Top 12 Design Thinking Books

What is Design Thinking?

To begin with, Design thinking is a process of creative problem-solving, which has a human-centred core.  Nonetheless, let’s look at the top 12 Design Thinking Books today. Furthermore, this encourages organizations to focus on the people they are creating for, which leads to better products, services, and internal processes. 

To summarize, we will also understand the needs of Design thinking in today’s world, along with its benefits and usage.

1. The Design Of Business By Roger L.Martin

Book Overview – 

Written by Roger Martin, a dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, furthermore. this book shares the requirement of design thinking in companies for innovation and winning.  Furthermore, it defines why design thinking is an essential skill.  Not a necessity, but it is good for business at the edges.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book – 

To summarize, this book shows how leading companies use design thinking to push knowledge through the stages in ways that produce breakthrough innovations and competitive advantage. Along with deep insights and fresh perspectives, nevertheless, this book reveals the true foundation of successful, profitable innovation.

2. The Change By Design – By Tim Brown

Book Overview – 

Written by Tim Brown, furthermore, this book is a great inspiration for creative and searching leaders to incorporate Design Thinking in products, services and organizations.  It helps in finding better options for business development, with case studies that help build design thinking skills.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

This book shows the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are employed to match people’s needs, not only with what is technically feasible, but what is viable to the bottom line.  To summarize, it converts need into demand.  

3. Sprintz By Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz

Book Overview –

Written by John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz, this book is an excellent inspiration for running design sprints in companies.  A sprint is good for those who are new to Design thinking.  It is suitable for learners who want to learn in-depth but in a quick manner.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

A practical guide to answering critical business questions, it is a book for any team size, from small startups to fortune, for teachers and non-profits.

4. The Field Guide To Human-Centered Design By Ideo.Org

Book Overview-

Published by Ideo, this book contains more than 57 methods and activities on design thinking.  This can be used by anyone irrespective of the industry and challenges.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

This book talks about the practical approach and step-by-step procedure of Design Thinking.

5. Creative Workshop By David Sherwin

Book Overview – 

Written by David Sherwin, this book includes useful brainstorming techniques and wisdom from some of today’s top designers.  You will find 80 creative challenges that will help you achieve a breadth of stronger design solutions, in various media, within any set period.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

By road-testing these techniques as you attempt each challenge, you’ll find new and more effective ways to solve tough design problems and bring solutions to vibrant life.

6. The Creative Confidence By Tom Kelley and David Kelley

Book Overview –

Written by Tom Kelley and David Kelley, they identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential in our work lives, and our personal lives, and also allow us to innovate in terms of how we approach and solve problems.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

It is a book which will help each of us be more productive and successful in our lives and our careers.  It gives the key strategies and principles that are important for creativity.  Nonetheless, It will also guide you with its inspiring ideas in building design thinking careers.

7. Design Thinking by Nigel Cross

Book Overview –

Written by Nigel Cross this book tells designers how to think and work.  Alongside it also explains the creative approach of designers.  The book includes case studies of the well-known work of designers.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

Design thinking is the core creative process of every designer, and this book explores and explains this mysterious design ability.  It is structured around various in-depth case studies of outstanding and expert designers.  It reflects the breadth of design, from hardware to software design, to architecture and formulae. Nonetheless, it provides new insights into and understanding of design thinking, based on evidence from observation and investigation of design practice.

8. Designing For Growth By Jeanne Liedtka, Tim Ogilvie and Rachel Brozenske

Book Overview-

Written by Jeanne Liedtka, this book contains design thinking techniques, mindset and vocabulary. Furthermore, it guides managers, in exploiting the potential of design for the growth of the business.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

It is a design thinking kit for managers, where the writers showed how design can boost innovation and drive growth.  Nonetheless, a companion guide is also suitable as a stand-alone project workbook.  The text helps readers identify an opportunity, draft a brief design, conduct research and more.

9. Art Of Innovation By Tom Kelley

Book Overview-

This book gives details about the culture innovation in an organization.  Furthermore, it helps build a collaborative approach at work.  Furthermore, this book takes readers behind the scenes of this wildly imaginative company to reveal the strategies and secrets it uses to turn out hit after hit.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

Nevertheless, this book shows how teams – research and immerse themselves in every possible aspect of a new product or service, from examining the product to brainstorming.  Furthermore, this will provide business leaders with the insights and tools they need to make their companies the leading edge.

