Design Thinking for Innovation and Growth

This assignment delves into the power of design thinking as a framework for innovation and problem-solving. It emphasizes understanding user needs through observation and empathy, fostering creativity, and implementing collaborative processes. The text argues that design thinking benefits not only designers but also entrepreneurs, employees, managers, and freelancers across diverse fields. It encourages readers to apply these principles in both professional and personal contexts to drive growth and customer satisfaction.

Running head: ENTREPRENEURIAL DESIGN THINKING
Entrepreneurial Design Thinking
Name
Institution

ENTREPRENEURIAL DESIGN THINKING 2
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................4
Design and design thinking 4
Design thinking framework 5
Design thinking and innovation 5
Challenges of innovation in business 6
Product development 6
Design thinking in product promotion 7
Customer Journey mapping 7
Principles of design thinking 8
Design thinking and services of internet 8
Problem identification and solving using design thinking 9
Design thinking and communication 9
Application of design tool in real life 10
Conclusion 11
References....................................................................................................................... 12

ENTREPRENEURIAL DESIGN THINKING 3
ABSTRACT
Design thinking is the mother of innovation. In this report, I discussed the benefits of
design thinking to eLearning and entrepreneurs. It helps marketers to be competitive in the
market, identify new ideas as well as solutions to the problem. The challenge discussed was
marketers’ difficulty in attracting customers due to poor products. Solutions to product problems
were discussed. The paper discusses creativity and design tool as a way of improving products to
gain customers. The paper involves processes used in design thinking so that entrepreneurs
follow the right procedure. I have also discussed how design thinking influence product
promotion. The diagrams and designs that are eye appealing to attract customers. Ways of the
identifying problem involve feedback and interview. This was also discussed in the paper. All
these factors when understood will help me gain knowledge in my future career.

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INTRODUCTION
In the world today, people have focused on applying entrepreneurial knowledge and
skills to better their lives in terms of running their individual jobs. Many entrepreneurs are
having difficulties in attracting customers and making huge profits. The worst thing is that
Customers are running away from this supplier resulting in damages and loss of items. The
solution lies in the field of design that has enabled people to be innovative and creative. This
creativity aims at making them competitive in the market by making products different and of
value to the customers (Adams, Daly, & Mann, 2011). It also helps in finding solutions to
problems.
Design and design thinking
During my first lecture of the first week, we began by an introduction from students and
lecturer. I was so keen to know more about the content of the unit. The lecturer introduced the
unit and finally discussed entrepreneurship and design thinking basics. We covered the definition
of design thinking and the differences between design and design thinking (see blog # 2). It was
defined as a method used by entrepreneurs to solve clients’ problems and give them solutions. It
is more focused on the solution than the problem itself. This helped me form a basis of what my
expectation at the end of the unit. It also helped me as an entrepreneur to know the methods to
use in solving clients problem. In addition, I had a problem capturing information since the
lecture spoke in a low tone. This made me attend the next lesson prior to time so that I occupy
the front seat next to the lecturer. The basics of design thinking are that it requires imagination,
reasoning and exploring possibilities (Alves, Marques, & Visser, 2006). This helped me to
generate the desired outcome to the customer.

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Design thinking framework
After the introduction, the next activity was to discuss design-thinking framework. We
learned that this framework combines problem-solving with art and design approaches. This
framework involves observation for discovery, identifying scope and opportunity of innovation.
Generate ideas and opinions, testing and deciding solution see blog # 10). This framework will
help me to understand and discover ways of innovation that will contribute to growth and value
of my customers (Beckman & Speer, 2006). The teacher asked to give a brief overview of what
he has taught. He pointed at me and I gave the process correctly. In addition, I learned that
listening carefully to what the teacher says is important since it will assist me to understand
clients’ problem and solve it in the right way.
Design thinking and innovation
In our next class activity, our lecturer taught us about innovation, the lecturer used a
piece of A4 size paper to demonstrate design a birthday shape. He folded the paper from the
Conner and glued the ends together. The outcome was a cone cape. Innovation is coming up
with new methods of designing something (see blog # 4). We learned that Customers are to
innovation for a company to succeed. Companies innovate in order to be more competitive and
increase customers. From the activity, I discovered that the feedback clients give about the
company is the basis for innovation (Blank & Dorf, 2012).
I learned that innovations that companies make, either cause market success or market
failure. Involving customers in innovation is very important. This is because customers form
the backbone of the organization. These customers buy our goods and services depending on
their needs. These needs should satisfy them and if not satisfied they give feedback through the
complaint (Alves, Marques, & Visser, 2006). From the activity, I realized how important

