Design Thinking is one of them and the glue between all disciplines: 8 stats that prove Design Thinking pays off. It is a process that can be learned, not aiming at becoming designers or designing products, but to solve problems and innovate your way to success.
Here is a collection of the success stories in various sectors and personal development.
Self-Improvement
I used Design Thinking to Reinvent My Career - Here's Why It Worked （A former lawyer explains how the methodology led her to try out life as a pastry chef before getting a master’s in psychology.）
Christian Wodtke is a world class information architect and product designer, who teaches at Stanford University. Like many designers, she used to think Design Thinking is a hyped up concept, until she discovered the approach works better than nearly any other methods to product and service innovation. How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Design Thinking
Design Thinking Can Create a Better Life Process: When incorporated into our personal lives, design thinking can turn life’s processes to work with us, not against us.
Consumer Packaged Goods
Nespresso – in her book, Design Works, Heather Fraser details how the brand went from an idea to turning it into a powerful business ecosystem that continues to build capabilities that are hard for others to replicate.
PepsiCo – How Indra Nooyi Turned Design Thinking into Strategy: An Interview with PepsiCo's CEO; Leading from the Heart: The committed Innovator: The Power of Design
Procter & Gamble – How can Design Thinking reinvent a brand (Oil of Olay)? ; How Procter & Gamble Designs Change ; The Innovation Method Behind Swiffer Madness; Oral B's request was to add more functions for electric toothbrush users, Design Thinking helped them focus on what users wanted rather than what the company wanted to roll out.
Technology
Apple – How did Apple survive its most critical time? Design Thinking Case Study: Innovation at Apple
Google – How to Brainstorm Like a Googler
Adobe – How did Adobe come up with the product Adobe XD? Design Thinking: A Manual for Innovation
Airbnb – The company has gone from making 200 euros a week to revolutionizing tourism: Airbnb, a Design Thinking success story；How Design Thinking Transformed Airbnb from a Failing Startup to a Billion Dollar Business?; The Link between Data Triangulation and Brainstorming Facilitation: Design Thinking at AirBnB
Uber – Understanding that pain points vary between geographic locations helps UberEats implement effective upgrades to its service that solve problems in specific locations. A prime example of this is UberEats's Walkabout Program: How We Design on the UberEATS Team
Financial Services
Bank of Ireland – How business can benefit from a more creative approach to problem solving Podcast： The value of design thinking with Bank of Ireland's Lesley Tully
Bank of America – Case Study: IDEO and Bank of America's Keep the Change program (scroll down to the Case Study) ; Feeling in Control: Bank of America Helps Customers to "Keep the Change"
Umpqua - How did a small Oregon-based bank succeed into one of the best in the world? Slow Banking: Building a Community of Experience
China Trust Bank - 中国信托银行携手IBM采用设计思维打造未来金融服务
Healthcare
GE Healthcare - "Sending Moms and Babies Home Healthy": The Design Thinking Journey: Tragedy into Triumph; Changing Experiences through Empathy - The Adventure Series
Thomas Jefferson University，University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Montreal - University hospitals Design Thinking success cases: Design Thinking for Doctors and Nurses (The New York Times)
University of California San Francisco and IDEO - Applying Design Thinking to Schizophrenia Care
Standford Medicine - Design Thinking as a way to improve patient experience
Rotterdam Eye Hospital - Patient Experience Transformation Program: How Design Thinking Turned One Hospital into a Bright and Comforting Place
Retail
Nordstrom - Help customers pick the best sun glasses：Nordstrom Innovation Lab Sunglass iPad App
Media
Netflix - Although many companies have successfully used Design Thinking, Netflix has repeatedly leveraged it to become an industry giant: How Netflix Used Design Thinking to Reinvent Itself, Over and Over
Education
Thinking & Acting Like a Designer: How Design Thinking Supports Innovation in K-12 Education
Transportation, Automobile
IDEO - Transportation and Mobility: A selection of case studies
Makassar, Indonesia - How Makassar will use design thinking to improve transportation
Human Resources & Organizational Development
Legal Services
Liberty Mutual Insurance - Transforming Your Law Department with Design Thinking
Journalism
Voice of San Diego, OrbitaLAB - Journalism case studies that apply design thinking
Non-Profit/NGOs
Golden Gate Regional Center - Better Service, Faster: A Design Thinking Case Study for Disabled
Design Thinking for Museums – a collection of Design Thinking for Museums Case Studies
Military
Army Field Manual 5-0: The Operations Process (U.S. Military) - The first time to add Design Thinking in its operations manual
Marketing
Public Sector
Municipality of Holstebro, Denmark – The Good Kitchen：How an Improved Food Service Creates a Better Life Quality for Elderly People
Local Government Association UK - Design in the public sector case studies
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - Observatory of public sector innovation
Though past success doesn't guarantee future performance, it leaves behind valuable lessons, insights, methods and systems that we can learn from. These treasures can significantly increase our chances of success for a bright future.
Design Thinking empowers us to empathize with the people we serve, redefine problems, generate fresh ideas, prototype and iterate innovative solutions. The results?
Significant value increase which translates to financial performances
Satisfied customers and employees
Lower risk to try new things
Strong organizational culture and ecosystems for sustainable performance
About the Author
You can find me on LinkedIn: Jennifer He.
About VOYO
VOYO is uniquely positioned in English and Chinese-speaking markets across Canada and abroad. We are design and innovation driven marketers and business strategists helping organizations grow as your needs become more sophisticated.