480: Putting Design Thinking into practical action – with Tom Granzow Product Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators

The Discover, Analyze, Create, Develop Design Thinking Framework for product managers

You’ve heard about Design Thinking or even tried it. It is a simple-to-understand tool for solving problems, developing strategy, and most commonly for us product professionals, for developing a new product or service. And while it is simple to understand, that doesn’t mean it is easy to apply. I’ve seen Design Thinking mistakes, and I’ve made my own as well, which limit the results this powerful tool can provide. When you apply Design Thinking, wouldn’t you like to know you are getting the most from it?

That is why Tom Granzow is with us. He has applied Design Thinking to hundreds of projects and also trained over 1200 people to use it properly. Tom has held senior innovation roles with an emphasis on medical devices and equipment and now shares his 35 years of experience and knowledge with others as the founder of Granzow Design Strategies.

Summary of some concepts discussed for product managers

[2:23] Why is Design Thinking one of your primary tools?

I think of Design Thinking as a framework and set of tools for problem solving. There are four key things that Design Thinking helps me accomplish:



* Getting closer to the customer

* Turning insights from customer research into action

* Driving collaboration

* Experimenting and iterating



Design Thinking is a common framework that helps me communicate with other folks and get everybody on the same page.

[5:09] Tell us about the phases of the Design Thinking framework: Discover, Analyze, Create, Develop.

I modified these phases from Vijay Kumar’s model in 101 Design Methods.

1. Discover

a. Frame: Frame out the customer problem and what you’re trying to accomplish for your business.

b. Research: Build empathy. Understand customer problems.

2. Analyze

a. Facts: What did customers say and do?

b. Interpret: What did the customer research mean?

c. Synthesize: Identify patterns and turn them into something actionable for the team like design principles, journey maps, and personas.

3. Create

a. Brainstorm: Use a structured method, such as:



* Yes, and. Don’t say “no.” Say “yes, and” to keep the idea going.

* Creative matrix: Use this to break a big problem down into bite-sized chunks you can try to solve. Identify key problems on the horizontal axis and potential stimuli like materials and processes on the vertical axis. Brainstorm within each of those squares.



b. Visualize: Build a sketch, rendering, or prototype.

c. Combine idea fragments: Instead of trying to pick out idea fragments, combine them into bigger concepts.

4. Develop

a. Test and refine: Put your ideas in front of customers, get feedback, and iterate.

b. Repeat: Cycle through testing and refining many times.

[14:18] What do people typically get right when applying Design Thinking?

Companies that I have worked with really want to understand the customer. They don’t always have the right tools, and that’s what I’ve been able to help with.

People understand the Design Thinking framework. I try not to call it a process, since teams already have their processes and don’t want new ones. Once people go through the training, they understand the framework and tools and can apply them.

I’ve been very happy about the participation I’ve gotten. As long as I can explain what we’re trying to do, the engagement is amazing.

Design Thinking helps with collaboration. It’s fun and engaging. People like doing the Design Thinking activities.

[17:44] What do people tend to get wrong when applying Design Thinking?

Some people think Design Thinking is supposed to be a really structured and linear process.