stanford design thinking case study

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Better Service, Faster: A Design Thinking Case Study

• Robert I. Sutton

It involves a Winnebago.

On February 14, 2014, Stanford students Elizabeth Woodson and Saul Gurdus drove a rented Winnebago to the San Mateo office of the Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC), where they greeted eight curious GGRC staff members.

• Robert I. Sutton is an organizational psychologist and a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University. He has written eight books, including (with Huggy Rao) The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder (St. Martin’s Press, January 2024).
• DH David Hoyt is a research associate at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

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Design Thinking and Strategic Philanthropy Case Study (August 2015)

Nadia Roumani, Paul Brest, and Olivia Vagelos

Using human centered design for a greater philanthropic impact.

This is a case study of how human centered design (HCD), also called design thinking, can be integrated with strategic planning to help philanthropists achieve greater impact. HCD, initially developed in the context of consumer products and services, is in the early stages of being applied to improve social interventions by governments, nonprofit organizations, and foundations. We believe that HCD can be combined with traditional strategic planning methods to help philanthropists and foundations develop strategies that are based on sound evidence, and informed by the needs of their intended beneficiaries.

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What is design thinking?

Discover what is design thinking and why it’s important, including the five stages of design thinking. Deep dive into a few case studies and learn how to apply design thinking.

The State of UX Hiring Report 2024

Learn how to start your UX career with hard facts and practical advice from those who have gone before you. In this report, we look at UX hiring trends in 2024 to help you break into the industry.

Design thinking is a mindset that breeds innovation. While it’s based on the design process, anyone in any profession can use it when they’re trying to come up with creative solutions to a problem. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what design thinking is and why it’s important, including the five stages of design thinking. Then we’ll present a couple of design thinking case studies and wrap up with a primer on how to apply design thinking. And don’t worry, this guide is broken down into easily digestible chunks, as follows:

Let’s get started!

What is design thinking? A definition

Design thinking is an approach used for problem-solving. Both practical and creative, it’s anchored by human-centred design.

Design thinking is extremely user-centric in that it focuses on your users before it focuses on things like technology or business metrics. 

Design thinking is also solution-based, looking for effective solutions to problems, not problem-based, which looks at the problem itself and tends to focus on limitations. 

Design thinking is all about getting hands-on with solutions. The aim is to quickly turn your ideas into testable products so you can see what works and what doesn’t.

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Why is design thinking important? 

Design thinking is important because it challenges assumptions and fosters innovation. While many ways of thinking rely on the habits and experiences we’ve formed, they can limit us when it comes to thinking of design solutions. Design thinking, however, encourages us to explore new ideas. 

It’s an actionable technique that allows us to tackle “wicked problems,” or problems that are ill-defined. For example, achieving sustainable growth or maintaining your competitive edge in business count as wicked problems, and on a broader scale, poverty and climate change are wicked problems too. Design thinking uses empathy and human-centred thinking to tackle these kinds of problems.

Who uses design thinking?

The short answer? Everyone! Design thinking can help you in whatever your role or industry. People in business, government, entertainment, health care, and every other industry can benefit from using design thinking to come up with innovative solutions. 

The most important thing design thinking does is help people focus on their customers or end users. Instead of focusing on problems to fix, design thinking keeps things user-centric, which boosts customer engagement. 

What are the 5 stages of design thinking?

According to the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University (known as d-school), the five stages of design thinking are: 

Although these stages appear to be linear, following one after the other, design thinking isn’t a linear process. Stages are often run in parallel or out of order, or repeated when necessary.

Phase 1: Empathise 

Your goal here is to research your users’ needs to gain an empathic understanding of the problems they face. You’ll get to know your users and their wants and needs so you can make sure your solutions put them front and centre. This means setting aside your own assumptions and getting to know your users on a psychological and emotional level. You’ll observe, engage, watch and listen. 

Phase 2: Define

Here you state your users’ needs by compiling the information you gathered during the Empathise phase and then analysing it until you can define the core problem your team has identified. 

You do this by asking questions like: what patterns do you see in the data? What user issues need to be resolved? The conclusion of this phase comes when you’ve figured out a clear problem statement that is defined by the users’ needs. For example, “Bank customers in Glasgow need…”

You can learn more about how to write a problem statement in this guide.

Phase 3: Ideate

In this phase, you’ll generate ideas and solutions. You and your team will hold ideation sessions where you can come up with as many ideas as possible. No idea is too silly for this stage. The important thing is getting all ideas out on the table. There are a variety of techniques you can use, like brainstorming and mind mapping, to come up with solutions. This phase ends when you’ve managed to narrow down your ideas to just a few of the best ones.

Phase 4: Prototype

Your goal in this phase is to find the best solution to the problem by prototyping —that is, producing scaled down versions of the product or its features found in the previous phase. You’ll put each solution to the test by improving, redesigning, accepting, or rejecting it.

Phase 5: Test

Here you’ll try out the solutions you arrived at in the previous phases by user testing them. However, while this is the final stage of design thinking in theory, it’s rarely the final stage in reality. Design thinking often includes going back to previous phases to find other solutions or to further iterate or refine your existing solution.

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Design thinking examples and case studies

Now that you understand the theory and process of design thinking, let’s look at some examples in action where design thinking had a real-world impact.

