In an old high-rise building, residents complained about a slow elevator. Tired of waiting, they suggested replacing the elevator with a faster one or at least upgrading the motor—a very logical solution, it would seem.
When the contractors arrived, they instead installed mirrors in the elevator lobby. Complaints dropped as residents now had something to occupy themselves with while waiting—their own reflections.
This example highlights a central challenge in product development and innovation: the risk of prematurely committing to a specific solution without thoroughly exploring the problem’s various dimensions.
This can lead to solutions that fail to fully address users' real needs or the deeper-rooted causes of the problem.
Problems, especially in complex fields like product development, are rarely one-dimensional. They may have layers of causes and effects, shaped by a range of user needs, technological constraints, market dynamics, and other factors.
Without a thorough understanding of these aspects, your team may develop solutions that address only a symptom of the problem, not the underlying cause.
Design Thinking offers a structured approach to explore and define the problem from multiple perspectives:
Once the problem is defined through Design Thinking, iterative development cycles (sprints) can be used to experiment with and test different solutions:
By avoiding early commitment to a solution and instead pursuing an iterative, user-centered approach to problem-solving, your team minimises the risk of investing time, resources, and energy into developing solutions that don’t meet real user needs or address the wrong problems.
Learn how to identify, understand, and solve problems and needs from the perspective of customers/users in our course, Design Thinking in practice - with Certification Opportunity.
In this course, you will acquire the tools to develop innovative solutions, enhance products, streamline processes, and create more efficient workflows.