Best Practices Keynote: Rethinking Design Thinking

Recently, the idea of “design thinking,” originally defined as the problem-solving approach of a designer, has been used to describe a broader approach to innovation and creativity. Companies like Target and P&G, as well as design firms like IDEO and Continuum, are currently applying design thinking to problems that were once the domain of purely analytical thinkers, but, as in many disciplines, there is little agreement on its exact definition and whether or not it creates value for businesses. This talk will define design thinking, present case studies of effective (and not so effective) applications, and outline the elements of the approach most useful for business process innovation.