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customers are and that as a future manager of a company I need not ignore those complaints but
instead they should help them improve and correct the mistake.it is clear that those complains
forms the basis for innovation.
Challenges of innovation in business
In the process of designing and innovating new products in the market, the existing
products face challenges. After companies launch new products and services in the market, they
ignore and forget about the old product. When users of such products come, they find that the
product they need is of low quality or is missing in the shelves (see blog 4). Many at times they
get irritated and decide to move to the next merchants thus reducing the volume of their clients
(Beckman & Speer, 2006). Many entrepreneurs are having difficulties in attracting customers
and making huge profits. The worst thing is that Customers are running away from this supplier
resulting in damages and loss of items. From this lesson, I learned that as much as the companies
introduce new products in the market, they should not ignore or discontinue old products for the
sake of retaining loyal customers (Brown, 2009). This will help me to offer customer satisfaction
in a way that meets their requirements.
Product development
Product development in the market needs creativity (Brown, Design thinking. ,2008).
Creativity involves skills and knowledge to design a new product. Design thinking provides
entrepreneurs with concepts, methods, and tools to be creative (see blog # 5). Any success of the
company involves customers. They are involved when they purchase products. The process of
development involves uncovering opportunities, generating ideas, experimenting and finally
applying the idea. I learned that design process involves divergent and convergent thinking in

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order to come up with appealing methods for the benefit of the company. Through this, I will be
able to generate multiple choices and selecting from the choices. From this activity, I learned that
people have various design thinking in one particular thing and everyone view things differently
concerning similar things (Doorley & Witthoft, 2012). This differences in ideas lead to solving
different needs depending on the nature of the business.
Design thinking in product promotion
We learned that product promotion is making a product known to the customers. When
organizations want to launch a new product they do it through marketing advertisements. Visual
and graphics are the use of pictures and drawings to represent certain information. Through
design thinking, we come up with appealing pictures and wordings that attract customers (see
blog # 6). I learned that for organizations to advertise their products, they should employ few
words with many pictures in order to catch the attention of people. Many customers use pictures
more than words to enhance their understanding.
From the activity, I learned how to explain an idea using a drawing. This will help me to
generate solutions by receiving other people’s feedback. For any communication to be complete,
feedback from customers will help correct our problems. These solutions are identified through
design thinking (Dorst, 2011). Design thinking will help me learn more on problem-solving,
customer development, creativity, and teamwork and product solution. It helps students to
embrace their creative confidence. Therefore using design-thinking principles on
entrepreneurship will help me meet their goals.
Customer Journey mapping

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This activity involves defining what a journey map is and who uses it. We defined as a
visual representation of customer experience.it shows how customers interact with business or
brand product through different channels known as touchpoints (see blog # 7). Any information
from the customer to the organization portal or website to make the purchase is a touch point.
This helps businesses to track and understand customer habits (Liedtka, 2000). Analysing these
touch points helps me to understand why, how and when clients visit and engage with products.
In addition, it helps in making VDD based on the experience of the customer. They may include
understanding clients’ behavior, feelings, and thoughts across the journey. This will help me
ensure customers’ needs and goals are made.
I also learned the importance of journey mapping as a design tool. This tool contains
information about the challenges we face as an organization. Knowing the problem will prepare
managers to identify the possible issues they may encounter towards the journey to a successful
life (Farrell & Hooker, 2011).
Principles of design thinking
The next activity we learned about principles of design thinking. This is guidelines to
follow when designing something they involve explore, assess, build prototypes and find new
ideas. This topic will help me to explore the issue in varying perspectives to determine whether
being focused on the issue (see blog # 3). After assessing ideas I will be able to find the right
solution. This shows how design thinking follows a predetermined guide to reach a solution
Design thinking and services of internet
Design thinking is used by many professionals. It helps eLearning professionals,
organizations, individuals and learners to perform their duties. Through design thinking users of

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the internet are able to design applications on their phones, institutions portal to enable
customers to solve their problems easily and faster (see blog # 10). Schools have been able to
design students and staff portal to enable them to manage their activities. Students now days are
able to online exam interact with lecturers online. They also use social media platforms for
communication and socialization. It is a solution to most challenges. This helped me to know
how design thinking in eLearning benefit can be used to integrate instructions and develop a
future process in achieving performance.
Problem identification and solving using design thinking
I learned that in any organization there are challenges that the company or an individual
face. For us to identify the problem we have to ask the client about how they have benefited from
the problem. There are several ways of identifying a problem from the organization or customer.
These include survey, use a questionnaire or face to face interview. In our case face to face, the
interview is preferred because it will enable us to generate immediate feedback and solution (see
blog # 10). I noticed that individual interview would help managers find problems in some
products by asking users. Interview questions are part of design thinking for product assessment
to gather more information about the problem as well getting responses from the respondents
(Gerber & Carroll , 2012). We need to seek opinions and suggest new ideas to solve and improve
the problem. Many of us are surprised by the story clients to give (Alves, Marques, & Visser,
2006). We generated the effects of the application to the owner. From the lesson to my surprise
the task revealed the real problem and solutions many of us do. The effects, solutions, and
feedback will help us find solutions in order to improve on our activities in the organization
(Liedtka, 2014).