Case Study 1: American Family Insurance’s Moonrise App

American Family Insurance, a company that offers life, business, auto, and home insurance, came to design company IDEO with the goal of innovating in a way that would help working families. 

Stages 1 & 2: Empathise and Define

While American Family thought their customers might benefit from budgeting tools, IDEO found from their research in the Empathise phase that, actually, people needed a way to build up their savings against unforeseen needs.

They noticed a lot of people had meticulously planned budgets, which made budgeting tools a moot point. But they were living just within their means and an extra expense, like a doctor’s visit or kid’s basketball uniform, could throw their budget off. These people didn’t want to take on debt though, they wanted extra work so they could have a cushion.

Stages 3 & 4: Ideate and Prototype

IDEO took that idea and ran with it, creating Moonrise, an app that matches people looking for work with extra hours and income. Today’s businesses depend on on-demand work but the temp agencies they work with tend to want permanent placements. Moonrise does things differently. It enables companies to find people who are already employed elsewhere for short-term work through a simple text message interface. The employers can list shifts on the platform and workers are paid as soon as they finish their shifts.

Stage 5: Test

To test the app, 11 Moonrisers, six employers, and a team of designers and programmers were assembled for a one week period to work out the kinks in the platform. 

Based on the test’s success, American Family Insurance now owns the startup Moonrise, which launched in Chicago in 2018 and has since expanded to additional states. In 2018, over 7,000 shifts have been fulfilled and over $500,000 has been earned by people on the app.

Case Study 2: GE Healthcare’s Scanning Tools

GE Healthcare has cutting-edge diagnostic imaging tools at its disposal, but for kids they’re an unpleasant experience. 

“The room itself is kind of dark and has those flickering fluorescent lights…. That machine that I had designed basically looked like a brick with a hole in it,” explained Doug Dietz , a designer who worked for GE. How could they make the experience better for kids?

The team at GE began by observing and gaining empathy for children at a daycare centre and talking to specialists who knew what paediatric patients went through. The team then recruited experts from a children’s museum and doctors from two hospitals. This gave them a lot of insight into what children went through when they had to sit for these procedures and what could be done to lessen the children’s stress.

Stages 3, 4 & 5: Ideate, Prototype, and Test

The first prototype of the new and improved “Adventure Series” scanner was invented. Through research and pilot programs, the redesign made imaging machines more child-friendly, making sure they have other things to focus on than the scary looks and sounds of the machine. For example, the Coral City Adventure in the emergency room gives children an underwater experience where they get into a yellow submarine and listen to the sound of harps while their procedure takes place.

Patient satisfaction scores increased to 90% and children no longer suffer such anxiety about their scans. The children hold still for their procedures more easily, making repeats of the scans unnecessary. There’s also less need for anesthesiologists, which improved the bottom line for those hospitals that used the scanning machines because more patients could get scanned each day.

How to apply design thinking 

If you want to apply design thinking in your own work, follow these steps and best practices:

• Improve design thinking skills. Use training to explain, improve, and practically implement the phases of design thinking. You can do this in several ways such as workshops, online courses, or case studies shared with your team.
• Identify the correct problem. Listen to users and ask them unbiased questions in order to understand their perspectives. Engage with everyone and stay open-minded, so you can identify the correct problem, not the problem you or your organisation thinks users are having. 
• Have more debriefs. Be open about what went right and what went wrong in your process. Openly discuss why things succeeded or failed and why. View failure as learning, not as an excuse to give up.
• Iterate and iterate some more. The goal of design thinking is finding the best answer possible—and that probably won’t come in the first round of iteration. You’ll need to test and iterate as much as possible with new ways to solve the problem.

Design thinking is so popular—and so effective—because it places the user’s needs front and centre. For more user-centric design tips, learn how to incorporate user feedback in product design , get to grips with user research ethics , and learn how to conduct effective user interviews .

• design thinking

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Design Thinking Case Study: Stanford Children’s Health

We believe that spaces and designs directly contribute to the care experience. This thinking led Stanford Children’s Health to ask us to innovate around the many ways that a child, and their various family members, experience the SCH clinics.

• Multiple Locations - California
• Health & Wellness
• Clinic Design

OUR SOLUTIONS

TRANSITION TO CARE

Wood “portals” act as a familiar beacon for entry while creating a brand element unique to the client and are adaptable to a variety of clinic types.

COLORS & ANIMALS

playfully lead children to their exam rooms.

CARVED BLOCKS

White shapes are carved to reveal colors, which signal areas of child engagement, such as seats, desks and intelligent play.

ESACPE PODS

Provide teens with their own space.

INTELLIGENT PLAY

We incorporated the all-important elements of intelligent play in custom furniture elements and stimulating wall décor and art.

WALL GRAPHICS

Colorfully illustrate life cycles.

In the reception desk to allow children to better engage with staff.

Design at Scale

Design standards accommodating a variety of clinic sizes and configurations were documented and published, along with detailed finish specifications.

DESIGN GUIDELINES

Needed to design an on-brand clinic, in any type of location.

By seeing the world through the eyes of the children and their families, Martinkovic Milford Architects created a fresh approach to clinic design that makes the space a part of the care and uniquely branded to Stanford Children’s Health.

2510 Webster Medical Office Building

Calyx Health: Evidence-Based Design for Senior Care

Redefine your space.

with Martinkovic Milford Architects

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Design thinking as a way to improve patient experience

Students in a two-day course offered by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford looked for ways to improve the patient experience in the Stanford emergency department.

