The author expresses her point of view that Design thinking sells a fantasy. The fantasy is that with IDEO’s “guidelines, templates, and sticky notes,” you too can use design thinking to do what the best designers do. One of her key arguments is that the best design cannot be done in 5 easy steps and in 5 days by “anyone;” these steps must be done well and thoroughly for one to truly be a talented UX or design specialist, and this may not be able to be accomplished by a “boiled-down commoditized” product that IDEO sells. In response, however, perhaps one pro of design thinking is that it does take a process and skill that may seem inaccessible or unattainable to many folks and present it in a way that is digestible and supportive, empowering more individuals to dabble in “design.” There has been and is a lot of potential for it to serve as a guiding tool for many meaningful projects in all types of domains.
Another key point that the author calls out is how design thinking has been inconsiderately applied to marginalized and underrepresented communities. The case study she uses is Gainesville, Florida. The town’s goal was to become a “a more competitive place for new businesses and talent,” and in response, IDEO suggested that Gainesville rebrand, create a “Department of Doing”, and become more design-minded. However, it failed to consider the presence and effects of economic and racial inequity, poverty, and systemic racism in the town. Rather than center on illuminating the design process, the team should adjust their notion of the scope of the problem domain by considering context and seeking user empathy to truly understand what problems needed to be solved, and consequently, how to solve them.
