In a rapidly evolving world, where innovation is the lifeblood of success, the concept of Design Thinking has emerged as a powerful tool to drive creative problem-solving and foster innovation. Rooted in empathy, collaboration, and iterative processes, Design Thinking is a human-centered approach that encourages professionals to tackle complex challenges by placing the user at the heart of the solution.
Cohort 8 of the GCIC Business Incubator convened for their second masterclass on August 9, 2023, at Accra’s Airport West Hotel. The session, skillfully guided by Eugene Eluerkeh, Adjunct Lecturer of entrepreneurship at Ashesi University, revolved around Design Thinking and its pragmatic applications for entrepreneurs seeking to elevate their business practices.
Whist discussing problem solving for entrepreneurs, the facilitator stated that conventional methods of solving business challenges often start with a predefined problem and work towards a solution. In contrast, Design Thinking commences with understanding the problem’s context deeply, often leading to reframing the problem itself. This empathy-driven approach allows designers to gain a comprehensive understanding of user needs, pain points, and aspirations. By truly empathizing with the end-users, designers can identify latent needs that might not be immediately apparent.
The process of Design Thinking typically involves five stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
In the ‘Empathize’ phase, designers engage with users, observe their behavior, and conduct interviews to gain insights into their experiences. This step lays the foundation for the subsequent stages by creating a shared understanding of the problem.
The ‘Define’ stage involves synthesizing the insights gathered during empathy to create a clear and concise problem statement. This step reframes the challenge in a human-centric way, ensuring that the focus remains on addressing user needs.
With a well-defined problem in hand, the ‘Ideate’ phase encourages brainstorming and ideation sessions to generate a multitude of creative solutions. During this phase, quantity is emphasized over quality, as even seemingly unconventional ideas can lead to breakthrough solutions.
Moving forward, the ‘Prototype’ phase involves transforming selected ideas into tangible representations. These prototypes can range from physical mock-ups to digital simulations, allowing teams to visualize and communicate their concepts effectively. Prototypes serve as a means of testing and learning, bridging the gap between ideation and implementation.
Finally, in the ‘Test’ phase, prototypes are shared with end-users for feedback. This iterative process allows designers to refine their solutions based on real-world user input, ensuring that the final product resonates with the intended audience. The feedback loop can result in further iterations, each bringing the solution closer to its ideal form.
The masterclass attendees actively participated in exercises orchestrated by the facilitator, enabling them to put the tenets of design thinking into action and perceive its integration within everyday business scenarios. The session culminated with a reminder from the facilitator to convert their business problems to people problems and to prioritizing the needs and desires of their users and consumers.