June 3, 2016 - By Sara Wykes

Winnie Liang and Stan Nowak take a two-day “design thinking” class on improving the emergency department’s patient experience. Norbert von der Groeben

Stan Nowak, PhD, a physicist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, typically spends his days using X-ray spectroscopy to understand the chemical and electronic properties of matter. But on a recent Saturday afternoon, he played the role of the estranged father of a fictional young woman brought into a simulated version of Stanford Hospital ’s emergency department after an automobile accident.

The patient — actually a high-tech mannequin voiced by a woman in a nearby control room — was conscious on a gurney. “Oh, it hurts,” she said. “Ow, that really hurts!” 

Ten genuine Stanford doctors, nurses and technicians provided simulated care to simulated patients. 

The exercise was part of a two-day course in design thinking offered by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford , known informally as the d.school. Nowak was among the 14 students in the class. Their goal was go find ways to improve the patient experience in the hospital’s emergency department. For the exercise, they played patients and their family members to get a sense of what it actually feels like to be in the often-chaotic atmosphere of an emergency department.

Empathy is a key element of design thinking, a step-by-step approach to problem-solving that involves observing and interviewing people as they go through an experience, and then using that information to prototype and test ways of improving the product or process.

For example, before building a better toothbrush, a product designer would go into people’s homes, watch them brush their teeth and ask them about the experience.

Richa Wadekar (front), Fiona Zhou (middle) and Justin Norden work together in a d.school class on redesigning the patient experience in the emergency department. Norbert von der Groeben

The emergency room experience

Design thinking “is a way for health care to make changes by empathizing with our patients and their families,” said Alpa Vyas, Stanford Health Care vice president for patient experience. “We want to know what their unmet needs are. Our patients have told us they want us to know them and to understand them. Applying design thinking to health care is an invaluable way for us to do that.”

The class’s focus was on care in the emergency room — not the medicine, but the experience. Design thinking’s process, which begins by asking people how they feel, is a good way to get to that type of information. “We know that if we control pain and take care of the medical emergency quickly, we are doing our job,” said one of the class’s teachers, Alexei Wagner , MD, MBA, a clinical instructor of emergency medicine, visiting lecturer at the d.school and assistant medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine . “We wanted to know what else we could do.”

Stanford junior Kinjal Vasavada, one of the class’s 14 students, developed a new appreciation for how change could evolve in medicine. She had participated in other d.school classes, but she said that until she entered this one, she wasn’t sure if she could find opportunities to apply design thinking to medicine, but “this class proved me totally wrong.”

Design strategist Emilie Wagner co-taught the class. Norbert von der Groeben

Interviewing patients, families

On the first day of class, the students interviewed patients and families about their experiences with medical care. Later that day, they took part in the exercise.

The simulation “added the value of walking in a patient’s shoes, an emotional value that complemented the interviews,” said Emilie Wagner, a design strategist who co-taught the class with Marney Boughan, another design strategist who trained with d.school co-founder David Kelley, the Donald W. Whittier Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford.

“Suddenly, our students could empathize,” Wagner said. “It’s a tool that encourages students to step out of designing for themselves and trust the people they’re designing for.”

That first day produced an abundance of material to guide the class’ second day of prototyping: Certain themes were quickly evident. Patients wanted a regular flow of information to help them better understand what was happening, and they wanted to know that their care providers were communicating with one another. Coordinated and clear communication, they said, would do much to relieve their heightened anxiety and fear.

The participants concluded the class by presenting their research and ideas to hospital administrators and emergency medicine professionals. With the support of S.V. Mahadevan , MD, associate professor and chair of emergency medicine, and Alison Kerr, vice president of operations at Stanford Health Care, “we are looking into some of the ideas that were presented,” Alexei Wagner said.  “I don’t think that we’d be doing this if we hadn’t had the class.”

Design thinking for new hospital

SHC administrators have also incorporated design thinking into planning the new Stanford Hospital, scheduled to open to patients in 2018.

Recently, SHC staff used design thinking to complete a plan to redesign two nursing units in the current hospital to serve only patients with cancer. “Patients and their families were involved from the start,” said Helen Waters, a design and innovation leader with Stanford Health Care. “We wanted to know what they needed and what they felt was missing.” 

The process included seven months of conducting interviews and tabletop exercises and simulating actual work routines in the proposed layouts of the nursing units to be redesigned.

Design thinking is becoming more enmeshed in all aspects of SHC’s workings, Vyas said. “We do a lot of teaching and training across the system,” she said. “We also have a d.school faculty member consult with us on a regular basis. We are looking for ways to complement the other improvement efforts we are making through the Stanford Operating System,” which is SHC’s improvement and management system.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

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Embrace User-Centered Design-A Case Study for Extreme Affordability

Introduction

It is the understanding of people’s experiences and perspectives towards a particular program or service that enhances a design’s importance. Essentially, without empathy, a design task, no matter how extensive it might be, is a pointless task. A team of designers from Stanford’s School delved into the process of designing an incubator that could be user-friendly and above all serve the purpose for which it was intended. This blog post is the sequel of the podcast “Introduction to User Centered Design” and will introduce you to a case study that involves positive approach and point out the most important aspects to our main topic.

