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“Change By Design” by Tim Brown – Book Review

By Heidi Wiesspeiner

In the book “Change By Design” Tim Brown puts an end to old ideas, and introduces us to the power of design thinking.

Tim Brown says that the continuum of innovation is “best thought of as a system of overlapping spaces rather than a sequence of orderly steps”. He refers to inspiration, the opportunity or the problem, ideation, the development of ideas, and implementation, as the different spaces within the innovation process. It is therefore a process that is “open-ended, open-minded, and iterative.” There are three criteria for successful ideas: feasibility, viability and desirability. These could also be seen as constraints, or boundaries, and they inform the evaluation of an idea. Brought into balance, these three aspects ensure the sustainability of a new design.

He suggests that we need to return human beings to the center of the story. “We need to learn to put people first.” To do so, we can use insight, observation and empathy. Insight is learning from the lives of others. Observation is watching what people do and don’t do, and listening to what they say and don’t say. It is important to pay attention to both what is present and what is absent. Empathy is the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes and to emulate experiences. Human-centred design is about applying insight, observation and empathy.

Tim explores different ways of thinking, including convergent and divergent thinking. He says that convergent thinking can be used to make choices. And divergent thinking can be used to create choices. The process of the design thinker is like “a rhythmic exchange between the divergent and convergent phases, with each subsequent iteration less broad and more detailed than the previous ones.” An attitude of experimentation is a definite must in all of this. Being open to new possibilities is key. He describes different ways of brainstorming, and visual thinking, and prototyping. He talks of the importance of storytelling. “Design thinking can help us chart a path into the future.”

Tim also goes into detail on how design thinking can help to transform organisations. He introduces an innovation matrix, called the “Ways to Grow” matrix, which evaluates the innovation efforts of organisations. He encourages diversification across the matrix as the best possible strategy. In terms of systems change, he says that the guiding principle for any system-wide project is to ensure that the objectives of different participants are aligned. Design thinkers need to take into consideration the factors of individual intelligence and free will. We must think differently, and create highly flexible, constantly evolving systems.

Finally, he moves into the space of activism, and mentions the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. He says that in order for these to be met, they need to be reframed as more specific questions. For example, the goal of “eradicating extreme poverty” might be turned into several questions like “How might we enable poor farmers to increase the productivity of their land though simple, low-cost products and services”? The key, he says, is to craft a brief that releases the imagination of the problem solvers. “The greatest challenges are always the source of the greatest opportunities.”

This book is great because it shows us how design thinking is a way of seeing the world that is holistic, and inspiring. “Change by Design” is for anyone who wants to learn to see the world through a human centred design lens, think more systemically, and collaborate more effectively. Transformation results from aligning people around the right design questions to solve!

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