Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Design Thinking ImpAct Conference organized by the Hasso Plattner Institute and its School of Design to celebrate its 15th anniversary. I’ve attended the online version of this hybrid conference.
A great deal of of knowledge and wisdom was shared about the impact and the future of design thinking since 15 years at the HPI d.school. Some of my takeaways are:
-Design thinking was there for a long time and is here to stay for decades to come as the most “natural “ approach to solve problems creatively even on a global level.
– For design thinking to help solve issues in the public sector, leaders should let go of the conventional wisdom and view problems differently by utilizing insights from the public.
-Transformation in highly regulated systems such as healthcare and education won’t succeed with the same regulations in place. A new approach of decision making with a mindset open to experimentation is essential.
-Design thinking in healthcare requires brining all stakeholders on the table to come up with solutions that have real impact, and not just following scientific standards to solve problems.
-Last but not least, design thinkers should not lose the simplicity of purpose of design thinking by getting caught into the tools, techniques, and codified rules. Constant change to the methodology while maintaining the essence behind it is what keeps it alive.
Looking forward to attend the Afrika d.school confestival next month!