A study by the Embrace-Design for Extreme Affordability (2017) showed that premature babies are born in large numbers worldwide. To such babies, the infant mortality rate is high due to hypothermia, a challenge that can be addressed by using incubators. The Extreme design team identified the problem and saw the need to solve it by designing an incubator that could help save the infants’ lives that were likely to suffer from hypothermia. To achieve the objective, the team needed a proper understanding of the problem to design an effective incubator. The team sought empathy from doctors, hospital staff, and the most significant group, parents of the endangered children. The program design was later named to Embrace, which was also the incubator’s name to be designed. 

The team started by visiting a Nepal hospital to gain empathy, where they noticed an unexpected observation. The hospital had empty incubators. On engaging the doctors, the team learned that children were being born but far away from the hospital. Therefore, it was hard for such parents to travel more than 30 miles to access the hospital (Embrace-Design for Extreme Affordability, 2017). Seemingly, the incubators were there, fully functional but empty. The observation was an eye-opener to that team to seek more empathy as they initially thought redesigning the existing incubators into more cost-effective and simpler ones was the easiest solution. The insight gained from the doctors’ observation was a turn around to the team. 

A report by Embrace-Design for Extreme Affordability (2017) shows that to gain more empathy, the team interviewed parents in India to help iterate their solutions. The team found out that the parents had a strong belief in Western medicines, which prompted them to have children at home and comfortably administer them. However, medicines could not solve hypothermia. Parents also emphasized that the hospitals were located far away from their homes. Most of them stated that by the time they arrived, their premature babies were already dead. The insight was similar to that gained from the doctor. Their regions had no electricity, making it impossible to incorporate incubators at home. 

Inspired by the story, the team realized the need to develop an incubator compatible with the prevailing local factors. The team decided to develop a portable incubator that could be easily sterilized among several babies born at home. The incubator was to be cost-effective such that the parents could afford it at home. 

Figure 1: The structure of a user-centered design

From the structure above, user-centered design involves researching and analyzing the user, their objectives, and contexts. Empathy is then embraced to understand the users’ current problems, while iteration is used to evaluate and improve the design (Misra, 2013). 

The Challenge

Annually, more than 20 million babies are born prematurely and with low-weight. The mortality rate among such babies is high due to inaccessibility to incubators, especially in Third World countries. Although hospitals in such countries may have several incubators, they may be located in major cities, denying accessibility to millions of people from rural areas or the few incubators costly to hire. Moreover, the existing incubators required electricity for their operation, another service that seemed a problem for many people, especially in developing countries. For these reasons, the Extreme team from Stanford University challenged themselves to design an incubator that could be easily accessible and readily available by most people, especially in third-world countries. 

The Results

Developing the Idea of Embrace

Since 2017, the Extreme team has been rolling over their sleeves to innovate the Embrace incubator. Based on the problem statement above, the challenges faced by parents who get premature babies include inaccessibility of incubators due to long distances to hospitals, high cost of acquiring an incubator, and unreliable electricity to those who can access the available incubators. To solve the problems, the Embrace team began their research to develop an incubator that could serve most people who needed an incubator’s services globally. 

The team began by empathizing with the people of Kathmandu, the present capital city of Nepal. In the city, they observed the neonatal unit of the capital’s hospital and later traveled to the interior areas to observe premature babies’ handling. In their empathy journey, the team learned that an overwhelming majority of premature babies were born in Nepal’s rural areas. Besides, sadly enough, the team realized that those premature babies were never taken to the hospital. To those parents who attempted to take the children to the hospital, most of the infants could never make it. 

Following the above alarming observations, the Extreme team realized that their new incubator needed to address those challenges. It dawned that no matter how good the incubator was to be made; their efforts could be pointless without addressing those challenges. More incubators into the hospital could also not help eliminate the problem as very few infants reached the hospital. The team realized that it needed to be functional in the rural setup for their design efficiency. That meant that the system must be culturally appropriate, sterilizable, intuitive, transportable, and most importantly, economically viable. Also, their system must not use electricity as the only power supply. 

The Solution

Innovating the Prototype

The empathy was successful as the Extreme team developed a prototype called the Embrace Incubator. Itsdesign was different from the other incubators in many factors. The Embrace design structure resembled a sleeping baby and could be wrapped around a premature baby. It had a pouch of phase-change material (PCM), which served the incubator’s primary purpose. The pouch maintained the infant’s body temperature to the required temperature for four to six hours without being recharged. The most exciting aspect about the pouch was that it was maintained by immersing it in boiling water for only a few minutes. It needed no electricity. Again, boiling water is readily available in all parts of the world as it involves just heating water. It could therefore be used even in the interior-most part of Nepal. 

The sleeping-bag like incubator was light and small to be transported anywhere. It was easily portable and could be transported to rural areas. The material making the incubator was also easily sterilized when submerged in boiling water. It was the most intuitive incubator ever to be innovated. The incubator also enhanced the practice of Kangaroo Care by the mother to the child. Most importantly, the incubator cost was mere $25 (25 dollars), cutting the traditional incubator’s cost by about 800 times (Embrace–Design for Extreme Affordability, 2017). The following figure shows the appearance of the Embrace incubator.

