The Evolution of Design Thinking

Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, introduces design thinking as a human-centered approach to innovation that integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. This methodology transcends traditional design boundaries, focusing on creating solutions that are not only functional but deeply meaningful to users.

The Three Overlapping Spaces of Innovation

Brown conceptualizes the design thinking process as three interconnected spaces rather than sequential steps:

Inspiration

The problem or opportunity that motivates the search for solutions. This space involves identifying constraints, establishing evaluation frameworks, and understanding the circumstances that drive innovation efforts.

Ideation

The process of generating, developing, and testing ideas. Key activities include brainstorming without immediate judgment, creating multiple prototypes to explore concepts, and collaborative idea development across disciplines.

Implementation

Charting the path from project room to market. This focuses on refining concepts for real-world application, scaling solutions effectively, and building sustainable business models.

These spaces are deliberately non-linear—projects may loop back through these spaces more than once as ideas are refined and new directions taken.

The Three Pillars: Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability

Brown’s framework balances three critical criteria for successful innovation:

• Desirability: What makes sense to people and for people—understanding genuine human needs and wants through deep empathy
• Feasibility: What is functionally possible within the foreseeable future—determining technical and resource constraints
• Viability: What is likely to become part of a sustainable business model—ensuring economic sustainability

The intersection of these three elements creates the “innovation sweet spot” where breakthrough solutions emerge.

Converting Need into Demand

Brown emphasizes that “the job of the designer is converting need into demand” through:

• Insight: Understanding people’s real-life experiences by observing behaviors that reveal unrecognized needs
• Observation: Going beyond surface-level watching to understand what people don’t do or say
• Empathy: “Empathy is at the heart of design. Without understanding what others see, feel, and experience, design is a pointless task”

The Power of Constraints in Creativity

Contrary to common assumptions, Brown argues that “the willing and even enthusiastic acceptance of competing constraints is the foundation of design thinking”. Constraints serve as frameworks for creative exploration, benchmarks for measuring progress, and sources of innovation rather than limitations.

Prototyping and Learning Through Making

Central to Brown’s methodology is the belief that prototyping drives ideas forward, not toward final solutions. The approach varies across the three spaces:

• Inspiration stage: Low-fidelity prototypes for exploration
• Ideation stage: Higher-quality prototypes for testing concepts
• Implementation stage: High-fidelity prototypes for communication

Brown advocates for “failing early to succeed sooner”, emphasizing that rapid prototyping and iteration cycles are essential for discovering unexpected insights.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The T-Shaped Person

Design thinking flourishes in interdisciplinary environments. Brown introduces the “T-shaped person”:

• Vertical axis: Deep skill in a specific discipline
• Horizontal axis: Capacity for collaboration across disciplines

This creates “collective ownership of ideas where everybody takes responsibility for them”.

Creating a Culture of Innovation

Successfully implementing design thinking requires organizational culture change:

• Foster experimentation and risk-taking
• Enable shared processes and collective ownership
• Create environments that encourage learning from failure
• Support cross-disciplinary collaboration

Rules for Effective Brainstorming

Brown provides specific guidelines for collaborative ideation:

1. Build on the ideas of others (most important)
2. Defer judgment during idea generation
3. Encourage wild ideas without immediate feasibility concerns
4. Stay focused on the topic while allowing creative exploration

Beyond Products: Designing Experiences and Systems

“The evolution of design to design thinking is the story of the evolution from the creation of products to the analysis of the relationship between people and products, and from there to the relationship between people and people”. This expansion means design thinking can be applied to service experiences, organizational processes, strategic business challenges, and complex social problems.

The Project Framework

Brown emphasizes that “the project is the vehicle that carries an idea from concept to reality”. Well-defined projects provide clear goals and objectives, natural deadlines that impose discipline, opportunities for progress review, and sustainable creative energy through clarity and limits.

Transformative Impact

Design thinking’s power lies in its ability to tackle “wicked problems”—complex, seemingly intractable challenges with no obvious solutions. By integrating empathy, experimentation, and systematic iteration, Change by Design provides a comprehensive framework for creating innovations that are not only technically feasible and economically viable, but fundamentally desirable to the people they serve.