Design Thinking for strategic decisions in business digital innovation

Design Thinking for business is a problem-solving tool that combines critical and creative thinking. It is focused on the search for solutions and companies such as Apple and Google have been demonstrating its usefulness for years. 

Currently, Design Thinking (DT) is a fundamental instrument for any entrepreneur, as it is applicable in all types of sectors and companies, whether they are large, SMEs or startups.

Index:

• Why apply Design Thinking to companies’ digital projects?
• 5 benefits of using DT for digital project definition
• Design Thinking to tackle the digitalisation of companies
• Yeeply puts you in touch with Design Thinking experts

 

Why apply Design Thinking to companies’ digital projects?

We live in world that is constantly changing. The ability to adapt has always been important but, due to the current pandemic, this ability has taken on greater relevance when it comes to moving successfully across the business world.

The greatest benefit of the Design Thinking process for any company – regardless of the industry in which it operates – is the ability to adapt to changes, as well as to detect the new needs of its customers; This is achieved by analysing the new needs of customers, which is increasingly carried out through the digital tools available for the marketing team. 

In short, it is a valuable tool for conceptualising digital and strategic projects in companies.

 

Read on: Why cybersecurity is a crucial investment for your SME

 

Leveraging Design Thinking for business and digital innovation

Innovating in business strategy is not easy, but it is a task that is made easier by a good work system. This is where Design Thinking for business makes a difference and brings benefits. This methodology, applicable to any layer of the business, involves five steps: empathise, define, conceive, create and test. 

Through this work system you can observe the trends of the company to detect its needs and, finally, solve them in the most efficient way for consumers and the most profitable for your company. 

It’s a powerful working method when it comes to making better strategic decisions in a business.  

 

 

When is the right time to implement Design Thinking in your company?

DT can be applied in a wide variety of situations within digital innovation of your business. Here are some of them.

  

1. Long-term strategic planning

In any innovative project, goals must be set. It is essential to detail the actions that will allow us to achieve our goals, as well as to detect possible problems and their respective solutions. 

The DT helps us enormously in making these type of strategic decisions.

2. Divergent Thinking

DT follows the divergent thinking approach, which is a more creative way of thinking that explores various possible outcomes, helping us find new solutions that would otherwise be more difficult to achieve. 

3. Efficient Tracking Models

The five steps of the DT system – empathise, define, conceive, prototype and validate – allow you to track and measure results. It creates an effective framework for tracking the various innovations you carry out.

4. Digital innovation opportunities

Design Thinking is related to curiosity and, together with a good system, inevitably leads you to strategic and digital innovation. DT allows you to see innovation and opportunities for your business strategy where others see nothing.

5. A competitive advantage 

The digital products you bring to market with DT will be closer to what the customer is looking for and you will save money in the design process, as your analyses obey a much more efficient system.

6. Creating better digital products

Contrary to what happens in many companies, the user’s opinion is present in the Design Thinking process from the very beginning. This means that digital products created with this methodology meet customer needs much better than others.

 

You may be interested in: Why adopt an omnichannel strategy for your digital project

 

5 advantages of using DT for digital project definition

 

1.More success in launching new digital products

Digital products launched through Design Thinking are more likely to succeed. They are backed up by greater confidence and more data. 

They are products that truly meet the needs of our users, so the cost of unprofitable ideas is eliminated.

2. Innovative solutions  

Design Thinking is a digital innovation tool that can bring truly innovative ideas to life, providing a greater competitive advantage, as opposed to many companies that focus on working only on incremental improvements to existing digital products.

3. A Faster pace of Trial and Error

The Design Thinking process is designed to generate a large number of ideas, but it is also a method in which these ideas are quickly tested, allowing the unsuitable ones to be discarded and and the ones that make sense to move forward.

4. More satisfied customers

Many companies overlook the real needs of customers. When you listen to them and get their feedback on what you’re creating, it’s much easier to find the perfect product for them. 

5. More revenue

A McKinsey study has identified increased economic benefits for companies that incorporate the Design Thinking for business approach into their strategies. 

 

Design Thinking to tackle the digitalisation of companies

In recent years, Design Thinking has been a highlt valued methodology in many consolidated companies, such as Apple, Nike, etc. and also in startups characterised by their innovation push. 

All this is due to the fact that the methodology we are talking about today focuses not on the product, but on the consumer. It creates solutions designed specifically for them, which facilitates usability on the one hand and, on the other hand, economic profitability for the company that produces it. 

But these services are not limited to consumer goods, they also include digital services. The digitisation of companies requires innovative solutions for organisations to successfully achieve their digital transformation.

Design Thinking has all the characteristics to help you achieve this goal, from improving strategic decision-making in a company, contributing to the improvement of internal processes or accelerating the launch of innovative ideas and projects. 

The technological solutions offered by DT allow companies of all types to be innovative, but also disruptive and agile, bridging the digital gap between large and small companies. 

SMEs and startups can use the DT model to redesign the way they currently work, the way they engage their employees and their customers, to drive a meaningful, impactful and competitive digital transformation.

 

Related article: The best digital and tech experts for your business

 

3 successful Design Thinking examples of applying the methodology in companies

 

BBVA

In July 2021, BBVA Spain’s mobile banking application was voted the best in the world by Forrester Research.  It obtained the highest score ever recorded  for an app against 53 major banks from around the world.

The new app – available from mid-September – was built using the principles of Design Thinking and the “agile methodology”, a fundamental requirement for BBVA. This Design Thinking process for business strategy ensures that the design, engineering and business development teams work together in small groups, with short deadlines and targeted action, which means that the product goes from concept to realisation in just a few months.

The new application, designed in-house and enhanced by continuous interaction with customers, has helped triple the sales figures of some of the products and services offered.

 

SAP

The ERP and management software company has used Design Thinking to make its software simpler, more efficient and more agile. 

The user experience has been greatly improved by listening to its own customers.

 

ZARA

Since its beginnings, Zara has taken into account consumer opinion and is currently still committed to the Design Thinking approach. 

They are currently working on improving the user experience through augmented reality tests in some of their stores.  

 

Yeeply puts you in touch with Design Thinking experts

DT is a human-centered approach and creates empathy with real users of digital products and services. 

The model can be a powerful catalyst for internal change, allowing companies to fail early and fast, minimising the risk of implementing new ideas and maximising profits.

If you are an entrepreneur and want to stay relevant and competitive on the market, you need to adopt it right away. The DT should be used as a powerful tool to ensure that the “human” part of the digital transformation journey is at the heart of the digital innovation and product creation process.

If you want to know more about Design Thinking for business strategy and what it means to start a digital business project, you can count on Yeeply.

We will put you in contact with the best Product Designers and Design Thinking experts to realise the strategic innovation of your company.