Design Thinking Basics: An Introduction to the Dtmethod

Agnieszka Chrzaszcz, the co-author of this publication, is an educator, learning designer and e-learning specialist. She works in the mercurial environment of a university, where design thinking helps her to find solutions to complex problems with diverse teams. She is interested in exploring contexts for design and understanding users through research and prototyping. As lead author of the DTMethod, Rafal Czarny is a psychologist, trainer, designer and consultant. He has spent countless hours helping design thinking teams to find solutions. Not only has he created development programs, motivational systems, business simulations and training games, but he has also supported organizational changes as a trainer and consultant. He is convinced of the superiority of evidence-based approaches over intuitive actions, and strongly believes that design thinking is currently the only approach that will help people to find the best solutions to different challenges. Michal Eromin, the second co-author, is a facilitator, designer and trainer, facilitating design thinking processes for business, science and administration. He is particularly interested in creativity and the methods of stimulating it. A natural sceptic, he is a flexible supporter of structured and systemic approaches to idea generation.

To support certification in DTMethod, the Inprogress Design Lab provides a comprehensive guide for organizations and individuals to enhance their design and user journey. Design is part of every project, product, or solution. It determines how a consumer or business interacts with products and provides insight to how organizations are perceived. Design thinking is an approach to designing new products, processes and services (solutions). Solutions are designed and delivered using a variety of models, tools and methods depending on the preferences of an organization and its challenges. Design thinking is not a single methodology but a way of working that involves different methods of operation. By learning and practicing the DTMethod, organizations will benefit by: - reducing risk by assessing if projects are feasible before they start - reducing costs for projects - increasing the benefits obtained by products, processes and services - reducing uncertainty about the duration and level of people's involvement in the Design Thinking process - enabling the inclusion of Design Thinking into the routine activity of projects - increasing the possibility of designing a good Solution.