Tultog, Kurt Ivan K. Stem 12-Y: The Non-Linear Nature of Design Thinking

Tultog, Kurt Ivan K.
STEM 12- Y
Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It’s
extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human
needs involved, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many ideas
in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.
5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process
1. Empathise
The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to gain an empathic understanding of the problem you
are trying to solve. This involves consulting experts to find out more about the area of concern through
observing, engaging and empathizing with people to understand their experiences and motivations, as well as
immersing yourself in the physical environment so you can gain a deeper personal understanding of the issues
involved.
2. Define (the Problem)

The Define stage will help the designers in your team gather great ideas to establish features,
functions, and any other elements that will allow them to solve the problems or, at the very least, allow users to
resolve issues themselves with the minimum of difficulty.
3. Ideate
During the third stage of the Design Thinking process, designers are ready to start generating ideas.
You’ve grown to understand your users and their needs in the Empathise stage, and you’ve analysed and
synthesised your observations in the Define stage, and ended up with a human-centered problem statement.
With this solid background, you and your team members can start to "think outside the box" to identify new
solutions to the problem statement you’ve created, and you can start to look for alternative ways of viewing the
problem.
4. Prototype
The design team will now produce a number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the product or
specific features found within the product, so they can investigate the problem solutions generated in the
previous stage. Prototypes may be shared and tested within the team itself, in other departments, or on a small
group of people outside the design team.
5. Test
Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product using the best solutions identified during
the prototyping phase. This is the final stage of the 5 stage-model, but in an iterative process, the results
generated during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more problems and inform
the understanding of the users, the conditions of use, how people think, behave, and feel, and to empathise.
The Non-Linear Nature of Design Thinking

We may have outlined a direct and linear Design Thinking process in which one stage seemingly leads to the
next with a logical conclusion at user testing. However, in practice, the process is carried out in a more flexible
and non-linear fashion. For example, different groups within the design team may conduct more than one
stage concurrently, or the designers may collect information and prototype during the entire project so as to
enable them to bring their ideas to life and visualise the problem solutions.
Biomimetics or biomimicry
is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving
complex human problems.
Living organisms have evolved well-adapted structures and materials over geological time
through natural selection. Biomimetics has given rise to new technologies inspired by biological solutions at
macro and nanoscales. Humans have looked at nature for answers to problems throughout our existence.
Nature has solved engineering problems such as self-healing abilities, environmental exposure tolerance and
resistance, hydrophobicity, self-assembly, and harnessing solar energy.
The art and science of designing and building biomimetic apparatus is also known as
biomimicry because they mimic biological systems. The field is of special interest to researchers
in nanotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), the medical industry, and the military.
Some biomimetic processes have been in use for years. An example is the artificial synthesis of certain
vitamins and antibiotics. More recently, biomimetics have been suggested as applicable in the design
of machine vision systems, machine hearing systems, signal amplifiers, navigational systems, and data
converters. A neural network is a biomimetic system that works by making associations and educated
guesses, and that can learn from its own mistakes; an android is a humanoid robot designed to have the same
basic form and kinetic abilities as a human.
the science of applying nature-inspired designs in human engineering and invention to solve human
problems. It was used to create the first flying machine, inspired by eagles and owls—this paved the way for
technologies like jets and planes. It was also used in the invention of Velcro, which works in much the same
way as the hooks on burrs when they stick to animal fur. By designing and producing materials, architecture,
and systems that are based on biological materials and processes, we work to strike a balance with nature—to
live in harmony with Mother Earth and not to continue producing global problems. Biomimicry is propelling us
toward a new way of living—to sustainable assets, methods, and policies.
Biomimicry Examples
When solving a design problem, we can look to nature to find inspiration. We can find natural designs
for making things water-efficient, aerodynamic, energy-efficient, self-healing, and more! There have been many
recent innovations that have taken a hint from nature with positive outcomes. Here are just a few:
Landscape
Permaculture is an agricultural system designed to simulate natural procession of energy and materials
found in natural ecosystems so as to work with the force of nature rather than against them. It is agriculture
inspired by nature in its layout and engineering to minimize waste and maximize productivity.
Architecture
Architects have taken a cue from termites and constructed a building called the Eastgate Center in
Zimbabwe that passively self-regulates the building’s internal temperatures, despite large external temperature
fluctuations.
Transportation
The head of Japan’s Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train from Osaka to Hataka is modeled on the beak of
the kingfisher bird. The older models of the bullet train faced challenges that limited the speed of the train: they
generated too much atmospheric pressure when rushing through the tunnel systems, causing too much noise
and vibrations.
Energy
A wind turbine company called WhalePower is finding inspiration from the flippers of humpback whales.
The flippers of a humpback whale have tubercles, or bumps, along the forward-facing edge that effectively
allow the whale to hold a “grip” on the water and maneuver tight corners. These tubercle-studded fins have
been found to experience less drag and more lift than their smoother counterparts. Translating this design and
information into wind turbines will allow us to harvest more wind energy and prevent the blades of a windmill
from stalling.
Medicine
The mosquito’s annoying ability to painlessly and unnoticeably suck blood and get away with it has
inspired Japanese scientists to create a hypodermic needle that is equally painless. The key to less pain is the
serrated proboscis of the mosquito, which reduces the surface area of skin that the proboscis comes
into contact with. Less contact translates to less pain. We’ve been able to produce similarly-designed harpoon-
like needles that have been implemented in small biomedical devices such as blood-glucose monitors for
diabetic patients.
Vincent, Julian F. V.; et al. (22 August 2006). "Biomimetics: its practice and theory". Journal of the
Royal Society Interface. 3 (9): 471–482.
Bouville, Florian; Maire, Eric; Meille, Sylvain; Van de Moortèle, Bertrand; Stevenson, Adam J.; Deville,
Sylvain (2014-03-23). "Strong, tough and stiff bioinspired ceramics from brittle constituents". Nature
Materials. 13 (5): 508–514.
Course: Design Thinking - The Beginner's Guide:https://www.interaction-design.org/courses/design-
thinking-the-beginner-s-guide
Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial

(3rd Edition),1996: https://monoskop.org/images/9/9c/Simon_Herbert_A_The_Sciences_of_the_Artificial_3rd_e
d.pdf
Gerd Waloszek, Introduction to Design Thinking, 2012: https://experience.sap.com/skillup/introduction-

to-design-thinking/

Tultog, Kurt Ivan K. Stem 12-Y: The Non-Linear Nature of Design Thinking

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Tultog, Kurt Ivan K. Stem 12-Y: The Non-Linear Nature of Design Thinking

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Tultog, Kurt Ivan K. Stem 12-Y: The Non-Linear Nature of Design Thinking

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Tultog, Kurt Ivan K.

5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process

2. Define (the Problem)

The Non-Linear Nature of Design Thinking

Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial

Gerd Waloszek, Introduction to Design Thinking, 2012: https://experience.sap.com/skillup/introduction-

You might also like