Episode 30: Design Mindsets for Design Thinking

March 26, 2025

One of the key skills that helps teams develop their ideas is design thinking, which offers innovative ways to approach problems and think differently. My first experience with a team using design thinking was during the Global Retail Challenge, which was later transformed into the Global Circularity Challenge on Fashion. These competitions required teams to engage in a series of design thinking activities over a 6 or 7-week period, resulting in some truly unique solutions, such as creating plastics from chicken feather waste and developing a recycling solution for athletic shoes. This process encouraged teams to think broadly at first and then refine their initial ideas into realistic and unique solutions, often only loosely related to their original concepts.

 Design Thinking

In simple terms, the design thinking process begins with empathising with the consumer to define the problem loosely. Next, teams ideate a wide range of diverse and creative solutions. Following this, prototypes are developed and tested for functionality, as well as to assess whether consumers are willing to pay for the idea. Prototyping serves several additional purposes, including learning, resolving disagreements, initiating conversations, enabling cost-effective failures, and breaking the problem into smaller, manageable parts. More information on this process can be found in a free PDF from the Institute of Design at Stanford University (Click Here).

 Design Mindsets

Besides a long list of design tools that can be used to help progress your design thinking and 7 design mindsets include:

• Show, Don’t Tell
• Focus on Human Values
• Craft Clarity
• Embrace Experimentation
• Be Mindful of Process
• Bias Toward Action
• Radical Collaboration

I want to focus on a few key mindsets that have been valuable for my teams over the years. These include "Show, Don’t Tell," "Craft Clarity," and "Bias Towards Action."

 Show, Don’t Tell

Communicate your vision in a powerful and meaningful way by creating experiences, using illustrative visuals, and sharing compelling stories. As I have emphasised in previous discussions, telling good stories is essential for conveying your solution and outlining the next steps. In a thought-provoking comment on a LinkedIn post yesterday, Lou Maxon mentioned he prefers the term "case stories" over "case studies." This resonated with me because it highlights that not only is the case solver reading a narrative, but they must also respond with their own story. It’s about crafting the best narrative that captures the imagination of your audience and helps them visualise what your solution looks like and how it delivers results. Design thinking has helped my teams build stronger, more engaging, and authentic stories.

 Craft Clarity

To create a coherent vision from complex problems, it’s essential to frame it in a way that inspires others and encourages ideation. As a coach and judge, I often find myself noting that presentations consist of a series of facts with slides that fail to connect or relate to one another effectively. Design thinking is an excellent approach to crafting a unified vision, not only for the organisation at the centre of the case but also for the presentation itself.

This past fall, I had the opportunity to judge at the Collegiate Ethics Case Competition held at the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management. In both the preliminary and final rounds, the two teams I ranked first, both of which received similar rankings from many of the other judges, demonstrated this skill effectively. They presented a cohesive narrative that articulated a clear vision regarding the ethical issues surrounding lab-grown meat. While there may have been better ideas among the other solutions, these top teams were successful because they connected with the audience through their vision.

Bias Towards Action

Design thinking is often misunderstood; it's less about thinking and more about action. The emphasis should be on doing rather than overthinking or endless meetings. While it's interesting to note that design thinking is a misnomer, my observations show that when my teams engage in the design thinking process to develop their solutions, it ultimately revolves around doing and creating.

This process consists of various activities that lead to thoughtful insights. For instance, engaging in tear-down labs, building business canvases, and asking stakeholders targeted questions all generate data and information that inform our thinking. This approach also allows for flexibility and adaptability as new information is gathered. In my experience, adopting this mindset has enabled teams to explore a broader range of possibilities.