Figure 2: Embrace sleeping bag incubator (Embrace Nest)

The pouch, which is the primary temperature regulator in the Embrace incubator, is innovative wax. The wax is heated in boiling water and keeps the whole incubator warm. The product has no moving parts and uses no electricity as compared to the traditional incubator. The product is safe, portable, and intuitive to use. The product’s design allows it to be used in a community setting, transporting babies, and in a hospital setting. Both the Embrace Nest and Care can serve those purposes as they have an almost similar structure.  The following picture shows the Embrace Care.

Figure 3: The Embrace Care

The Embrace Nest is mostly used for medical purposes, such as in ambulances for a premature infant’s transportation. It is also used inwards in hospitals where skin-to-skin care is not possible. Embrace Care can be used in hospitals and homes and can be used as a complement to skin-to-skin care. Compared to the nest, it extends reliable thermal care, especially to vulnerable infants. 

The  Technology

The Embrace portable incubator was first launched in South India in 2011. It was distributed to clinics that were easily accessible in rural areas. The technological innovation has impacted many infants in India as partnerships have accelerated to distribute it globally. The innovation was made by a class at Stanford University that was challenged to develop an incubation system that was about 1% of the traditional incubator’s total cost (Salvador et al., 2010). The Extreme team developed an almost perfect incubator and has seen development since then. The company is currently based in India and continues to partner with other organizations to improve their life-saving operations. 

The incubator has been tested in multiple hospitals in India and has been approved by governments. It is highly effective, and more than 200,000 infants have been helped in more than 20 countries (Embrace–Design for Extreme Affordability, 2017). Both private and public organizations buy the product for either commercial purposes or voluntary services. The team continues to launch new baby products such as the Little Lotus Baby, which are blankets and swaddles that help babies sleep better by maintaining an ideal temperature. They have a special program that gives an Embrace warmer for a Little Lotus Baby purchased. The Embrace technology has contributed a significant percentage in saving infants’ lives without putting in many resources. 

The Embrace user-centered design is empathetic, iterative, and interdisciplinary. The Extreme team started by paying attention to the target group in India. The team integrated the community in their research by learning the problems that faced them in the health sector. The team analyzed the problems and immersed themselves in solving the problem, ensuring the user needs were catered for. Suggestions and views of all users in the user-centered design were considered in the design of the incubator. Besides, UCD helped the team integrate all disciplines, such as ethnographers, engineers, and psychologists, who developed the incubator. 

Lastly, designers should integrate the principles of user-centered design to maximize the usability of their design. It enhances a deeper understanding of the user’s problems and, thus, crucial for any design. The solution stage ensures all designers ideate any possible solution enhancing the final solution as the best is picked. The iterative design borrowed from UCD will enhance the design since it provides assessment and validates the design since its commencement. Furthermore, UCD is a complete cycle that enhances the improvement of the product design. It allows for mistakes helping the designers make a better design product. The most exciting thing about the user-centered design is its iteration. Iteration gives more room for improvement, which is responsible for the popularity and growth of prototyping.

Brown, T. (2008).  Decision  t hinking  (pp. 3-7). Harvard Business Review.

Embrace–Design for Extreme Affordability. (2017).  https://extreme.stanford.edu/projects/embrace/

Misra, M. (2013). Warmth for newborns: The embrace infant warmer.  Innovations in maternal health: Case studies from India, SAGE Publications, New Delhi, India , 147-157.

Salvador, T., Bell, G., & Anderson, K. (2010). Design ethnography.  Design Management Journal (Former Series) , 10(4),35–41.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1948-7169.1999.tb00274.x

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10 Successful Design Thinking Case Study

Dive into the realm of Successful Design Thinking Case Studies to explore the power of this innovative problem-solving approach. Begin by understanding What is Design Thinking? and then embark on a journey through real-world success stories. Discover valuable lessons learned from these case studies and gain insights into how Design Thinking can transform your approach.

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Design Thinking has emerged as a powerful problem-solving approach that places empathy, creativity, and innovation at the forefront. However, if you are not aware of the power that this approach holds, a Design Thinking Case Study is often used to help people address the complex challenges of this approach with a human-centred perspective. It allows organisations to unlock new opportunities and drive meaningful change. Read this blog on Design Thinking Case Study to learn how it enhances organisation’s growth and gain valuable insights on creative problem-solving.

Table of Contents   

1) What is Design Thinking?

2) Design Thinking process   

3) Successful Design Thinking Case Studies

      a) Airbnb

      b) Apple

      c) Netflix

      d) UberEats

      e) IBM

       f) OralB’s electric toothbrush

      g) IDEO

      h) Tesla

       i) GE Healthcare

       j) Nike

3) Lessons learned from Design Thinking Case Studies

4) Conclusion    

What is Design Thinking ?

Before jumping on Design Thinking Case Study, let’s first understand what it is. Design Thinking is a methodology for problem-solving that prioritises the understanding and addressing of individuals' unique needs.

This human-centric approach is creative and iterative, aiming to find innovative solutions to complex challenges. At its core, Design Thinking fosters empathy, encourages collaboration, and embraces experimentation.

This process revolves around comprehending the world from the user's perspective, identifying problems through this lens, and then generating and refining solutions that cater to these specific needs. Design Thinking places great importance on creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, seeking to break away from conventional problem-solving methods.

