Is Design Thinking Relevant? A two-part exploration

PART 1 Aiming for Innovation: Living Design in a Business World

In this session we will talk about design thinking and how it relates to software product development in general, and to HCI design in particular. We will also explore the values and methods of strategic ideation and see how they can be applied in various real life/real work situations.

Working in a product development environment we often find ourselves grappling with tricky, squirrelly problems. Requirements are often vaguely defined and frequently change as new information emerges about the market, our competitors, etc. How do we design for the right solution when objectives are unclear and requirements are shifting? Moreover, how do we get all the stakeholders to agree on the same outcomes?

A traditional business approach might dictate the use of logic and a clearly defined process such as a SWOT analysis to build parity, while a design thinking approach might consider the end user's goals and seek out an innovative solution that aptly fulfills their needs. This presentation will show that the two solutions become more effective when combined, and offer an optimal solution that adheres to both user and business requirements.

PART 2 Taming Complexity and Sparking Innovation Through Ideation and Design Thinking

A design thinking approach to product development gives us a place to start and a way to proceed with problems that are tricky and ill-defined. It can help tame their complexity and uncover innovative solutions. At the heart of this approach is ideation, the capacity for generating ideas and entertaining alternatives, which we most often practice in brainstorming sessions. In this talk we will look at the background, values and techniques of brainstorming and how to structure effective brainstorm sessions. We will also look at the ways group brainstorms can enhance team performance and serve as the sparkplug for an innovation pipeline.

For more information about this event and/or BayCHI please visit www.baychi.org.