Thinking is hard

Do you want to inject some mojo into your professional bio or job title? Or to make your company a bit more sexy? To be celebrated as a progressive and inspiring presenter? Use the magic of words. Use the Holy Grail: service design. Or – on an advanced level – use design thinking. 

All jokes aside – service design and its core, design thinking are both very serious and very useful. Although they are often used as empty buzzwords, we – marketing and communication professionals – should be deeply grateful for those who “invented” them. 

If you look close enough, design thinking is basically the common sense itself: “Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts”. So why do we need a special method to put common sense into practice? 

First of all, common sense is not something everyone is born with. OK, I am being sarcastic again, I will stop, I promise. Let us be honest though: thinking is hard. For example: sometimes, while searching for an answer, we realize that first we need to find the question (“42”, does it ring a bell?). Then, when we finally have THE question, we cannot decide which way to go to get closer to the solution. It is even trickier if this hard process – thinking – is to be executed in a group. All those very different minds, points of view, cognitive schemes, reasoning styles – dear God, those can be really confusing! 

Sounds familiar? Of course it sounds familiar. Our job is to think, mostly in groups. We handle complex business problems by inventing communication-based solutions, in a bewilderingly complex context. We build elaborate systems of channels and tools, to tempt, persuade and seduce people to make them buy cheese (or personal loan, cars, beauty, freedom, anything). To do so, we need the competence and experience of a whole bunch of people who are able to think together. 

That is where I find design thinking the most useful. The basics and the five-step problem-solving method itself can make the otherwise painful process of collective thinking smooth and easy (well, easier). It gives a clear frame, it guides us, it ensures that no step is forgotten, it keeps participants on the same ground. Let us be honest: people are prone to believe in methods. If we have agreed on using the design thinking approach, and there is Define on the next slide with big letters, we all must work on defining the problem, the right question or challenge. I will admit: without that slide, I might be unable to keep all those different, adventure-seeking butterflies of minds on track. However, the steps of the holy method, the holy words on the holy slide must be respected and followed. Amen. 

I am by no means an expert on design thinking. Years ago, I have attended one of the very first service design courses available, held by two Hungarian pioneers of the field, and I must say it was enlightening. Besides, I had great fun. Most of the attendees came from the same business, the marketing and communication scene, so I have seen many familiar faces from other agencies. I soaked up every word of our teachers, and I keep the handouts as a treasure on my drive. 

The knowledge – very basic, but knowledge – I acquired back then I use very often. For example, there are many smart ways that can make the research easy, versatile and effective. However, my ultimate tool is the brand building process based on design thinking. 

Brand building is not – should not be, could not be – a solo performance. It requires the different competences, experiences, and points of view of the different stakeholders. The framework I created uses design thinking principles and process to make this co-creation easy and effective. 

In the first phase (Empathize) we collect all the information we think we need – e.g. we gather all the existing research results. Sometimes we initiate new researches, we go out on the field if necessary, and of course, we talk a lot. The next phases (Define and Ideate) are the most exciting, at least for me. Usually we formulate a lot of questions, problems, and challenges. Our task is to decide which problems can be solved by communication. Nevertheless, while talking about this, we often come up with ideas regarding the services and products themselves – these are the by-products of the thinking process, and they can be very valuable for our clients. For example, while working on the brand of a publishing house, we created ideas for a few new products, a new loyalty program and some new additional services (but of course, we charged them only for brand building). The last two phases (Prototype and Test) requires new competences in the “band”: creatives and research experts. I must admit that these two phases often go “live”, in the form of developing and publishing a campaign, as timing and budget are our greatest rulers. 

Therefore, our job is thinking, and it is hard. Especially because we need to do it together. Design thinking method makes it easier and more effective. It is more than a buzzword. Go and learn it, at least the basics.