‘’Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products,

Services and even strategy’’. – Tim Brown (CEO, IDEO)

                                     Design & Thinking - Lagos Movie Screening

By: Charles Ikem

We live in a world of constant change. Our generation has been one filled with opportunities as well as threats. From climate change and the depleting natural resources to poverty, global financial meltdown and terrorism and no one discipline could ever boast of solving them all. We are plagued with problems with complex dimension. We don’t need complex solutions. Rather we need a discipline that cuts across the divide. A multi-disciplinary approach to tackling these challenges. - Design is such an approach.

Design is problem-solving. The successful run of design in firms such as; Apple, Google, Samsung, and BMW as well as non-profits such as; Acumen Fund and UK Design Council proves the viability of this approach beyond aesthetics. Moving beyond design is the concept called ‘Design Thinking’. Design thinking simply means thinking like a designer. Broadly summarized by Kate Blackmon as - thinking broadly about problems, developing a deep understanding of users, and recognizing the value of the contribution of others.

Management at the turn of the twentieth century had recognized that the way designers think could be rightly used to solve management as well as society’s problems. A few curious minds started researching and experimenting with the ideology. It will be the greatest discovery in management innovation in my own words.

It was recognized that if we imbibe the culture of understanding contexts around our culture, society we can better serve our people. If managers become less-serious and become experimenters giving room for serendipity, more innovation could emerge. if we prototype and test new things from services to new products, it could enable us to know what works and what doesn’t from the onset and if we build organizations to learn from the failures we might better succeed in the future.
 These are all some of the traits of a designer..Always looking for inspiration by getting out there, always sketching and tearing them apart every now and then; Always trying out new things, discovering, asking questions and willing to fail and learn.

Some of these have become the ways leading companies use in developing new products and services in the 21st century. For example, Google gives its employees few hours every week to work on any project idea of their choice. Encouraging experimentation, passion and innovation.

No matter where we look we see problems that can only be solved through design and design thinking. Education system that fail many students, millions of people living on less than one dollar a day, energy usage that surpasses the planets ability to support it and organizations whose traditional markets are disrupted by new technologies or demographic shifts.

Design thinking have grown as a methodology as well as a discipline practiced in organizations around the world, studied in art schools and introduced in MBA curriculum in progressive Business schools. In our context, design thinking could change lives, improve public services and create more value for customers and businesses. We like Facebook and Twitter. The idea of tapping a touch-screen delights us all especially the ipads and iphones. But what if we start to think just like the people making these products, what if we learn to apply their methods/processes in the way we generate ideas, run our businesses, serve our customers and make policies?

To mark the launch of Service Design Network Nigeria chapter. The first of its kind in Africa, We are bringing the screening of the movie, ’Design & Thinking’ to Lagos. Joining dozens of other cities including Cape Town to experience this phenomenon. To raise the awareness and promote the methodology of using design methods in our organizations and the public sector. The movie will be screened to a selected audience of C-level executives, public servants, managers, entrepreneurs and progressive individuals. This movie could yet prove to be the greatest thing you will ever learn this year and if you see any movie, let it be this.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

"Design & Thinking" is a documentary exploring the idea of "design thinking"! The movie creatively explores by asking..?; How do we fully engage organizations to think about the changing landscape of business, culture and society? Inspired by design thinking, the documentary grabs businessmen, designers, social change-makers and individuals to portray what they have in common when facing this ambiguous 21st century. What is design thinking? How is it applied in business models? How are people changing the world with their own creative minds? It is a call to the conventional minds to change and collaborate.
Directed by: Mu-Ming Tsai                                                                    Running Time: 74mins

Charles Ikem is the Design Director @ HOUSE OF LOGIC.A Design & Innovation Consultancy Based in Lagos, Nigeria. He leads a team of abnormal youths and zombie slayers using design to solve problems from; Telecoms to security, healthcare, financial services and business strategy.

Twitter:@apache22