Design Thinking Bootcamp: Simplifying Innovation Through Empathy and Iteration

     The Design Thinking Bootcamp gave me valuable insights into how design thinking can tackle ambiguous problems, particularly through our group exercise on creating the ideal cell phone. The activity emphasized empathy and the need to deeply understand customer needs. We explored this concept through interviews with our group members.

    We began by interviewing each other to see how our phones fit into our daily lives. This forced us to drop assumptions and approach the conversation with real curiosity. It wasn’t easy, as we often assume we know how people use their phones, but the exercise required us to ask open-ended questions and pay close attention to subtle cues, even non-verbal ones. Through this process, we moved past simple answers and uncovered deeper frustrations and desires.

    For example, my partner initially said they used their phone mostly for communication, but after more discussion, we realized we didn’t need the complexity of an iPhone because we don’t use most of its features. Simplicity became a key focus in our design, and we also valued privacy. This led us to explore features that would enhance security without adding unnecessary complexity. It was a good reminder that stripping down a product to its essentials can often make it better.

    The toughest part was not just defining the problem, but constantly revisiting and reframing it. As Don Norman said, "A brilliant solution to the wrong problem can be worse than no solution at all." The iterative process of redefining the problem and getting feedback from my partner showed me just how flexible the design process needs to be. What you think is the problem at first is often only part of it.

    The back-and-forth during sketching and prototyping was especially productive. After sketching our ideas, we shared them with each other and made revisions based on feedback. One idea we developed was adding a built-in VPN to the phone, inspired by our shared concern for privacy and security. This feature aligned with our goal of creating a simple, yet secure, device that would protect users' data without complicating the overall user experience.

    In the end, the bootcamp underscored how essential empathy, curiosity, and persistence are in the design process. By focusing on the user and constantly iterating on ideas, we created solutions that were both creative and practical. The bootcamp reinforced the idea that innovation is more about how you approach a problem than the solution itself. This experience helped me better understand how design thinking applies in real-world situations, especially when dealing with complex challenges that don’t have easy answers.