.
For example, in a brainstorming session where participants are tasked with generating ideas for a new product, divergent thinking might involve coming up with a wide range of potential features, designs, or applications, regardless of how practical or feasible they may initially seem. By exploring diverse possibilities and considering different perspectives, participants can uncover unique insights and innovative solutions that might not have emerged through more constrained or traditional thinking approaches. Play will generate some crazy ideas that are 100% not implementable, sure. Play will also spark novel and creative ideas that can work.
When I hold creative space, I make sure that the environment is psychologically safe, that participants have agency and that the experience is joyful, all while being cognizant of deadlines and constraints (both resources and technical). If people aren’t having fun, they won’t fully express themselves, invariably leaving excellent ideas unspoken.
brainstorming rules
Constraints govern our work as technologists. If I had a nickel for every time I came up with an idea and told “no,” I could be sitting on a beach in Bali and not working on my portfolio. In my many years of building enterprise software, most of my ideas were unviable and worthy of “no.” That’s true of most ideas in our business, but this should not be a reason to suppress and ignore them. We brainstorm ideas to generate volume, not viability. Ideo has seven rules for brainstorming that I follow:
Defer Judgment: Creative spaces are judgment-free zones—they let ideas flow so people can build from each other's great ideas.
Encourage Wild Ideas: Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions. There’s often not a whole lot of difference between outrageous and brilliant.
Build on the Ideas of Others: Try to use “and” instead of “but," it encourages positivity and inclusivity and leads to tons of ideas.
Stay Focused on the Topic: Try to keep the discussion on target. Divergence is good, but you still need to keep your eyes on the prize.
One Conversation at a Time: This can be difficult—especially with lots of creative people in a single room—but always think about the challenge topic and how to stay on track.
Be Visual: Use colored markers and Post-its. Stick your ideas on the wall so others can visualize them.
Go for Quantity: Crank your ideas out quickly. For any 60-minute session, you should try to generate 100 ideas.
©️ 2024, Julie Lynn Lemieux