Change by Design

Design Thinking

Many authors presenting new programs for enhanced productivity or problem-solving write with evangelical fervor. They offer to change your life, and they strive to gain your buy-in. Often, the level of their fervor proves a measure of the uselessness of their ideas. This never applies to Tim Brown. His approach to innovative thinking is quietly exciting and, at times, revelatory. His useful and applicable strategy for innovation draws its inspiration from design; his name for this process is “design thinking.”

Design thinking has its origins in the training and the professional practice of designers, but these are principles that can be practiced by everyone and extended to every field of activity.Tim Brown

Brown, CEO and president of IDEO, an influential design firm whose work sets an industry standard, is an icon in the design profession. He makes a convincing case that innovation is the norm at IDEO. The company expects employees not only to come up with new ideas – which, as Brown points out, are cheap and easy to generate in isolation – but to create new, workable solutions to real world problems. Brown’s tone, writing style and content expresses a passion for creation that never seems giddy or off-balance. Designers, those who manage designers, and anyone interested in innovation and creativity will savor his worthwhile, eye-opening methods.