Design Thinking in Different Companies - Case Study Example

Design thinking in different Companies

Introduction

Design thinking is considered as a human-centred approach that contributes to the innovation within the organisation in order to integrate the needs of people, the requirements of business success and the possibilities of technology (Chen and Venkatesh, 2013). Design thinking is applied in different companies in order to increase the customer base in the international market. Design Thinking carried out by SAP is a fresh way to use technology in order to enhance the business process (Chen and Venkatesh, 2013). The employees of SAP explore the business so as to discover the goals, needs and desires of the customers. The design thinking methodology is used by the SAP employees in order to solve the business problems. Microsoft has adopted a design toolkit, which is considered to be a comprehensive resource in case of any inclusive session and is used to create a prototype (Razzouk and Shute, 2012). The design language of Microsoft depends on the principles of good design. It is inspired by the international typographic style. In case of a cloud based model, the Oracle’s Application Strategy is to offer choice and flexibility with more comprehensive as well as secured portfolio (Chen and Venkatesh, 2013). This is part of the design thinking process adopted by the company in the international market. The research would discuss the implementation of design thinking in different companies.

Definition of design thinking

Design thinking is an approach that is used by the companies so as to develop compelling products as well as services as per the needs of the customers, and build up brand loyalty in the international market (Dorst, 2010). There are several characteristics of design thinking such as, it is non-denominational that is visualisation, teamwork are creative research tools for design thinking. The collaboration between the design as well as the business creates a powerful platform for incremental improvement. The business within the organisations succeeds on the basis of the optimization of the internal structure, communication, governance and the technologies that they employ. It helps the organisations to use a customer-centric language in order to discuss the opportunities that are available within these organisations (Chen and Venkatesh, 2013). Design Thinking creates a cultural landscape which is a fundamental starting point in order to improve the overall performance of the organisation (Beckman and Barry, 2007). It refers to the specific cognitive activities that the designers can adopt during the process of designing a product. The process is also known as solution based thinking that is a formal method of creative resolution of the problems, which lead to an improved future result (Martin, 2009).

Design thinking implements divergent thinking that can ensure many possible solutions to the challenges faced by the organisations in the international market. The tool of design thinking is used in different stages within the business process that initiates with the building up of ideas and encourages the input and participation of different sources (Frow, et al., 2015). There are different stages of the design based thinking that involves define, research, ideate, prototype, choose, implement and learn. The problems are framed on the basis of these seven steps and the steps are expected to be repeated (Chen and Venkatesh, 2013). As per the study, the design thinking has two most common interpretations that is the designers which bring their methods into business by taking part in the business process (Martin, 2009).

Moreover, the designers have the power to create innovative outputs and products in the international market. There is significance for tackling the design problems that is general course of design workflows within the problem indicates either convergent or divergent directions (Frow, et al., 2015). Design thinking is considered as interplay between the diverging activities that opens up the problems as well as the solution space. The knowledge processed through design thinking is neither representative nor rationalised and it serves to obtain exemplary but multi-perspective understanding (Bjögvinsson, Ehn and Hillgren, 2012). There are three basic characteristics of design thinking that helps the organisation to deliver better performance in the international market. The characteristics involve identifying the problem space that is design thinking acquires an intuitive understanding in opposition to formulating general hypothesis (Frow, et al., 2015). Furthermore, the process of design thinking is used in order to explore the solution space with the help of alternative ideas in parallel to the prototyping techniques (Martin, 2009). Design thinking also helps to keep in touch with the problem relevant environment and choose the refined solution paths.

Examples of implementation of Design Thinking

Example 1: SAP

The design thinking process at SAP began in 2004 and over the years, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems expanded so as to include the customer relationship management, operations, human capital management and manufacturing (Martin, 2009). The company was broadening its product development activities so as to involve more development with the customers. SAP has created a new user experience for the company that shortens complex SAP products into intuitive self-service tasks that result in the enhancement of the process’ efficiency and user adoption (Frow, et al., 2015). The actual design thinking model that is used by SAP is that of the UI technologies Model that connects different aspects such as SAP Screen Personas, SAP Fiori and SAPUI5.

Figure 1: UI technologies model of SAP

(Source: Deloitte, 2006)

Application of design thinking for the SAP Fiori Projects

The philosophy of the Fiori Apps is based on the design thinking framework, a problem solving technique that brings a controlled approach to the innovation. There are various design thinking tools used in order to manage the end-to-end application lifecycle that begins from the strategy formulation, user experience and technical feasibility (Poppendieck and Cusumano, 2012). There are several stages on the basis of which the design thinking process is to be implemented, that is through the 360⁰ research where the research can be conducted over a span of few days and the research phase is about reading the current state documents (Frow, et al., 2015). The second stage is that of the synthesis where the company is expected to spend 15 to 30 mins in describing a typical target. The managers of the company focus on the individuals of different age groups and their personal goals in order to improve the overall performance of the organisation.

