Production management in a startup is a field that involves a series of daily complexities and variables. However, with the efficient Design Thinking tools, it is possible to make sure you will have agility, productivity, consistency, economy and other benefits which will be required by the modern market. This way you will be able to solve problems in less time and put yourself into the market in a more competitive manner.
If you want to learn more about how to be able to save resources and make sure you will have maximum quality in managing your company, keep reading today’s article.
The importance of Design Thinking
Design Thinking is an approach that aims at solving problems in a collaborative and creative way, involving tools and strategies that have the goal of deeply understanding the problem through empathy and experimentation. It is a modern method that perfectly fits the management of startups and companies which have innovative business models.
It is a way of dealing with problems like designers do, which explains its name. Thus, people try to face hard situations in a specific and different manner, focusing on human creativity and the integration of needs, possibilities and requirements.
But, why exactly is this innovative approach so important? The answer is clear when we notice that this way of comprehending the problem helps us better understand customers’ needs, with more empathy regarding his pain points, creating a production which is more aligned and has more quality and consistency. This will result in customers’ greater satisfaction.
Another advantage which contributes to its importance is the greater support to creativity and innovation, which expands the possibilities of the company and generates unique results. The process becomes faster and is divided in transparent and well defined steps. The results are, therefore, more reliable, competitive and guarantee the company will be successful in the market.
Design Thinking tools to apply in your startup
Let’s see now which Design Thinking tools you can apply in your startup.
1. Brainstorming
Brainstorming is the process of gathering the members of the team and coming up with ideas in a creative and spontaneous way. The focus is not to have a defined scope but, on the contrary, to let the mind control the process, with the participation of everyone involved in an open debate where suggestions and definitions of pros and cons are welcome. This way, the team is able to understand the problem and explore possible solutions.
2. Empathy Map
This tools consists of a synthesis of the customer profile, with questions about his goals, behavior and his view of the problem and the situation that is being studied. This way, future possibilities are analyzed pursuant to the perception of the hiring party. It is a great strategy for aligning results.
3. Mind Map
Mind map is an approach which is intended for organizing main ideas which were conceived, establishing a hierarchy among them, with some concepts being branched off others. It is a way of viewing what was thought and having a full view of the creative process.
4. Storyboard
Storyboard is a technique that consists of creating comics, with scripts, characters, scenarios, collages and pictures, with the goal of explaining the problem in a creative and visual way, contemplating all relevant details.
5. Prototyping
It is the physical representation of an idea, transferring part of the project from paper to reality, so that you can make necessary adjustments. The goal is to validate this conception through tests which provide consistency and alignment to the customer’s goal.
Design Thinking is a revolutionary and innovative approach which aims at changing the way production processes are structured, allowing more support to creativity and collaboration.
It is done through the methods we mentioned in this post, which are simple and can easily be applied in your projects so as to generate more agility and efficiency. Nevertheless, it is key to pay attention to the best strategies according to the goals and needs of each product.
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