In our AMA (Ask Me Anything) series, industrial designer Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman answers questions about design and process from Instagram and LinkedIn. Rebeccah is the founder of Interwoven Design Group, a design consultancy that specializes in soft goods design and wearable technology. She has over 25 years of corporate design experience and has held positions as Design Director for Fila, Champion and Nike. She is the author of Smart Textiles for Designers: Inventing the Future of Fabrics, and speaks internationally on design, innovation and the future. In this issue she answers the question, what is Design Thinking?
Watch the vide or read the transcript below for Rebeccah’s explanation for what is design thinking.
What is Design Thinking?
You have probably been hearing the term “design thinking” and maybe even wondering exactly what it means. Its a sexy phase – and one that a lot of people and companies are using. But is it thinking like a design or is it something more.
Basically, Design Thinking is a process that is very similar to the design process. It’s approaching a problem as a designer would. It’s used to solve problems by prioritizing the user’s or the customer’s needs. It relies on observing, with empathy, how people interact with their environments, with the objects and tools they use, and with each other. From these observations, you gain insights and then work in an iterative hands-on approach to create innovative solutions.
The 4 stages of a Design Thinking process are clarify, ideate, develop and implement. Very much like a traditional design process. The observation part is critical to understanding the problem and identifying the opportunity for innovation. Here at Interwoven we specialize in wearable technology and soft goods. If you’re curious about what our work looks like, get in touch. You can follow us on our website or on our Instagram @interwoven_design.
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