Innovation Essay: Design Thinking in IT - Concepts and Applications

This essay delves into the concept of design thinking as a crucial approach for problem-solving and innovation, particularly within the context of an IT professional's role. It emphasizes the importance of empathy in understanding and addressing client requirements, highlighting methods like prototyping and the application of latest technologies. The essay references key sources, including Brown & Wyatt (2010) and Dorst (2011), to support its arguments on the benefits of design thinking in creating feasible solutions. The author reflects on the learning from guest innovators and the necessity of skills such as leadership, teamwork, and patience in the design thinking process. The conclusion reinforces the idea that design thinking is more than just a method; it is a framework for rethinking problems and finding effective solutions, essential for IT professionals aiming to innovate and meet client needs.

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Innovation
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Innovation 1
Design thinking
An approach used for solving a critical problem in a simple way. There are many various innovative
ideas, which can solve critical problems. Design thinking (DT) provides various approaches to solve
various problems, such as the prototype approach, reflection, learning, and many others (Dorst, 2011).
Empathy is the most suitable way for the creation of new ideas and problem-solving. It is necessary to
empathize yourself for understanding the problem first then figure out the solutions to that problem. It
is the best method to identify a problem and its solution. It is necessary to think as a person about the
problem and find new solutions to that problem (Fanguy, 2018).
The second method is prototyping, which provides a real feeling about the problem and its solutions.
There are various methods in the prototype approach, such as mobile applications, rapid prototype, and
more. It can be possible using card sheet and other material as well. There are various solutions to a
problem, which can be easily understood using a model (Hobcraft, 2017).
As an IT professional, I should know about the latest technologies and software development as well as
creative thinking. In addition, innovations are based on the ideas of a person to solve a problem in an
efficient way or create a new thing to make more results that are effective. Designing thinking is
necessary because an IT professional always consider their client's requirements from him and empathy
is helpful for resolving those issues. According to (Brown & Wyatt, 2010), DT is beneficial in social
innovations and it is necessary for software development as well. I learnt that DT is a necessary process
to innovate something new to solve any problem. I learned from guest innovators’ talk that design
thinking provides various ways to solve a problem with the help of creative thoughts and various
methods of design thinking. Besides, design thinking provides feasible solutions that are better than
other solutions (Hobcraft, 2017).
I learned from the whole task that every problem has various solutions but it is necessary to discover a
feasible solution. In addition, the problem can be solved using various methods of design thinking, such
as prototype modeling, empathy, mind map, and many other skills. Based on the (Rosenø, 2018), DT is
not a method for problem but it is the above of the method. It provides a suitable solution to a problem.
Design thinking is also supported in rethinking about the problem (Kimbell, 2011).

Innovation 2
I learned that an IT professional must create a few skills, which are helpful in design thinking, such as
leadership, teamwork, patience, focus, and others.
References
Brown, T. & Wyatt, J., 2010. Design thinking for social innovation. Development Outreach, 12(1), pp. 29-
43.
Dorst, K., 2011. The core of ‘design thinking’ and its application. Design studies, 32(6), pp. 521-532.
Fanguy, W., 2018. Why the world needs more design thinking. [Online]
Available at: https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/world-needs-more-design-thinking
[Accessed 11 July 2019].
Hobcraft, P., 2017. An introduction to Design Thinking for Innovation Managers. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.hypeinnovation.com/an-introduction-to-design-thinking-for-innovation-
managers
Kimbell, . L., 2011. Rethinking design thinking: Part I. Design and Culture, 3(3), pp. 285-306.
Rosenø, A., 2018. Design Thinking - More Than Just a Method. [Online]
Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/design-thinking-more-than-just-method-axel-rosen
%C3%B8/
[Accessed 11 July 2019].