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Design thinking and communication
Communication involves passing information from one group to another. It involves the
sender, receiver, feedback, and message. For information to reach the receiver there has to be a
channel through which information passes. For communication to be complete, the receiver has
to send feedback. Poor channels of communication may result in misunderstanding of the
message (see blog # 3). Interpretation and understanding of message will help in passing the
correct message. One can pass information in pictorial representation in relation to what he
wants to pass using design thinking. From this activity, I learned the importance of
communication channel in a large group. It is difficult to give the right solution when the
problem is misunderstood (Beckman & Speer, 2006). I learned why I should follow instruction
while passing information from one group to another. In addition, I discovered why I should ask
for clarity and feedback in order to pass message in the correct manner in whichever
circumstance not only in the unit. This will help me to give the right solution to the problem at
hand. In the activity of presentation, communication applied whereby each and every group
member speak in the classroom and another person writes on the board. This taught me listening
and confidence in passing information (see blog #12).
Application of design tool in real life
As part of the session’s activity, we must be able to apply the knowledge of design
thinking in real life situations. It is clear that sometimes the organization may not realize their
weaknesses but through the customers, they find issues and correct them. If you are a manager
you can ask clients how they find the company and using their feedback you can build on the
strategies for improvement (see blog # 11). We used at least 10 designs techniques to elaborate
the concept. Of development, mind mapping, journey mapping, visualization, brainstorming,

ENTREPRENEURIAL DESIGN THINKING 11
prototyping, value chain analysis, and test assumptions were used. During the class, we
presented various problems and their solutions using design tool. I noticed that students have
good ideas and must make use of them to make innovative products in order to be competitive in
the market (Brown, 2009). This motivated me and prepared me for the future concerning my
career as a management design student. From the activity, I learned many things including
preparation for a good product development, applications of design tools on different problems,
how to manage clients in terms of time specification.
Conclusion
The design is linked to future improvements based on building up ideas. The objective of
design thinking course was to help me as an entrepreneur design better products through
innovation. The purpose was to help in personal and organizational development. Through
problem stages of problem identification, I will be able to use the design thinking to help me to
develop an innovative and practical solution to problems. Through the end of the course, I will
be able to develop an understanding of the important phases and approaches in design thinking
and learn how to implement new skills and knowledge in career and personal life. This will help
me in building an effective solution to the problem. For one to be innovative he or she needs to
use design thinking to brainstorm the idea. The process of design thinking will help me to
extract, learn, teach and apply the techniques in solving issues in an innovative and creative way.
This shows how design thinking helps designers, employees, managers, and freelancers to do
their activities. For entrepreneurs I suggest:

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We teach staff on design thinking to help influence the culture of any start-up business
and in the field of business.it will help them to learn how to get out of problems within a short
period. It gives a basis for understanding users.
The design thinking approaches used is observation and empathy. It will entrepreneurs reflect on
customers behaviour which will help them solve managerial issues in future.
Design thinking is user-friendly. It involves understanding motivations and needs. It requires
teamwork. This will help entrepreneurs to learn and get new ideas. Design thinking is an
important tool to strategy development and business changes. Therefore, making use of design
thinking process will affect the whole country in terms of growth and customer satisfaction.
.

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References
Adams, R., Daly, S. R., & Mann, L. M. (2011). A professional: Three lenses into design
thinking, acting and being. Design Studies, Chicago.
Alves, J., Marques, M. J., & Visser, M. (2006). Stimulation of creativity and innovation in a
small multidisciplinary NPD team. Paper presented at the R&D Management
Conference. Taiwan.: Taipei & Hsinchu,
Beckman, S., & Speer, L. (2006). Learning about design: Observations from ten years of new
product development class projects. America: Industrial Designers Society of America.
Blank , S., & Dorf, B. (2012). The startup owner's manual: The step-by-step guide to building a
great company. Pescadero: CA: K&S Ranch.
Brown, T. (2008, 06 23). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, pp. 85-92.
Brown, T. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking transforms organizations and
inspires innovation. New York: NY.
Doorley, S., & Witthoft, S. (2012). Make space: How to set the stage for creative collaboration.
Hoboken, NJ: John Whiley &Sons.
Dorst, K. (2011). The core of ‘design thinking’ and its application. Design Studies, 521-532.
Farrell, R., & Hooker, C. (2011). Design, science, and wicked problems. Design Studies. NJ.
Gerber, E., & Carroll , M. (2012). The psychological experience of prototyping. Design Studies,
NJ.

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Liedtka, J. (2000, 06 34). In defense of strategy as design. California Management Review, p. 45.
Liedtka, J. (2014). Perspective: Linking design thinking with innovation outcomes through
cognitive bias reduction bias reduction. Journal of Product Innovation Managment, 925.