More than a ” buzzword “, Design Thinking is a concept that has been used by professionals and companies of all kinds for more than 50 years. You’ve probably already heard about it, but do you know exactly what applications you can give it to your company?
The benefits of this technique are numerous, and the best thing is that you can use it for any project you need to carry out. Find out below how to get the most out of Design Thinking and optimize your customer relationship with this effective tool.
The Mattel example or Why Design Thinking?
Design Thinking is able to help you create services that customers not only need but also want. How many times have you heard of a product that promises to be innovative and successful and ultimately turns out to be a failure in the market?
I’ll give you an example, since its release in the late ’50s, Barbie, the world’s most famous doll, has been a bestseller. In fact, there must be few girls in the West who, in their lifetime, have not wanted to have a Barbie.
Aware of the attractiveness of this product, the Mattel company decided in 2009 to launch its ultra-famous doll in the Chinese market. It was a safe bet. A huge market with customers with enough purchasing power. The problem was that they took this risk thinking about their product and not the customers they wanted to reach.
The result… Low sales and million-dollar losses. The Chinese market did not want a thin and sexy doll, but rather a cute and sweet character. We don’t know why Mattel didn’t do the right study before they did their campaign, but it’s true that their results would have been different if they had applied Design Thinking.
In this case, the mistake was not so serious as to make Mattel go bankrupt, but can you imagine what could happen with a business that puts all its trust and stability in an unattractive product? The consequences can be catastrophic.
What makes Design Thinking so special?
Design Thinking is a technique that promotes the development of creativity to use it to find solutions to problems that users may have. This method fosters an innovation that is always centered on the human being.
In this context the term innovation refers not only to technology, but also to the conception of products that solve a specific problem that is viable from an economic, human and technological point of view.
What are the advantages of Design Thinking?
Stimulates creativity
The first objective of Design Thinking is to promote innovation and creativity within the organization. For this purpose, it proposes to combine the skills of different collaborators.
The ideal scenario for Design Thinking includes the cooperation of, for example, sales, marketing, and human resources professionals, to work on the same project and promote co-design and collective intelligence.
Increases the speed and effectiveness of problem-solving
With an entire team focused on finding innovative solutions, the speed of problem-solving can undoubtedly increase; so that products and services can be tested and launched in record time.
Builds stronger ties between company members
This technique develops cohesion within the company by making employees work together. Indeed, Design Thinking makes it possible to create very important links between the different poles of a company. It provides the opportunity to work in all areas, empowers teams and increases the value of their work.
Stages of Design Thinking
Inspiration: This is the ethnographic study phase. The first thing is to identify the customer’s problem to find opportunities for improvement, after observing his context and behaviors.
Imagination: After studying the customer, the team begins the process of co-designing and generating ideas; to then develop and test them (brainstorming, first prototypes …).
Implementation: Whether you decide to create a product or service, or start any other project; this is where the plan begins to run.
Design Thinking and Customer Experience
Through this technique, you can exponentially optimize the experience you offer your customers. Let’s see exactly how:
- Design Thinking, because it is mainly oriented to innovation, allows you and your clients to detect weak signals, emerging trends and helps you to plan for the future.
- It also encourages you to better train your staff to provide exceptional service.
- Challenges can turn into great opportunities. Whether your customers say your website is confusing and unattractive; or that the product you gave them doesn’t meet expectations or doesn’t work as well as expected. All of these are occasions to redesign or improve whatever is failing and show your customers that you really listen to them.
Create for them something that really provides them with value and you will see how they will give you, without doubt; their preference and loyalty.
Remember, your team can work better as they use the right resources and tools. Combine Design Thinking techniques with software that allows your employees to collaborate better and collect customer data more efficiently.
A great idea is to combine the Freshworks 360 suite. Which is able to give you a complete view of your customers and their needs.
Contact us now to receive more information about the best solutions, and start implementing successful projects. At GB Advisors we offer quality consulting and state-of-the-art software.
