Design thinking for every endeavour | Robyn Richardson | TEDxCreativeCoast

Summary

The speaker, a former teacher turned designer, shares her journey of discovering design thinking and its transformative impact on her approach to problem-solving. She emphasizes the importance of representing ideas, arranging them to find connections, and reframing problems with a critical yet open mindset. The speaker encourages embracing design thinking as a collaborative, team-based practice to foster innovation, urging the audience to apply these principles to their own thinking processes.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker began as a teacher with a BA in English, using teaching as a day job to support their passion for music.
• 🎤 They discovered their ability to connect with and influence students' thinking, which was also reflected in their music performances.
• 🤔 The speaker was intrigued by design thinking and its potential to change people's perspectives, leading them to pursue further education in the field.
• 📚 Upon entering graduate school, the speaker was frustrated by the lack of a unified definition or framework for design thinking, which varied among educators and practitioners.
• 🔍 The speaker emphasizes the importance of representing ideas visually on a blank surface, as a way to externalize and organize thoughts.
• 👧👦 The act of representing ideas is likened to the natural creativity of children, who use various mediums to express their understanding of the world.
• 🧩 Arranging ideas helps in identifying patterns, anomalies, and connections that may not be apparent when ideas remain internal.
• 🤓 The process of design thinking involves stepping back, reframing the problem, and being cautious of personal biases that could cloud judgment.
• 👥 Collaboration and including diverse perspectives are crucial for innovation, as different viewpoints can offer new insights and solutions.
• 💡 Design thinking is presented as a team sport, where the inclusion of people with varying opinions can lead to more successful outcomes.
• 📈 The speaker encourages the audience to practice design thinking by representing, arranging, and reframing their ideas, and to reach out with their experiences.

Q & A

What was the speaker's profession before becoming a designer?

The speaker was a high school English teacher in Orlando, Florida.

Why did the speaker initially become a teacher?

The speaker became a teacher because they needed a day job while pursuing their passion for playing music.

What was the speaker's reaction when their supervising principal asked about their teaching success?

The speaker did not have a pedagogical answer but admitted to treating teaching like a gig, needing to connect with the students.

How did the students respond to the speaker's teaching style?

Students appreciated the speaker's approach, stating they learned a lot from the speaker's talks without even looking at the textbook.

What did people call the speaker after their music shows?

People called the speaker 'Purple Guitar Girl' due to the speaker's purple guitar.

What aspect of teaching did the speaker find they had a knack for?

The speaker found they had a knack for affecting the way people thought.

Why did the speaker decide to study design thinking?

The speaker wanted to change the way people think in a big, revolutionary way and saw design thinking as a means to innovate in various disciplines.

How did the speaker feel about the lack of a unified definition for design thinking?

The speaker felt frustrated and confused because everyone had a different framework or language for design thinking.

What is the first step in design thinking according to the speaker?

The first step is to have a blank surface to represent ideas, getting them out of one's head.

What does the speaker suggest doing with the ideas once they are represented?

The speaker suggests rearranging the ideas to see how they fit together and identify patterns, anomalies, and consistencies.

What is the final step in the design thinking process mentioned by the speaker?

The final step is to step back, reframe the problem with the new understanding, and be cautious of biases.

Why is it important to involve others in the design thinking process according to the speaker?

Involving others, especially those with different perspectives, is crucial for innovation and can help identify aspects that might have been missed.

What does the speaker suggest doing to ensure a well-rounded approach to design thinking?

The speaker suggests making thinking a practice and a team sport, inviting diverse opinions to enhance the process.

What advice does the speaker give for implementing design thinking?

The speaker advises to go home, try representing ideas, arranging them, and reframing the problem, and to reach out if it works or doesn't work.

What does the speaker believe about the nature of thinking in relation to design thinking?

The speaker believes that thinking is not magic but a practice that can be improved through design thinking.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 From Teacher to Designer: Embracing Design Thinking

The speaker begins by sharing their journey from being a high school English teacher to becoming a designer. Initially, they taught to support their passion for music. Their teaching approach was likened to performing a gig, where they had to connect with their students to change their perspectives. They were successful, as evidenced by their students' test scores. When they discovered design thinking, they were eager to apply this innovative approach to various disciplines. However, they became frustrated with the lack of a unified definition or framework for design thinking. The speaker's goal is to clarify and evolve design thinking, making it accessible and applicable for everyone. They emphasize the importance of representing ideas, arranging them to find connections, and reframing problems to innovate.

05:00

🤝 The Power of Collaboration in Design Thinking

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of collaboration in the design thinking process. They caution against forming a 'congratulation committee' that only reinforces existing ideas without challenging them. Instead, they suggest bringing in diverse perspectives, such as someone from a different department like accounting, to provide fresh insights. The speaker uses the example of Bob and Rob, who might think they have solved a problem, but Sally from accounting could offer a different viewpoint that leads to a better solution. The speaker emphasizes that innovation occurs when different minds come together, and they encourage the audience to make thinking a team sport. They conclude by urging the audience to try out the design thinking process, offering their support if they have any questions or need guidance.

