Design Thinking at P&G

July 31, 2008

Just read a wonderful story about what P&G are doing with a concept they are calling Design Thinking — http://business.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=132008SO98PC

The highlights of this new type of thinking are as follows:

1. It is transforming their culture. Design Thinking at its essence is about creating new possibilities (much like Speed Thinking) then working backwards and forwards in an iterative fashion. It is used in a visual, tactile way using half-formed prototypes to co-create new solutions with consumers.

2. Design Thinking is used in the product development process and also strategy sessions, building retail relationships and to address operational issues.

3. There are 100 internal facilitators with over 40 design workshops being held this year.

4. Like Speed Thinking, it must be experienced. It is not an academic, objective, detached process but a hands-one, playing around, fully immersed experience.

5. This new way of thinking encourages managers to bring their whole brain not just their analytical left one. The aim is to encourage managers to use the principles every day.

6. One design principle could be test faster, fail faster and learn faster (sounds like Speed Thinking).

Ken Hudson

Posted by Dr Ken Hudson | Filed Under Innovation