It is not confined to the realm of design but can be applied to various domains, from business and technology to healthcare and education. By putting the user or customer at the centre of the problem-solving journey, Design Thinking helps create products, services, and experiences that are more effective, user-friendly, and aligned with the genuine needs of the people they serve.  

Design Thinking process

Design Thinking is a problem-solving and innovation framework that helps individuals and teams create user-centred solutions. This process consists of five key phases that are as follows:  

To initiate the Design Thinking process, the first step is to practice empathy. In order to create products and services that are appealing, it is essential to comprehend the users and their requirements. What are their anticipations regarding the product you are designing? What issues and difficulties are they encountering within this particular context?

During the empathise phase, you spend time observing and engaging with real users. This might involve conducting interviews and seeing how they interact with an existing product. You should pay attention to facial expressions and body language. During the empathise phase in the Design Thinking Process , it's crucial to set aside assumptions and gain first-hand insights to design with real users in mind. That's the essence of Design Thinking.

During the second stage of the Design Thinking process, the goal is to identify the user’s problem. To accomplish this, collect all your observations from the empathise phase and begin to connect the dots.

Ask yourself: What consistent patterns or themes did you notice? What recurring user needs or challenges were identified? After synthesising your findings, you must create a problem statement, also known as a Point Of View (POV) statement, which outlines the issue or challenge you aim to address. By the end of the define stage, you will be able to craft a clear problem statement that will guide you throughout the design process, forming the basis of your ideas and potential solutions.

After completing the first two stages of the Design Thinking process, which involve defining the target users and identifying the problem statement, it is now time to move on to the third stage - ideation. This stage is all about brainstorming and coming up with various ideas and solutions to solve the problem statement. Through ideation, the team can explore different perspectives and possibilities and select the best ideas to move forward with.

During the ideation phase, it is important to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of judgment. This phase is all about generating a large quantity of ideas, regardless of feasibility. This is done by encouraging the team to think outside the box and explore new angles. To maximise creativity, ideation sessions are often held in unconventional locations.

It’s time to transform the ideas from stage three into physical or digital prototypes. A prototype is a miniature model of a product or feature, which can be as simple as a paper model or as complex as an interactive digital representation.

During the Prototyping Stage , the primary objective is to transform your ideas into a tangible product that can be tested by actual users. This is crucial in maintaining a user-centric approach, as it enables you to obtain feedback before proceeding to develop the entire product. By doing so, you can ensure that the final design adequately addresses the user's problem and delivers an enjoyable user experience.

During the Design Thinking process, the fifth step involves testing your prototypes by exposing them to real users and evaluating their performance. Throughout this testing phase, you can observe how your target or prospective users engage with your prototype. Additionally, you can gather valuable feedback from your users about their experiences throughout the process.

Based on the feedback received during user testing, you can go back and make improvements to the design. It is important to remember that the Design Thinking process is iterative and non-linear. After the testing phase, it may be necessary to revisit the empathise stage or conduct additional ideation sessions before creating a successful prototype.

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Successful Design Thinking Case Studies  

Now that you have a foundational understanding of Design Thinking, let's explore how some of the world's most successful companies have leveraged this methodology to drive innovation and success:

Case Study 1: Airbnb  

Airbnb’s one of the popular Design Thinking Case Studies that you can aspire from. Airbnb disrupted the traditional hotel industry by applying Design Thinking principles to create a platform that connects travellers with unique accommodations worldwide. The founders of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, started by identifying a problem: the cost and lack of personalisation in traditional lodging.

They conducted in-depth user research by staying in their own listings and collecting feedback from both hosts and guests. This empathetic approach allowed them to design a platform that not only met the needs of travellers but also empowered hosts to provide personalised experiences. 

Airbnb's intuitive website and mobile app interface, along with its robust review and rating system, instil trust and transparency, making users feel comfortable choosing from a vast array of properties. Furthermore, the "Experiences" feature reflects Airbnb's commitment to immersive travel, allowing users to book unique activities hosted by locals. 

Case Study 2.  Apple    

Apple Inc. has consistently been a pioneer in  Design Thinking, which is evident in its products, such as the iPhone. One of the best Design Thinking Examples from Apple is the development of the iPhone's User Interface (UI). The team at Apple identified the need for a more intuitive and user-friendly smartphone experience. They conducted extensive research and usability testing to understand user behaviours, pain points, and desires.   

The result? A revolutionary touch interface that forever changed the smartphone industry. Apple's relentless focus on the user experience, combined with iterative prototyping and user feedback, exemplifies the power of  Design Thinking in creating groundbreaking products.    

Apple invests heavily in user research to  anticipate what customers want before they even realise it themselves. This empathetic approach to design has led to groundbreaking innovations like the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, which have redefined the entire industry.  

Case Study 3. Netflix  

Netflix, the global streaming giant, has revolutionised the way people consume entertainment content. A major part of their success can be attributed to their effective use of Design Thinking principles.

What sets Netflix apart is its commitment to understanding its audience on a profound level. Netflix recognised that its success hinged on offering a personalised, enjoyable viewing experience. Through meticulous user research, data analysis, and a culture of innovation, Netflix constantly evolves its platform. Moreover, by gathering insights on viewing habits, content preferences, and even UI, the company tailors its recommendations, search algorithms, and original content to captivate viewers worldwide.

