Design Thinking. Specific definitions vary and they all include a problem solving process that puts identifying people’s needs first using a variety of tools to achieve results. This is my favourite part. Getting the results. Too often in our industry of software and services we consider that an individual transaction is the end of an association. It shouldn’t be. Digital solutions are not one-off billboards. Iterations, experiments, observations, insights, and action drive real change and create valuable products.

Despite growing in popularity as a process, not every agency nor every client is sure how it can be made to work for them. Chew on these great examples to get inspired. They work for me!

Better Service, Faster.

Robert I. Sutton, David Hoyt Jan 06, 2016

Services and financial support for people living with disabilities in the San Francisco Area can be found through the Golden Gate Regional Center. Travel, assessments, home visits, evaluations by medical professionals, and months of waiting are just some of the challenges faced by parents of children depending on assistance. Two Stanford students, Elizabeth Woodson and Saul Gurdus wanted to try something new.

“We must meet families where they are, both physically and emotionally.” The resulting prototypes were “open houses,” held right in the communities where eligible families live.

They ran an experiment and brought the Golden Gate Regional Center to the people. Packed in a Winnebago, staff met potential clients in the neighbourhoods that they live in. The day of the experiment they did nine assessments in less than two hours. Processing the assessments took a concentrated week of work — 10 weeks faster than usual. The Winnebago experiment opened all stakeholders’ eyes to the possibilities of prototyping new solutions that might improve processes both for internal staff and the people they serve.

Insight: Experimentation, theory, testing and refinement can lead to deep organizational change and better service delivery.

Harvard Business Review