Blog #2

1. What was your biggest takeaway or “aha” moment from the design thinking bootcamp? How did this experience impact your view of innovation or customer-centric problem solving?

My biggest takeaway from the design thinking bootcamp was how important empathy is when asking questions. When I interviewed my partner about their ideal cell phone, I realized how important it was to first listen carefully and then ask open-ended questions about their personal experiences. By doing that, I discovered needs I wouldn’t have realized otherwise. My partner wanted a phone with raised edges to protect it from breaking, since they’ve had bad experiences with dropping their phone. This process helped me realize that innovation isn’t about adding big features, but about understanding how people feel about a product so it can better improve their everyday lives.

2. Referring to the shopping cart video, identify two “rules” that guide IDEO’s creative process. Why are these rules vital to innovation?


Two key rules that guided IDEO’s process were to encourage wild ideas and to defer judgment. These rules are important because they help create an open space where the team can feel comfortable to share any and all ideas they have. By encouraging crazy ideas, IDEO pushes people to think outside their comfort zone and consider ideas they might not have thought of before. Deferring judgment is also important because it prevents people from rejecting ideas too soon and allows everyone to build on each other’s thinking. In the shopping cart project, these rules helped the team work together without worrying about being wrong, which in the end made their ideas more creative. IDEO’s motto, “fail often to succeed sooner,” stood out to me because it shows that failure and feedback are important steps in creating something successful.

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