Furthermore, Netflix's iterative approach to Design Thinking allows it to adapt quickly to shifting market dynamics. This agility proved crucial when transitioning from a DVD rental service to a streaming platform. Netflix didn't just lead this revolution; it shaped it by keeping users' desires and behaviours front and centre. Netflix's commitment to Design Thinking has resulted in a highly user-centric platform that keeps subscribers engaged and satisfied, ultimately contributing to its global success.  

Case Study 4. Uber Eats     

Uber Eats, a subsidiary of Uber, has disrupted the food delivery industry by applying Design Thinking principles to enhance user experiences and create a seamless platform for food lovers and restaurants alike.  

One of  UberEats' key innovations lies in its user-centric approach. By conducting in-depth research and understanding the pain points of both consumers and restaurant partners, they crafted a solution that addresses real-world challenges. The user-friendly app offers a wide variety of cuisines, personalised recommendations, and real-time tracking, catering to the diverse preferences of customers.  

Moreover,  UberEats leverages technology and data-driven insights to optimise delivery routes and times, ensuring that hot and fresh food reaches customers promptly. The platform also empowers restaurant owners with tools to efficiently manage orders, track performance, and expand their customer base. 

Case Study  5 . IBM    

IBM is a prime example of a large corporation successfully adopting Design Thinking to drive innovation and transform its business. Historically known for its hardware and software innovations, IBM recognised the need to evolve its approach to remain competitive in the fast-paced technology landscape.   

IBM's Design Thinking journey began with a mission to reinvent its enterprise software solutions. The company transitioned from a product-centric focus to a user-centric one. Instead of solely relying on technical specifications, IBM started by empathising with its customers. They started to understand customer’s pain points, and envisioning solutions that genuinely addressed their needs. 

One of the key elements of IBM's Design Thinking success is its multidisciplinary teams. The company brought together designers, engineers, marketers, and end-users to collaborate throughout the product development cycle. This cross-functional approach encouraged diverse perspectives, fostering creativity and innovation. 

IBM's commitment to Design Thinking is evident in its flagship projects such as Watson, a cognitive computing system, and IBM Design Studios, where Design Thinking principles are deeply embedded into the company's culture. 

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Case Study 6. Oral-B’s electric toothbrush

Oral-B, a prominent brand under the Procter & Gamble umbrella, stands out as a remarkable example of how Design Thinking can be executed in a seemingly everyday product—Electric toothbrushes. By applying the Design Thinking approach, Oral-B has transformed the world of oral hygiene with its electric toothbrushes.  

Oral-B's journey with Design Thinking began by placing the user firmly at the centre of their Product Development process. Through extensive research and user feedback, the company gained invaluable insights into oral care habits, preferences, and pain points. This user-centric approach guided Oral-B in designing electric toothbrushes that not only cleaned teeth more effectively but also made the entire oral care routine more engaging and enjoyable.  

Another of Oral-B's crucial innovations is the integration of innovative technology into their toothbrushes. These devices now come equipped with features like real-time feedback, brushing timers, and even Bluetooth connectivity to sync with mobile apps. By embracing technology and user-centric design, Oral-B effectively transformed the act of brushing teeth into an interactive and informative experience. This has helped users maintain better oral hygiene.  

Oral-B's success story showcases how Design Thinking, combined with a deep understanding of user needs, can lead to significant advancements, ultimately improving both the product and user satisfaction.

Case Study 7. IDEO  

IDEO, a Global Design Consultancy, has been at the forefront of Design Thinking for decades. They have worked on diverse projects, from creating innovative medical devices to redesigning public services.

One of their most notable Design Thinking examples is the development of the "DeepDive" shopping cart for a major retailer. IDEO's team spent weeks observing shoppers, talking to store employees, and prototyping various cart designs. The result was a cart that not only improved the shopping experience but also increased sales. IDEO's human-centred approach, emphasis on empathy, and rapid prototyping techniques demonstrate how Design Thinking can drive innovation and solve real-world problems.   

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Case Study  8 .  Tesla  

Tesla, led by Elon Musk, has redefined the automotive industry by applying Design Thinking to Electric Vehicles (EVs). Musk and his team identified the need for EVs to be not just eco-friendly but also desirable. They focused on designing EVs that are stylish, high-performing, and technologically advanced. Tesla's iterative approach, rapid prototyping, and constant refinement have resulted in groundbreaking EVs like the Model S, Model 3, and Model X.    

From the minimalist interior of their Model S to the autopilot self-driving system, every aspect is meticulously crafted with the end user in mind. The company actively seeks feedback from its user community, often implementing software updates based on customer suggestions. This iterative approach ensures that Tesla vehicles continually evolve to meet and exceed customer expectations .   

Moreover, Tesla's bold vision extends to sustainable energy solutions, exemplified by products like the Powerwall and solar roof tiles. These innovations  showcase Tesla's holistic approach to Design Thinking, addressing not only the automotive industry's challenges but also contributing to a greener, more sustainable future.   

Case Study 9. GE Healthcare 

GE Healthcare is a prominent player in the Healthcare industry, renowned for its relentless commitment to innovation and design excellence. Leveraging Design Thinking principles, GE Healthcare has consistently pushed the boundaries of medical technology, making a significant impact on patient care worldwide.  

