IDEO’s famous “design-thinking” process is interesting and quite remarkable in that it translates what can be a complicated, abstract process into something much more understandable and tangible. It fits the Silicon Valley hustle mindset of being something seemingly easy to understand and quick to implement without a second to lose. I think that’s what makes it especially attractive. It’s deliberately packaged as a quick remedy to all your problems. Design thinking seems to impose a set of solutions (framed as recommendations) that come from a rigidly adhered and loosely described set of five steps. But hey, if the big giants in the Bay Area use this to solve all their problems, why can’t I or any other individual or company use this to do away with any challenge?
While design thinking is an incredible process and has its merits in solving some tough problems faced by various organizations and products, it is not necessarily the best solution to a “wicked problem” like that faced by the state of Gainesville, Florida. Design thinking incorporates a very outsider approach to resolving issues. The problem faced by Gainesville, a wicked problem, didn’t need that but rather a more insider/insider-informed solution from those impacted most. The issues faced by marginalized communities like Gainesville don’t require some spiffy Palo Alto design consultancy, they require folks with real lived experiences and insight as to what the existing pressures and roadblocks are, and only they would have a better understanding of what their capabilities are and what they need to improve their lives. And it is also worth noting that a lot of these issues that IDEO and design thinking cannot necessarily solve because these are bigger than problems faced by typical design clients. These tend to be social issues involving more players than a firm and its product or internal procedures alone. There is history, emotion, struggle, and much more interwoven into communities like Gainseville that go beyond the scope of IDEO or anyone else insisting on “designing” a solution out.
