Embracing Innovation
Design Thinking, also known as human-centered design, is a structured and dynamic process for creativity. It originated in the engineering world and is a staple approach in product design. More recently, design thinking has been applied to social innovation and education, including K-12, higher education, teacher professional development, and executive education. Design thinking workshops typically follow steps such as building empathy, defining a challenge, brainstorming ideas, and prototyping solutions.
Alchemus Prime applies design thinking in a novel way. We begin with the understanding that many solutions already exist in science and in nature, and that design thinking’s role is not to reinvent those, but to help us come up with innovative ideas and solutions to build on and apply what we know works in new ways. This means we can help our clients be time-efficient and effective as they build solutions. For example, we know from decades of behavioral science research which tools can change behavior, so we can apply design thinking to come up with inventive processes by which to apply those behavioral tools. Alternatively, we can also use the behavioral tools in our model to help implement and sustain the innovative solutions our clients produce using design thinking processes.
Research shows that a beginner’s mindset carries a higher probability of solving a complex problem than expertise in the relevant field. This is because a non-expert’s methods and ways of thinking are novel to the problem and may be well-suited to building effective solutions. This is why teams that harness knowledge across several domains are crucial for success.
Through design thinking and improvisation techniques, Alchemus Prime helps clients cultivate a beginner’s mindset, build empathy, become more collaborative, overcome fear of failure, become more playful, and practice being less judgmental.
To learn more about design thinking, see our Resources page.