Keywords

💡Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a methodology for innovation and problem-solving that involves a human-centered approach. In the video, the speaker explains that design thinking is about taking the practice of thinking and applying it across various disciplines to innovate products, services, or offerings. The speaker emphasizes that it involves representing ideas visually, arranging them, and reframing the understanding of problems.

💡Pedagogy

Pedagogy refers to the method and practice of teaching. The speaker initially struggled to articulate her pedagogical approach because she treated teaching like performing at a gig, focusing on engaging students and changing their perspectives rather than following a traditional teaching framework.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of creating new methods, ideas, or products. The video highlights how design thinking fosters innovation by encouraging the visualization and rearrangement of ideas, leading to new insights and solutions. The speaker's transition from teaching to design thinking was driven by a desire to innovate in impactful ways.

💡Representation

Representation in the context of design thinking involves getting ideas out of one's head and onto a physical medium, such as a whiteboard or piece of paper. This step is crucial for visualizing and understanding complex problems, as it allows individuals to see connections and patterns they might not have noticed otherwise.

💡Reframing

Reframing is the process of reinterpreting a problem or situation from a new perspective. In design thinking, after representing and arranging ideas, reframing helps to gain new insights and avoid biases. The speaker encourages stepping back and reconsidering the problem with fresh eyes, often with input from others who might challenge initial assumptions.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration involves working together with others to achieve a common goal. The speaker stresses the importance of team effort in design thinking, where inviting diverse perspectives leads to better solutions. By collaborating, especially with those who might not initially agree, the innovation process becomes more robust and comprehensive.

💡Patterns

Patterns refer to recurring elements or themes that can be identified and analyzed. Humans are naturally good at seeing patterns, which is crucial in the design thinking process. By representing ideas and arranging them, individuals can identify patterns that help in understanding the problem and developing innovative solutions.

💡Bias

Bias is a preconceived notion that can influence judgment and decision-making. The speaker warns against biases during the reframing stage of design thinking. Recognizing and challenging biases ensures that solutions are not limited by initial assumptions and are more likely to be innovative and effective.

💡Engagement

Engagement is the act of involving and capturing the interest of others. The speaker's teaching and musical performances both relied heavily on engaging the audience. In design thinking, engagement is critical to ensure that ideas are effectively communicated and that team members are actively involved in the problem-solving process.

💡Visual Thinking

Visual Thinking is the process of using visual elements to represent ideas and solve problems. In the video, the speaker advocates for using drawings, pictures, and other visual tools to express ideas and explore solutions. This approach makes abstract concepts more tangible and helps in identifying connections and patterns.

Highlights

Transitioned from a teacher to a designer, driven by a passion for music.

Began teaching high school English in Orlando while pursuing music gigs at night.

Received positive feedback on students' test scores without using traditional teaching methods.

Treated teaching like a performance, aiming to connect with students and change their perspectives.

Students learned effectively through her engaging teaching style, despite minimal textbook use.

Realized she had a talent for influencing how people think and connecting with them.

Discovered design thinking and pursued further education to formalize her understanding.

Became frustrated with the lack of consistent frameworks and clarity in design thinking literature.

Aimed to simplify and clarify design thinking to make it accessible and practical for everyone.

Emphasized the importance of representing ideas visually to facilitate understanding and innovation.

Encouraged using diverse mediums, like drawing and taking pictures, to represent and explore problems.

Highlighted human ability to see patterns and anomalies, aiding in problem-solving and innovation.

Stressed the need for critical self-assessment and avoiding confirmation bias when reframing ideas.

Advocated for team collaboration and valuing diverse perspectives to foster innovation.

Concluded with a call to action for audience members to practice and evolve their thinking and innovation skills.

