Weekly Reflection on Design Thinking for Managers

Running head: MANAGEMENT
DESIGN THINKING

MANAGEMENT 2
Contents
Overview....................................................................................................................... 3
Reflection report.............................................................................................................. 3
Personal progress and the growth of your knowledge of Design thinking themes.............................11
Building an action plan of main events and activities...............................................................12
Summary..................................................................................................................... 15
References................................................................................................................... 16
Appendices (Weekly Blogs)............................................................................................. 18

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Overview
In present scenario, design thinking is used by managers for making creative decision. Design
management has conventionally practiced design thinking approach for developing compelling
products and services, which encourages the consumers, constantly developing financial rewards
as well as, developing the brand loyalty (Glen, Suciu, &Baughn, 2014). This report presents the
weekly reflection on design thinking for managers. It also demonstrates the blogs on activities
that I have done in each week.
Reflection report
Week 1: Introduction to Design Thinking
In this week, I have built my understanding related to design thinking. Continuing this, I have
learned that design thinking is an important way to deal with multifaceted and vague issues. It is
also observed that design thinking isa creativeproblem-solving strategy that designers could use
for developing new values that are different as well as, develops positive impact (sources: blog
1). During this week, I have built my knowledge in relation with visualization. In such a manner,
I have learned that visualization could use imagery for envision possibilities as well as, convey
them to life (Liedtka& Ogilvie, 2011). I would like to apply my learning in the future in terms of
making creative design thinking.
Week 2: Design Process Workshop
During this time, I have learned various concepts about design process. This process includes
empathizing, define, ideate, prototype, and test. It can be broken down into design thinking tools
that can help in innovation. I have also improved my knowledge of another process of design
thinking. These includes analysis of value chain, journey mapping, visualization, mind mapping,
concept progress, assumption trying, fast prototyping and consumer co-creation. I have also

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increased my knowledge that the business mindset is still relevant due to different causes
(Johansson, Sköldberg, Woodilla, & Çetinkaya, 2013). These are remaining realistic, clear
communication between DT, systematic approaches, considering the future of business, and
purely creating value for customers.
I have improved my understanding related to reflection. It is a procedure that develops meaning
through experiences. It is noticed that reflection also allows us to move from one experience to
next (sources: blog 2). It is also addressed that reflection creates deeper learning of
relationshipswith and connection to, other experiences as well as, ideas. It also ensures the
progress of individual and ultimately society (Glen, Suciu, &Baughn, 2014).
I have learned that reflection is a significant stage in the learning procedure. It is illustrated that
people explore their experiences within a conscious manner for acquiring new knowledge and
new patterns of behavior. I also gained much about development of poster and learn that it is a
good way for visualizing information in an accessible way(sources: blog 2).This poster would be
applied by me for developing communication, summarising, prioritizing, visualizing as well as,
creativity skills (Liedtka, King, & Bennett, 2013).
Week 3: Workshop of Design Theory
During this time, I have developed my learning of design logic. Inducing intellectual is related to
discovery, developing, and potential hypotheses. I have also created my experience that logic of
reasoning without design is associated with a problem situation, desired value, what, how, and
result. In addition, interpretivism philosophy concepts are also cleared out. Continuing this, I
understood of interpretivism that is related to multiple realities, everyone constructs their own
reality as per their interpretation (Chen &Venkatesh, 2013).

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It is also identified that positivism is associated with one single reality, measurable, and
observable. I have learned that the scientific method is an objective assessment of data and
subjective judgment for solving issues. It is observed that action research consists of different
cycles such as identify the problem, develop a plan of action, collect data, analyze data and form
conclusions, as well as, adjust the theory (sources: blog 3). I have also developed my
understanding oft he difference between a blog and a reflective report. This would be applied by
me for creating differences in assessment 3 (Mootee, 2013).
Week 4: Problem Finding and Needs Analysis
I have increased my understanding that DT is solution-oriented however it is wider than just a
problem-solving methodology. I have also learned that it is actually an approach that could
address the problem and it could be different from one originally considered(sources: blog 4). I
have also observed that DT is defined as personas where customers are tending to be
comprehended as real individual considering their desires, attributes, behaviour, distaste, feeling
and thougths (Liedtka, 2015).
Week 5: Needs Analysis and Problem Solving
During this time, I have developed my learning of brainstorming rules where one should be
radical and not speak yes and choose quantity however, remember needs fluency and
flexibility(sources: blog 5). With regards to this, there is a significant connection amid journey
mapping and graphical presentation of customer experience as they communicate with respective
service and product suppliers. My knowledge has also been increased that for assessing existing
experience through customer eyes, journey mapping is being used (Beverland, Wilner,
&Micheli, 2015).

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Week 7: Empathy, Ethics, Exploration in design of research 2
During this time, various concepts related to ethics, empathy, and analysis in research design has
been developed 2. In this week, I have learned that research is the organized assortment and
understanding of data with pure purposes and finding ways out. It is illustrated that there are two
methods of collecting data and these includes primary and secondary way (Carlgren, Rauth,
&Elmquist, 2016).
It is pointed out that some of the varied primary data sources includes interviews, form, surveys,
focus teams, observations, webpage, indicator and documents. I have pointed out that the
questionnaire survey is self-administered and not practiced in DT as well as, administered
through interviewer(sources: blog 6). I have also learned that some factors could be considered
in research such as structured questions. I have pointed outthat these techniques consider
quantitative and qualitative components (Mahmoud-Jouini, Midler, &Silberzahn, 2016).
I have learned that in a semi-structured interview, rough questions (themes based questions)
would be asked, ordering and exacting questions could be varied, enabling exploring to
unexpected avenues, qualitative techniques, and design thinking tool(sources: blog 6). In
addition, I also identify that the unstructured interview is a very lost and open-ended
conversation. I have also developed my knowledge that qualitative information is considered in
the interview and it is complex to perform (Elsbach&Stigliani, 2018).
I have gained my experience that observation is related to observing, describing, recording,
assessing as well as, interpreting the behavior of people. It is illustrated that observation could be
qualitative such as watching mothers make waffles. In this week, I have developed my
understanding that quantitative data could be obtained through observation such as how many
individuals are carrying too much material to the beach (Welsh &Dehler, 2013). I have also