Turn
Ideas
into
Action
with a
Collaborative,
Human-Centered
Approach
Solving complex challenges requires more than just brainstorming—it takes a structured, human-centered approach.
Design Thinking Workshops help teams align, explore opportunities, and create solutions that drive real impact.
Whether you’re refining an existing product, tackling an operational challenge, or innovating something entirely new,
a design thinking workshop provides the framework to generate actionable insights and ideas.
The Origins of Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a problem-solving methodology that prioritizes human needs, collaboration, and iterative innovation. While the term gained popularity in recent decades, its roots trace back to the 1950s and 1960s, when design theorists like Herbert A. Simon (The Sciences of the Artificial, 1969) and Robert McKim (Experiences in Visual Thinking, 1973) explored structured approaches to creativity.
By the 1990s, organizations like IDEO and Stanford d.school formalized Design Thinking as a framework for business innovation. Since then, it has been widely adopted by leading companies and institutions, driving transformation across industries.
Who Uses Design Thinking and What’s the Impact?
Design Thinking has driven innovation, efficiency, and better user experiences across a variety of industries:
- Tech Giants Apple, Google & IBM: These companies have embedded Design Thinking into their product development and problem-solving processes. Apple’s focus on intuitive design, Google’s user-first approach in products like Material Design, and IBM’s company-wide adoption of Design Thinking have transformed how technology serves users, improving usability and business success. IBM's integrated Design Thinking has resulted in a 301% return on investment.
- Mayo Clinic: The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation uses Design Thinking to improve patient experiences, from redesigning hospital rooms to enhancing doctor-patient interactions. Their work has led to satisfaction and better healthcare outcomes.
- Procter & Gamble: P&G adopted Design Thinking to develop successful products like the Swiffer and Crest Spinbrush, focusing on deep consumer insights to create intuitive, high-demand solutions. This shift helped increase innovation success rates and boost revenue.
- Education: The Stanford d.school pioneered bringing Design Thinking into education, helping students and educators solve complex challenges creatively. K-12 schools and universities worldwide use this approach to enhance problem-solving skills, improve student engagement, and foster innovation in learning environments. Programs like Design for Change empower students to tackle real-world issues using Design Thinking frameworks.
Even schools in our own community have integrated design thinking. The Ellis School in Pittsburgh was recognized as a national leader in integrating design thinking in K-12 education by Stanford University's Institute of Design. South Fayette School District, located southwest of Pittsburgh, has developed a model for teaching computational thinking that incorporates elements of design thinking. At the university level, Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design offers programs that incorporate design thinking principles and is consistently ranked as one of the top design schools in the United States.
Why Design Thinking?
Design Thinking is more than just a process—it’s a mindset. It empowers teams to:
- Align Around a Shared Vision: Break down silos and foster cross-functional collaboration.
- Focus on the Right Problems: Uncover root causes and address real user needs.
- Generate Creative Solutions: Move beyond obvious fixes to innovative possibilities.
- Test and Validate Ideas Quickly: Reduce risk by experimenting before full-scale implementation.
What's Included in a Workshop?
Turn insights into actionable, high-impact solutions.
Each session is tailored to your specific goals and challenges, but common elements include:
- Empathy & Research: Understand user needs through interviews, journey mapping, and insights gathering.
- Problem Definition: Frame the right challenge to ensure meaningful solutions.
- Ideation & Co-Creation: Use proven techniques like brainstorming, sketching, and rapid prototyping.
- Prioritization & Roadmapping: Identify high-impact ideas and create an action plan.
- Prototyping & Testing: Develop quick models to validate concepts with real users.
Types of Workshops
Choose the format that best fits your needs:
- Full-Day Deep Dive: A comprehensive session for in-depth exploration and solution-building.
- Lightning Sprint: A focused, half-day session to generate quick insights and rapid prototypes.
- Custom Workshop Series: Ongoing sessions to tackle large-scale innovation nitiatives.
Let’s Build the Future, Together
Design Thinking Workshops are more than meetings—they are catalysts for innovation, alignment, and action.
If your team is struggling to solve a tough challenge or needs a fresh perspective, let’s talk.