Figure 2: A journey map created during Fiori Workshop

(Source: Design Thinking, 2016)

The third stage of Fiori is that of journey mapping which involves creating experiences on the basis of the tasks that are performed by the specific roles. In this particular stage, the managers try to map out the actual path followed by the user. It helps to capture the reasons for which the user chooses a certain path (Design Thinking, 2016). The fourth stage is that of the brainstorming where the group within the organisation is expected to spend certain amount of time in brainstorming different solutions (Whittle, Hutchinson and Rouncefield, 2014). This helps the organisations to deal with the challenges in the global market. The next step is to create low fidelity prototypes where the assumed hypothesis is tested in order to assess the feasibility as well as the viability of the solutions (Design Thinking, 2016). The final step is that of implementation of the project that has been designed successfully. Fiori projects designed by SAP, are considered as a great success for the overall performance of the organisation (Design Thinking, 2016).

Example 2: Microsoft

The design approach of Microsoft was based on the design principles that ae based on the tiles and typography. With the introduction of a new device named Surface, the pride in craftsmanship of Microsoft was elevated. The device is manufactured using a unique approach called Vapor Mg, which is a combination of material selection and engineering process. A device is manufactured using this process, which is both thin and light, while it is both strong and durable.

Figure 3: Microsoft Surface Hub

(Source: Gadgets Now, 2016)

The research cycle model is used in Microsoft in order to implement the strategies that are adopted by the managers of the company. Each steps of the model are followed in order to introduce a new product in the market.

Figure 4: Research Cycle Model

(Source: Meinel and Leifer, 2012)

Application of design thinking in Microsoft Products

One of the important characteristics of Microsoft is that it becomes authentically digital which goes beyond the rules and properties of the physical world. For instance, the live tiles for messaging and photos on Windows 8 and Windows Phone improve the experience of the customers in the global market (Microsoft, 2016). Its introduction of Xbox One enhances the design principles either through the shared interface or iconography as well as the inclusion of familiar behaviour by using Windows 8 (Microsoft, 2016). The application developers in Microsoft are adopting the design principles in order to improve the overall performance of the company in the international market.

Figure 5: Products manufactured by Microsoft

(Source: Microsoft, 2016)

The translation tool in Microsoft Skype is a helpful tool that helps the individuals of different cultural backgrounds in order to communicate with each other. Microsoft designs new products as per the preference patterns of the customers and the company aims at designing the products that reflects the diversity in culture (Microsoft, 2016).

Example 3: Oracle

The new way of design thinking adopted by Oracle Big Data Cloud service enables the customers to streamline, automate as well as guide the error prone process of data ingestion, repair, enrichment and manual intervention. Oracle’s Big Data strategy depends on the idea that one can evolve current enterprise data architecture so as to implement Big Data and deliver business value across all data leveraging the full power (Oracle, 2014). It is necessary in order to build up a Big Data platform that fulfils the requirements of data acquisition, data organisation and data analysis. The acquisition phase involves one of the major changes in the infrastructure because Big Data refers to some of the major streams of higher velocity that are necessary so as to support the acquisition of Big Data (Oracle, 2014). The second stage is that of organising the data that saves both time as well as money and there are large data processing steps followed so as to make the data from unstructured to structured (Oracle, 2014). The third stage is that of analysing the data and the infrastructure required in order to analyse the data on the basis of a wider variety of data types that are stored in diverse systems. The Big Data platform of Oracle uses the conceptual model that joins a connection between the data input and the results. The model is depicted as follows.

Figure 6: Conceptual Model for Oracle Big Data Management tool

(Source: Oracle, 2016)

Oracle Big Data Management System

Oracle is considered as the first vendor that offers an integrated data management system in order to meet the requirements of Big Data. The technologies such as Hadoop and Oracle NoSQL run alongside Oracle data warehouse so as to provide expanded business value (Oracle, 2014).

Figure 7: Oracle's Big Data Management System

(Source: Oracle, 2014)

The Oracle Big Data Appliance is an engineered system that comprises of hardware with a comprehensive Big Data so as to resolve development as well as production workloads. As per the study, the Oracle Big Data involves open source software as well as specialised software developed by Oracle in order to meet the requirements of Big Data (Oracle, 2014). The Big Data SQL manufactured by Oracle allows the users to express all the queries on the basis of the world’s richest SQL dialect. It also helps to extend the existing Oracle security and access control policies (Oracle, 2014). On the other hand, the NoSQL Database maintained by Oracle is distributed and highly scalable. Moreover, the Oracle NoSQL Database is easy to install, manage and configure and is known to deliver enterprise class reliability (Oracle, 2014). All these tools have helped the company to manage data related to large companies that would help them evaluate the performance of the organisation.

