Arthur: Thanks for the survey invite. I took a look at your survey and your “What is Design Thinking” presentation. I will make a few brief comments here in hope this might be helpful to you and perhaps others. From this practice perspective, I can share with you that your presentation reflects one central challenge that all graduate and or post-graduate researchers face...trying to grasp and understand the present and emerging future by looking at historical literature. This orientation tends to work better in some fields than others....not so well in design.
Whether your faculty advisors are telling you this or not, the history of design thinking that is reflected in "literature" tends to be the history of Design 1 and Design 2. The case studies, heroes and values that are found there also reflect Design 1 and Design 2 logic. A large percentage of the threads on this list reflect this logic and orientation as well.
This has not been the furthest reach present of design thinking for at least 10-15 years. Think multiple parallel tracks moving a different speeds rather than one track. The single track history thing is dead. Design thinking today is more like a mongrel from the SPCA than a pure bread Labrador or race horse…J
Regardless of that messy movement forward most academies continue to have and promote deep legacy systems in Design 1 and 2. That tends to be what the various faculties know how to do and thus many keep presenting this now narrow retro orientation as what design thinking is today. Much of that is about design thinking as product, service and experience creation. However seasoned some PhD students might be it is inherently difficult for most operating within such systems to suggest that the field is actually in a different place than where their school is. We hear this often from folks coming to visit us for conversation and advice.
On line it is not difficult to find many foreshortened Design 1 and 2 views being presented as, sold as, what design thinking is today. There are now entire design thinking movies reflective of that narrow Design 1 and 2 orientation. Seeing all of the marketing energy can also be confusing. Understand that most are seriously oversimplified reductionist pictures. The world outside is considerably more complex.
The complexity twist is that you can create a picture of design thinking to meet academic awareness and requirements that would not at all reflect what is already going on in practice. We see a lot of this kind of work being produced within the chasm so to speak. Your output can meet all academic requirements, model all the proper academic protocols and not be reflective of practice at all.
Depending on what you want to do with your output this may or may not be problematic. If you intend to have your presentation appear in the marketplace it will in its present form likely be vigorously questioned.
Those who seek to create more advanced pictures, more accurate depictions, the only real way to do that is to get out from behind the walls of academia and get some input outside that universe….for the most part that means from practice leaders operating beyond Design 1 and 2.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
GK
Related for those interested:
Occupy Reimagining Design
http://www.humantific.com/occupy-reimagining-design/
When [Old Design Thinking} Love is Not Enough
http://issuu.com/nextd/docs/whenolddesignthinkingloveisnotenough
NextD Geographies
Understanding Design 1,2,3,4
Making Sense of the Future That has Already Arrived
http://issuu.com/nextd/docs/nextdfutures2011_v02
...
GK VanPatter
Co-Founder
Humantific
SenseMaking for ChangeMaking
NEW YORK / MADRID
6 West 18th Street, 9th Floor
New York City, NY 10011
T: 212-660-2577
http://www.humantific.com
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...
On Jul 17, 2013, at 6:50 AM, Arthur Chan wrote:
> Dear PhD List members,
>
> First I would like to thank all of those who have already taken part in the Design Thinking Survey since it was launched back in June.
>
> The survey is still open and participants are still needed. For those who are interested in taking part please see below for the details of my PhD and how to access the Design Thinking Survey.
>
> PhD topic:
>
> Investigating the contrast in understanding/ application of design thinking from academic and commercial perspectives.
>
> The aim of my PhD is to identify the possible knowledge gap that exists between academics’ and practitioners’ theories of design thinking. In order for the research to move forward I will require experts' opinions and views on the theories and latest developments in design thinking.
>
> If you can take part, please do the following:
>
> 1. Visit: www.lborodtresearch.co.uk (The site is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, IE9 and Safari)
>
> 2. Click 'Presentation' tab to view the 'What is Design Thinking' presentation.
>
> This presentation was created from the findings of my literature review, it gives a brief overview of design thinking's
> origins, history from the 1960s and application.
>
> 3. Click 'DT Survey' tab to Complete the 'Design Thinking Survey' after viewing the presentation.
>
> The presentation is 16:30 minutes long with the audio. Should time be limited the slides can be viewed at your own pace. The survey can take from 10 - 30 minutes long depend on the detail of your answers.
>
> Thank you in anticipation of your participation in this research, I am extremely grateful for your contributions.
>
> Best regards
>
> Arthur Chan
>
> PhD Researcher
>
> Loughborough Design School, LDS.1.23
>
> Loughborough University, LE11 3TU
>
> Tel +44 (0)1509 223578
>
> Loughborough Design School - Inspiring Design
>
> www.lboro.ac.uk/lds
>
>
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