There are a lot of businesses around the world, but only some have succeeded and outshined. One word that differentiates successful and other businesses is “Design Thinking”.  It is a creative yet challenging part of a business because it requires a continuous thought process and something unique every time. Businesses can either upgrade the old version of any service or product or build a completely new one in favour of customer. The design thinking focus on understanding user experiences and problems that users face in day-to-day life.

Based on a survey report, 79% of established companies agree that design thinking has improved their capabilities. As a result, both the employees and the customers enjoy the work and products. Here, I'll discuss why and how the design thinking approach is used with some top companies that are live examples of design thinking case studies.

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Why And How Does Design Thinking Work?

Can we all watch the same movie, use the same clothes, and have same food every day? No, right, we need a variation on these when, same when it comes to running a company or expecting something as a consumer. The customer looks for something new every time, it may be product or service. Thus, every top business has an internal design thinking team for curating new ideas. The ideas makes sure that services or product generate positive feedback from public.

Before we examine some extraordinary examples, let me briefly summarize why and how this approach works. 

Empathy, creativity, refinement, testing, and finally, implementation are the basic fundamentals that design thinking. These are the key tasks of a professional project manager in organizations as they lead the design team to meet customer’s needs.

Now, talking about how it works- when the customer feels that their needs are understood and the products and services are satisfactory, they are ready to invest their time and money.

Reading further, will read some vital design thinking case study and get to know why these companies are reputed in their respective industries.

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8 Real-life Examples Of Design Thinking

In this digitalised world, every company in different industries wants to do something new every time, so demand in the market should remain constant. Some businesses struggle with this, while others have found a powerful tool to satisfy both customers and employees. Here are some well-known companies that constantly innovate and upgrade their products and services to dominate the market.

1] IBM

IBM has been one of the corporate giants ever since it was introduced to the public in the 19th century. Even now, it is known as the most significant industrial research organization in the world as it has built a large internal design team. The company keeps introducing new technological innovations according to the market's demand. This action makes users stay loyal to business. IBM is the best company for design thinking case study because their ROI has increased by 301% after implementing the ideas of the design team.

2] Airbnb

Airbnb is proud as a $75.4B company with an excellent reputation for delivering unmatched public experience and services. It sets one of the best design thinking examples because there was a time when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. After continuous evolving they made a greater comeback than before. Even after posting pictures of their services and testimonials on website, the company didn’t receive as many bookings as expected. Later, they realized what the customers wanted from them and upgraded their site, and did it. The founders made the decisions from the user's point of view.

3] Apple

My list of design thinking examples would be incomplete without mentioning Apple. The company has come up with many innovative approaches since the beginning. The market went into an uproar when iOS was introduced to the public because no other device’s operating system was as far as Apple’s. Their strategy, management, and design have always been surprising and widely accepted by the users. The company keeps developing new strategies and innovations to make its product better and give the best experience to the users.

4] Uber Eats

The Uber Eats design thinking case study is inspiring because, in a short period of time, the company has evolved a successful problem-solving approach. The company deals in delivering door-to-door food to people. the business had some severe managerial and logistical challenges. The delivery partners have to drop off the orders on time and make sure to make minimal mistakes. Uber Eats stays ahead of its competitors because it provides users with the varieties that users are looking for and an anytime, anywhere concept.

5] GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare has one of the most remarkable design thinking examples by solving challenge the industry faced. The children are afraid of the big machines and gloomy rooms of the hospitals, and visiting there for checkups gives them anxiety. However, GE Healthcare came up with the ‘Adventure Series’ in which the machines used were completely redesigned. They were modified with the elements that the kids usually like to make them children-friendly to reduce their anxiety. Now, kids enjoy their check-up sessions, and they feel like they are travelling to a whole new world of adventure.

6] Netflix

Now, let's do a design thinking case study on the most preferable ‘binge-watching’ platform Netflix. Ever since the application came into the market, it has seen a surge in subscribers and binge-watchers. The company has a great position in the market because it allows users to make decisions on what they want to watch. Netflix removes overwhelming of users through many options. It takes their preferences and last watches into consideration and then curates a special watchlist for a seamless and spontaneous experience.

7] Stanford Hospital

With the immense increase in the healthcare sector and the setting of thousands of hospitals, it is challenging for them to stay ahead of the curve. However, the Sanford Hospital leads an incredible example of design thinking. It looked into the patient's problems when they visit the hospitals and thus came up with an approach that will improve their experience. From well-maintained multiple nursing stations to guardian’s resting areas and children’s fun areas, the hospital is delivering the best experiences to patients, visitors, and guardians of all age groups.

8] Nike

Nike has maintained its reputation as one of the best footwear brands while setting significant design thinking examples for others. The brand design team always comes up with new innovations that their customers would love. Whether it is comfort, style, colour combination, skateboard extension, or pressurized air technology, their design thinking is always up to the mark. The company has always kept users in the centre while making the prototype and had a customer’s perspective when developing and designing new items.

Key Points To Note From These Design Thinking Examples

1. Analyse The Customers Problem First

The vital thing I learned and found common in all these design thinking examples is that all the companies focussed on their customers' problems and pain points. Whether it’s Airbnb, GE Healthcare, Uber Eats, Nike, or others, they identified their customer’s needs and then improved their products and services to satisfy them in every way.

2. Collect Feedback From Customers

The example of design thinking shows that all companies listed above paid attention to the feedback from their customers after every product or service was introduced. This helped them make necessary changes in the sections that were having loopholes or lagging behind. Even negative feedback can be bad for a company’s reputation, so customer satisfaction is considered for design thinking.

3. Generating New Ideas

The design teams of each company focus on generating new ideas to make the product and service better and make sure that both the employees and customers enjoy them. Whether the business market is going smoothly or having a roller coaster ride, the main purpose of design thinking examples is to learn how these companies dominate with Continuous Improvement in their respective field.

4. Creating Prototype And Testing

The design team not only generates new ideas but also creates a prototype to test whether it is ready for market or not. Like for example, a cosmetic brand generates a new formula for CC cream to cover acne and makes a prototype. Before the soft launch of the product, it is given to a few premium customers to test and get feedback. If the review is good, then it is available to the public; however, if it lacks something, then it's improvised before the launch.

Role Of Project Manager 

According to the best of my knowledge, every product or service that the mentioned companies provide is a kind of project that requires a professional team to carry out the whole process. All these design thinking examples had one thing in common with the project manager’s role: planning, ideation, testing, executing, and monitoring.

Also, after the product is circulated in the market, the team continuously makes an effort to make it better and better. All these projects need the guidance of a project manager who oversees all the manufacturing departments and is responsible for carrying out the tasks smoothly.

Also Read: Project Management Companies 

Conclusion

If we want to make our career as a product designer, user experience designer, innovation consultant, design thinking coach, or project manager in top companies, we must have some hands-on experience successfully handling a few projects. Certification will prove our eligibility to apply for the respective positions in the organization. 

So, to achieve a higher position in a company, such as an innovation consultant or project manager enrol in the PMP Course and complete the training and internship. Choose the best institutes like Staragile to get knowledge from project experienced and certified trainers.  The theory, hands-on training and PMP Certification will add a sense of experience to the work profile in a corporate journey or want to upscale a position as a professional.