Design thinking is more than a buzzword – it’s a strategy that makes sense not only for designers of product and experience, but also for business presentations.
Does that mean that presenters have to be designers?
Not necessarily. The implications of applying “design thinking” to business presentations goes beyond the visual aspect of design, of which you can read more right here on our blog.
For this Wednesday’s mid-week motivation, we’d like to share an anecdote that illustrates what we mean:
Last week I went to a presentation with a friend where we heard about some draft pilot projects implemented with the design thinking process. The presentation team consisted of different people: an HR specialist, a designer, a strategy consultant and an engineer. The presentation introduced a pilot tool which could support any group of people who are willing to organize learning groups, meetups and general “learning together” events.
When the presentation ended, my friend – who happens to be a web designer – asked me: “I like the idea, but where was the design?”
I told him: “It was there, in their thinking process”.
Judit Kertesz, management consultant & design thinker
Basically, what she’s saying is – it’s the ideation process behind the end result that reveals the true design thinking mentality.
It’s the invisible sequence of question & answer, thought & action, experimentation & execution that makes the visible flow of a presentation achieve true clarity and impact.
In other words, “thinking like a designer” is really at the heart of how you can apply design thinking to your next business PPT.
How different is “thinking like a designer” from “thinking like a business strategist”?
We will answer that by (first) sharing a lovely 90-second video that explains the concept of “design thinking” in a clear – and yes, impactful way!
And we’ll be back with more on thinking by design and designing like a thinker.