One of the key areas where GE Healthcare has excelled is in the development of cutting-edge medical devices and diagnostic solutions. Their dedication to user-centred design has resulted in devices that are not only highly functional but also incredibly intuitive for healthcare professionals to operate. For example, their advanced Medical Imaging equipment, such as MRI and CT scanners, are designed with a focus on patient comfort, safety, and accurate diagnostics. This device reflects the company's dedication to improving healthcare outcomes.  

Moreover, GE Healthcare's commitment to design extends beyond the physical product. They have also ventured into software solutions that facilitate data analysis and Patient Management. Their user-friendly software interfaces and data visualisation tools have empowered healthcare providers to make more informed decisions, enhancing overall patient care and treatment planning.

Case Study 10. Nike 

Nike is a global powerhouse in the athletic apparel and Footwear industry. Nike's journey began with a simple running shoe, but its design-thinking approach transformed it into an iconic brand.

Nike's Design Thinking journey started with a deep understanding of athletes' needs and desires. They engaged in extensive user research, often collaborating with top athletes to gain insights that inform their product innovations. This customer-centric approach allowed Nike to develop ground breaking technologies, such as Nike Air and Flyknit, setting new standards in comfort, performance, and style.

Beyond product innovation, Nike's brand identity itself is a testament to Design Thinking. The iconic Swoosh logo, created by Graphic Designer Carolyn Davidson, epitomises simplicity and timelessness, reflecting the brand's ethos.  

Nike also excels in creating immersive retail experiences, using Design Thinking to craft spaces that engage and inspire customers. Their flagship stores around the world are showcases of innovative design, enhancing the overall brand perception.

Lessons learned from Design Thinking Case Studies

The Design Thinking process, as exemplified by the success stories of IBM, Netflix, Apple, and Nike, offers valuable takeaways for businesses of all sizes and industries. Here are three key lessons to learn from these Case Studies:  

1)   Consider the b ig p icture   

Design Thinking encourages organisations to zoom out and view the big picture. It's not just about solving a specific problem but understanding how that problem fits into the broader context of user needs and market dynamics. By taking a holistic approach, you can identify opportunities for innovation that extend beyond immediate challenges. IBM's example, for instance, involved a comprehensive evaluation of their clients' journeys, leading to more impactful solutions.  

2)  Think t hrough a lternative s olutions   

One of the basic principles of Design Thinking is ideation, which emphasises generating a wide range of creative solutions. Netflix's success in content recommendation, for instance, came from exploring multiple strategies to enhance user experience. When brainstorming ideas and solutions, don't limit yourself to the obvious choices. Encourage diverse perspectives and consider unconventional approaches that may lead to breakthrough innovations.  

3)  Research e ach c ompany’s c ompetitors   

Lastly, researching competitors is essential for staying competitive. Analyse what other companies in your industry are doing, both inside and outside the realm of Design Thinking. Learn from their successes and failures. GE Healthcare, for example, leveraged Design Thinking to improve medical equipment usability, giving them a competitive edge. By researching competitors, you can gain insights that inform your own Design Thinking initiatives and help you stand out in the market.  

Incorporating these takeaways into your approach to Design Thinking can enhance your problem-solving capabilities, foster innovation, and ultimately lead to more successful results.  

Conclusion    

Design Thinking is not limited to a specific industry or problem domain; it is a versatile approach that promotes innovation and problem-solving in various contexts. In this blog, we've examined successful Design Thinking Case Studies from industry giants like IBM, Netflix, Apple, Airbnb, Uber Eats, and Nike. These companies have demonstrated that Design Thinking is a powerful methodology that can drive innovation, enhance user experiences, and lead to exceptional business success.   

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Frequently Asked Questions

Design Thinking Case Studies align with current market demands and user expectations by showcasing practical applications of user-centric problem-solving. These Studies highlight the success of empathetic approaches in meeting evolving customer needs.

By analysing various real-world examples, businesses can derive vital insights into dynamic market trends, creating innovative solutions, and enhancing user experiences. Design Thinking's emphasis on iterative prototyping and collaboration resonates with the contemporary demand for agility and adaptability.

Real-world examples of successful Design Thinking implementations can be found in various sources. For instance, you can explore several Case Study repositories on Design Thinking platforms like IDEO and Design Thinking Institute. Furthermore, you can also look for business publications, such as the Harvard Business Review as well as Fast Company, which often feature articles on successful Design Thinking applications.

The Knowledge Academy takes global learning to new heights, offering over 30,000 online courses across 490+ locations in 220 countries. This expansive reach ensures accessibility and convenience for learners worldwide.

Alongside our diverse Online Course Catalogue , encompassing 17 major categories, we go the extra mile by providing a plethora of free educational Online Resources like News updates, blogs, videos, webinars, and interview questions. Tailoring learning experiences further, professionals can maximise value with customisable Course Bundles of TKA .

The Knowledge Academy’s Knowledge Pass , a prepaid voucher, adds another layer of flexibility, allowing course bookings over a 12-month period. Join us on a journey where education knows no bounds.

The Knowledge Academy offers various Leadership Training Courses , including Leadership Skills Training, Design Thinking Course, and Creative and Analytical Thinking Training. These courses cater to different skill levels, providing comprehensive insights into Leadership Training methodologies. 

Our Leadership Training blogs covers a range of topics related to Design Thinking, offering valuable resources, best practices, and industry insights. Whether you are a beginner or looking to advance your Design Thinking skills, The Knowledge Academy's diverse courses and informative blogs have you covered.

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