Any business idea, product, service, goes through multiple stages of change before it is finalized and launched. After which, it still continues to evolve as research & development improves the product over time and adds value to customers.

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From ideation to launching, each stage utilizes a concept called "Design Thinking.” And whether we realize it or not, it should be a way of thinking we incorporate and utilize throughout our journeys.  

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Design thinking is a mindset and an approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy and defining the needs of users whilst finding the creativity in generating ideas, and testing solutions. It is a valuable tool for everyone in business, especially, entrepreneurs, as it helps identify and solve problems in a user-centered and innovative way. Here are ways you can incorporate design thinking into your entrepreneurial voyage:

Enter empathy:

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A core principles of design thinking is empathy for the user. As an entrepreneur, it's important to understand the needs, wants, challenges, and motivations of your target audience. You have to be empathetic towards the features and things that trouble your market segments as well as the ones that will add value to their lives. Empathizing, however, means going a step further than conducting market research and gathering insights & data. This step of design thinking requires you to put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers before you create a product for them. Empathizing can be done through user interviews, focus groups, observations, and surveys. However, you will need to make sure to focus on consumer issues as your main goal instead of simply doing research that may result in a superficial conclusion. If you try to solve consumer issues, you will have a much higher chance of creating an effective and memorable product/service.  

Don’t forget the definition:

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Once you have a deep understanding of your target market and potential customers, the next step is to define the problem you are trying to create a solution for.  This does not mean identifying an issue on the surface-level and leaving it there. You will need to dig deeper and use the information you gathered in the previous stage of this process to find the root cause of the customer issue. You will need to define one specific problem in a clear and coherent manner, as it will make the product/service more human-centric and guide the entire process.  

Experimentation & Ideation:

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After the more clerical part of the process with research and defining completed, you will have the opportunity to generate ideas for potential solutions for the aforementioned customer problems. Although ideation can disguise itself as an administratively nerve-wracking task, it actually will give you a lot more room for creativity as compared to the other stages in the design thinking process. You will need to brainstorm interesting ideas, each different from the last, to make sure you think of everything. There are no wrong answers at this stage of the process, as it will allow you to make mistakes and come back to the drawing board. Take help from other people in your team and collaborate with different minds to come up with potential ideas.  

Implement to Prototype:

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Now it’s your turn to implement whatever it is you decided to create in the previous stage. Select the best idea from your list and create a prototype. This will essentially be a simplified version of your complete solution that can be checked and tested multiple times to prevent errors and bugs. You can choose to create a physical product by getting it 3D printed or properly manufactured. You can also create a digital prototype and test it online. This is especially popular for websites and apps where prototypes are created and then tested using web development software systems.  

Testing is the real test:

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This stage, although very important individually, works in tandem with the prototyping stage. You will need to use the prototype created and test it to find all the flaws, mistakes, and user-journey issues. You should get testers within your team and also get potential customers to try versions of your prototype to get feedback from the horse’s mouth. After you identify the issues and their root causes, you will be able to change the course of your prototype if needed or simply make improvements based on the feedback you gathered to create an effective solution. Make sure to keep an open mind during this stage and not worry about the feedback you may get, as this process is supposed to provide you with help and not worries.  

Refine or redefine?

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This is an idea you need to always have at the back of your head. Don’t get discouraged or upset if you do not get the feedback you want in the first go. The design thinking process is iterative, so you will need to go back and forth before you finalize and launch anything. You need to be willing to make changes throughout and take be objective, despite of how close you may be to the idea. If you do hit a snag, make sure to take a step back and try to find if you need to refine the product or completely redefine the concept.  

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And that’s the list of steps you need to focus on when utilizing the design thinking process!

You should integrate design thinking into not only your products but also your company culture. Make it a part of your decision-making and create better products, services, and experiences for your customers.