Conclusion

The research has been carried out on design thinking process adopted by various software development companies in order to gain competitive advantage in the international market. The companies chosen in this case are SAP, Microsoft and Oracle which have used their own strategies in order to introduce new products. The managers of SAP have made efforts in order to promote the Fiori projects. The Fiori Apps are developed in stages and finally the App is considered as a great success for enhancing the overall performance. The next company is that of Microsoft, which has designed many new products such as Surface which is a device mainly used in the offices for delivering presentations in case of different projects. Windows 8 and Windows 10 are some of the operating systems that are introduced by Microsoft as part of their design thinking process. The third company chosen by the researcher is that of Oracle, which has introduced the Big Data cloud computing so as to manage large amount of data. Furthermore, the NoSQL database managed by Oracle is an effective tool in developing a relationship with large multinational corporations in the international market.

Reference List

Beckman, S.L. and Barry, M., (2007). Innovation as a learning process: embedding design thinking. California management review, 50(1), pp.25-56.

Bjögvinsson, E., Ehn, P. and Hillgren, P.A., (2012). Design things and design thinking: contemporary participatory design challenges. Design Issues, 28(3), pp.101-116.

Chen, S. and Venkatesh, A., (2013). An investigation of how design-oriented organisations implement design thinking. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(15-16), pp.1680-1700.

Deloitte., (2006). The Design Thinking approach. [online] Available at: <https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/de/Documents/technology/DELO-2006_SAP-Design-Thinking_21x21_screen.pdf> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

Design Thinking, (2016). About design thinking with SAP. [online] Available at: <https://designthinkingwithsap.com/> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

Dorst, K., (2010), October. The nature of design thinking. In Proceedings of the 8th design thinking research symposium, pp. 19-20.

Frow, P., Nenonen, S., Payne, A. and Storbacka, K., (2015). Managing co‐creation design: a strategic approach to innovation. British Journal of Management, 26(3), pp.463-483.

Gadgets Now, (2016). 10 Microsoft products you probably didn't know about. [online] Available at: <http://www.gadgetsnow.com/slideshows/10-microsoft-products-you-probably-didnt-know-about/Surface-Hub/photolist/49519409.cms> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

Martin, R.L., 2009. The design of business: why design thinking is the next competitive advantage. Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press.

Meinel, C. and Leifer, L. eds., (2012). Design thinking research. Germany: Springer Publications.

Microsoft, (2016). Modern design at Microsoft. [online] Available at: <https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/stories/design/> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

Oracle, (2014). Oracle: Big Data for the enterprise. [online] Available at: <http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/bigdata-appliance/overview/wp-bigdatawithoracle-1453236.pdf> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

Oracle., (2016). An Enterprise Architect’s Guide to Big Data. [online] Available at: <http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/entarch/articles/oea-big-data-guide-1522052.pdf> [Accessed 6 December 2016].

Poppendieck, M. and Cusumano, M.A., (2012). Lean software development: a tutorial. IEEE software, 29(5), pp.26-32.

Razzouk, R. and Shute, V., (2012). What is design thinking and why is it important? Review of Educational Research, 82(3), pp. 330–348.

Whittle, J., Hutchinson, J. and Rouncefield, M., (2014). The state of practice in model-driven engineering. IEEE software, 31(3), pp.79-85.

Appendix

Design thinking is considered as significant process from both conceptual as well as pragmatic standpoints. As per Frow, et al. (2015) the firms use design in their advertising in order to gain competitive advantages in the international market. Design thinking has entered the design world so as to draw the attention of the customers. Moreover, a comprehensive understanding of the design thinking is essential during the marketing management process (Frow, et al., 2015). There are several design thinking processes such as brainstorming or sketching that are used during concept development are likely to use the organisation’s design philosophy. Furthermore, Poppendieck and Cusumano (2012) argued that a good design thinker needs to have the characteristics such that they are able to resolve the issues that are faced by the organisations. Before the actual launch of any machinery or equipment, the engineers within the company design a particular model and then finally plan out strategies in order to introduce the product successfully in the market. Many of the software development companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, etc., have made efforts in order to develop new products and gain a competitive advantage in the international market (Poppendieck and Cusumano, 2012). The design thinkers of these companies have contributed to the brand image and the customers are expected to rely on the products manufactured by them.