{"id":31027,"date":"2024-04-04T13:56:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T12:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/?p=31027"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T16:07:35","slug":"why-design-thinking-is-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/why-design-thinking-is-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Design Thinking Is an Essential Competency for Business Students in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today\u2019s business environment has transformed from one of scale, predictability, and rigidity to one of speed, agility, and fluidity. To survive, approaches to business management need to adapt\u2014fast. Enter design thinking as an effective framework for problem-solving uniquely modern business challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s a reason why design thinking is such a buzzword: <\/span><b>it works<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Leading brands like Apple, IBM, Toyota, and Intuit have successfully integrated design thinking into their company culture, embracing a creative and truly customer-centric approach to product innovation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, while design thinking is an attractive concept, it\u2019s often misunderstood, oversimplified, and misused.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>So, what <\/b><b><i>IS<\/i><\/b><b> design thinking?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design thinking\u2014literally\u2014means thinking like a designer. It involves using creative thinking tools to approach common and complex problems holistically and from different angles. It is the definition of thinking outside of the box.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design thinking is a human-centered, collaborative, and iterative approach to problem-solving. It strongly emphasizes empathizing with end-users when defining problem areas, then ideating innovative solutions, prototyping concepts, and testing these solutions in real-world scenarios.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that involves a structured process of understanding the underlying needs of a particular target audience and then ideating and creating impactful solutions for implementation.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach is characterized by its iterative and explorative nature, as it often involves multiple cycles to refine and improve the solutions continually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The process\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The design thinking process is made up of several stages, each of which plays a role in arriving at innovative, viable business ideas. First, it involves putting yourself in your customer\u2019s place to understand their problem. Next, you map your customer\u2019s problem or unmet needs with possible solutions and develop those solutions by exploring and collecting insights through things like prototyping and user testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective design thinking requires creativity, experimentation, collaboration, and rigorous hypothesis testing to refine and redefine solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it\u2019s a non-linear methodology, it\u2019s often broken down into five fundamental steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Empathize<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Identify and understand the needs, emotions, and experiences of your target customers through immersive research and interaction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Define<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Observe and define the core problem areas, unmet needs, or opportunities, based on insights you gathered during the empathy phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Ideate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Generate a wide range of creative ideas and potential solutions through brainstorming, sketching, and ideation sessions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Prototype<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Build real-world representations of your proposed solutions to test and refine concepts quickly, in a low-risk environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Test<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Gather feedback, conduct user testing, and refine prototypes to validate the effectiveness of your solutions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Test out a design thinking exercise: The 5 whys<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Repeatedly asking &#8220;why&#8221; in response to a problem is one design thinking technique you can use to try to seek out the root cause of a customer problem, uncovering layers of complexity and the underlying unmet need (and, therefore, opportunity).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a very useful exercise in the initial stages of exploring a problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an example from ZipCar, when Hult students were challenged by their Head of Strategy and me to come up with compelling solutions to their pressing problems:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>The apparent problem: the car won\u2019t start<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The battery is dead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lights were on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last user left the lights on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They didn\u2019t notice or didn\u2019t care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Busy people do crazy things, so we need to make sure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this solution<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is in place&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This method\u2014one of many in the design thinking toolkit\u2014aids in unraveling complex problems and identifying fundamental issues that require resolution. It\u2019s a powerful tool and often used by business professionals and consultants to get to the root cause of an issue quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Design thinking defined: A student\u2019s perspective<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design thinking is an integral part of the postgraduate curriculum at Hult, with \u201cDesign Thinking for Innovation\u201d one of the core courses I teach for our Master\u2019s in International Business candidates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maria Camila Aguirre Giraldo was among the most recent cohort of MIB students at Hult Boston to complete this course in fall 2023. Here\u2019s how she now defines design thinking:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018I think of design thinking like turning on a lightbulb when you\u2019re stuck in a dark tunnel of problems. It helps us not only to find a way out, but also to understand our customers better.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of just fixing a problem, it is about putting ourselves in their shoes, feeling what they feel, and then coming up with solutions that really hit the mark for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Design thinking goes beyond brainstorming ideas; it\u2019s about getting creative, trying out different stuff, and not being afraid to fail\u2014because that\u2019s how we learn what works best.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not just about solving one problem; it\u2019s about seeing the bigger picture and making things better in the long run. Design thinking is like having a superpower that helps us see the world through our customers&#8217; eyes and make magic happen for them.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of my biggest takeaways from that course is that one should use creativity not just to create a profitable business, but also one that gives back to the community. It\u2019s important to fall in love with the problem to truly understand what people need and want, and then utilize creative thinking to develop solutions that address those needs.\u2019<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Why does it matter?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21st-century business success hinges on the ability to define the right problem, understand stakeholders, and develop relevant and value-creating solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business leaders must have the vision and insight to create solutions that matter to their stakeholders and be able to sell these solutions emotionally and intellectually. I always start my executive education modules and postgraduate classes by quoting my great-grandfather, who founded his company in 1905 and became a successful self-made entrepreneur. The quote is as timely as ever:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A business leader is a servant of the community <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who earns a pay for being able to create something<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new, respectable, and durable, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which everyone needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 H.J. Helkama, founder of the Helkama Family of Companies<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><b>Why design thinking is a compulsory skill for business graduates<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The integration of design thinking into the business curriculum at Hult is not merely a response to a passing trend\u2014it\u2019s a strategic imperative that cultivates an essential skill for navigating the complexities of modern business challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We aim for every student who walks through the doors of Hult to graduate equipped with the mindsets and skillsets to tackle these complex problems and drive innovative solutions as tomorrow\u2019s business leaders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By weaving design thinking into the fabric of our master\u2019s programs, our students are not only equipped to navigate such challenges, but also to harness creativity, empathy, and innovative thinking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By embracing design thinking principles, our students are empowered to tackle the multifaceted challenges of today\u2019s business environment and drive meaningful change to make a lasting impact. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today\u2019s business environment has transformed from one of scale, predictability, and rigidity to one of speed, agility, and fluidity. To survive, approaches to business management need to adapt\u2014fast. Enter design&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":36608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[146],"tags":[181,180,183,205],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Design Thinking Is an Essential Competency for Business Students in 2024 | Hult International Business School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The integration of design thinking into the business curriculum at Hult is not merely a response to a passing trend\u2014it\u2019s a strategic imperative that cultivates an essential skill for navigating the complexities of modern business challenges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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He served as dean of the school for eight years, helping Hult to expand globally and achieve its triple accreditation. Today, he leverages his experience to assist people and institutions to reach their goals through strategy, leadership, and entrepreneurial vision."}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31027"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31027"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36614,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31027\/revisions\/36614"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}