Transcripts

so before I became a designer I was

actually a teacher and I was a teacher

because I needed a day job I really

wanted to play music so armed with a BA

in English I moved to Orlando Florida

and I became a teacher so during the day

I would teach high school English and at

night I would go play gigs so after my

first year of teaching my supervising

principal she called me in and she said

Robin what are you doing I was like oh I

don't know she said your students test

scores are fantastic she's like I want

to know what you're doing in the

classroom and the truth was I didn't I

don't have a pedagogical answer I didn't

have an official sounding answer because

I treated teaching like a gig at a

captive audience of a really tough crowd

for six hours every day and I had to

connect with them I had to go in and

change the way that they thought about

the world and sometimes after class

students would come up to me and they

would say miss I don't even look at the

textbook today but just from you

speaking I got it I know so much and

they leave and sometimes after shows

people come up see me and say purple

guitar girl cuz I had a purple guitar

that lyric that you wrote about Helios

in the sky is the sunset just changed my

perspective I love it you're the best

whoo

mister it turns out I kind of had a

knack for this affecting the way people

thought thing and I liked it I love to

connect with people so when I found out

about design thinking I was like I want

to sign up for this revolution I want to

change the way people think in this

really important big revolutionary way

so design thinking was about taking this

practice of thinking and applying it

everywhere applying it in any sphere or

discipline so that you could innovate

your products or your services or your

offerings so I signed up I signed up to

join the revolution I went to graduate

school to study this formerly like a

good student I got all the books and

read all the articles and I downloaded

the toolkits and you know what I got I

got mad I got so mad as an educator

I was like where's my lesson

I've read all these things I'm going

through all the literature offs call my

friends what is design thinking about

I'm so mad at it because everybody

talked about it a little bit differently

everybody had a different framework or a

different language and so as the

educator I'm going where's my lesson as

a musician I was like dude where's my

hook where's that thing that I can take

with me so I can walk down the street

and sing about it that's what I wanted I

wanted that hook to take away so I

thought about this and it really

bothered me but after becoming a

designer I realized it was my turn to

fill in the holes because I think that

in trying to be for everybody

design thinking kind of muddied the

waters so as your educator and is your

entertainer now as your designer today I

want to translate it to you because it's

time to evolve design thinking forward

so that you can take it home and you can

use it so get out your pens it's time

for a lesson and there might be a quiz

at the end so the first thing you need

for Design Thinking is a blank surface

it can be a table it could be a

whiteboard it can be a piece of paper

that's fine whatever you've got the

first thing you're going to do and this

is what all designers do is they

represent their ideas they get them out

of their head because chances are the

way you practice thinking is you think

and you drive around town and you think

about it you go to dinner and you think

about it and then you have a beer and

you think about it some more design

doesn't do that design says let's take

what's inside and put it outside and

you're probably thinking I don't know

how to do that but that's a lie because

your six-year-old self would be like

awesome sweet give me some crayons

give me some markers give me some clay

because when we're young we have every

medium we can think about to represent

the world around us and it gets smaller

and smaller and smaller until you're

left with a pencil and we say solve an

equation or write an essay I'm not

saying a problem solve so I'm giving you

permission to take back your mediums

pick up a pencil and draw a picture take

a take take a picture take a picture of

what you think the problem is and

represent it on your blank surface do it

as much as you can the next thing you're

going to do is start to rearrange these

things you're going to arrange your

ideas to see how they fit together

now one of the things that we all do

really well as human beings as a species

of living on this earth for thousands of

years

Cheers we're really great at seeing

patterns we're really good at seeing

anomalies and contrast and consistencies

so once you get this idea out of your

head and you have it in front of you you

can go oh that is not connected to that

the way I thought it was but it's

totally connected to this over here

you'll have a brain high-five like yes

I'm starting to get it the last thing

that you'll do is you'll step back and

you'll refrain you'll say I started with

this problem here and I represented it

and then I arranged it and now it's my

reframe what do I know now I'm going to

caution you beware of your biases at

this point beware of what you think you

know don't be the congratulation

committee and we know who those guys are

because we've worked with them before

we're bobs like Rob come in here I've

got this problem I laid it out this is

how it works what do you think and he

goes you are a genius sir yes an

absolute genius and everyone's like yes

and they think you know they're the

congratulation committee but you know

what bring in Sally from down the hall

who you don't always agree with because

she's in accounting and she's

persnickety if Bob and Rob I love

accountants my sister's an account so

bring them in and if Bob and Rob are

really smart and they've really done a

great job of solving this problem Sally

will be able to walk in and say you know

what you guys are right you did solve

that that's exactly how it works

Bob and Rob will give themselves

high-fives affirming their genius but

she might say actually guys I think you

missed a part I think you should include

this here and change it a little bit and

in a fit of maturity they might be like

what a Sally no Sally doesn't know

anything about engineering we're

brilliant

but if they're innovators they'll say

Sally you're right we totally missed

that we totally missed that stay with us

work on this problem with us because the

innovation and Design Thinking happens

when it's a team sport when you invite

other people into the room who don't

necessarily agree with you Steve Jobs

said get the most ordering person in

this room and we're going to make

something that pleases them and if you

do that if you make thinking a practice

and you make it a team sport that's when

you start to innovate and then Steve

Jobs goes will come bless you and what

you're making

so go home today go home this afternoon

and start to try this represent your

ideas arrange them around and reframe

what you think you know call me if it

works or doesn't work call me I want to

know because I am so sure and I've done

this so often that I know it will change

what you practice thinking because

thinking is not magic it's a practice

and if I can do design thinking then I

know you can too

let's evolve it forward thank you very

much

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