10. The Design of Everyday Things By Don Norman

Book Overview- 

Written by Don Norman, furthermore, this book confirms that a design doesn’t need to be complicated.  As well as this, it is an excellent resource for considering the importance of usability and aesthetics in developing design techniques.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

This book was originally published in 1988 through another name.  He has popularized certain terms such as ‘user-centred design’ and ‘affordance’.  Furthermore, this book gives valuable insights into how small, unnoticed aspects of the design can affect a large portion of everyday, practical life.

11. The Designing Experiences By Rossman and Duerden

Book Overview –

Written by Rossman & Duerden, furthermore, this book is a comprehensive introduction to design thinking.  The frameworks are well suited for every design-based project.  Furthermore, it offers main concepts like intentionally, memory and dramatic structure in the simplest way possible, along with examples.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of the book –

To summarize, this design thinking book synthesizes the fundamental theories and methods for multiple disciplines and lay out a process for designing experiences from start to finish.  Furthermore, this book presents interdisciplinary research underlying key concepts such as memory, intentionality, dramatic structure and more.

12.  The HBR’s 10 Must Reads On Design Thinking

Book Overview –

Written by Tim Brown, Clayton M.Christensen, and 2 Others, furthermore, this design thinking books is a collection of 10 articles based on Design Thinking.  Need to know more, click Amazon to buy this book.

Benefits of this book –

A must-read even if you don’t read any design thinking books.  It lists out some of the most important review articles combed through Harvard Business Reviews.  Furthermore, this book will inspire you to identify customers and build products people fail.

How did Design Thinking Originate?

Cognitive scientist and Nobel prize laureate Herbert A.Simon was the first to mention design as a way of thinking in his book in the year 1969, namely The Sciences Of The Artificial.  

Furthermore, he contributed many ideas which are now regarded as principles of design thinking.

What is the Design Thinking Process?

1. Frame a question as well as gather inspiration
2. Generate ideas as well as make them tangible
3. Test to learn as well as share your story

How can I improve my design thinking skills?

1. Study the theoretical aspects as well as research trends.
2. Learn from the experts as well as learn principles
3. Increase your observation power as well as get some help and collect feedback
4. Train yourself, furthermore, explore different styles
5. Experiment with tools as well as do some hide hustles
6. Master the software as well as keep up the practice
7. Recreate the design as well as research websites
8. Last but not least, perfection is the key

Why Henry Harvin?

To summarize, Henry Harvin is an online educational platform, which provides a vast variety of courses.  Nonetheless, Design Thinking is one of the many courses provided online.  

Topics Covered:

• Design Thinking as well as Empathize
• Define as well as Ideate
• Prototype as well as Test

Last but not the least, post-learning, you will have assessment and job placement support.  Complimentary, you will also receive soft skills development as well as assistance on resume writing.

Benefits of doing Design Thinking Course

• Lead with CDTP certification’
• Get Henry Harvin Design Thinking Certification Program
• 100% job placement assurance
• Unlimited access to videos, seminars, as well as class recordings

Other Courses to Take Up

• UI UX Design Course
• Instructional Design Course
• PCB Design Course

Other Online Platforms providing Design Thinking Courses

1. KPMG Learning Academy

What do you learn?

• Teamwork as well as market assessment
• Designing new products as well as services 
• Evaluation of the technical pros as well as cons of the concept.

2. Indian Institute Of Management Bangalore

What do you learn?

• Right brain thinking
• Lead user research to product innovation
• Process view of design thinking
• Research of tools as well as techniques
• Challenge framing as well as ideation techniques
• Prototyping as well as test cycles
• Pitch design as well as communication
• Enabling design thinking in teams as well as creating primary demand
• Achieve product integrity

3. Indian Institute Of Management Ahmedabad

What do you learn?

• Visualization as well as Storytelling

• Journey mapping as well as concept development

4. QAI 

What do you learn?

• Design Thinking Bootcamp
• Design sprints master certification
• Service design thinking workshop

5. Indian Institute Of Management Kozhikode

What do you learn?

• Customer-centric

• Product innovation as well as building a culture of innovation

6. Q-Glue

What do you learn?

• An action-oriented program provides a hands-on approach rather than theory based.

• Use of virtual tools for brainstorming as well as collaboration

7. ISDI

What do you learn?

• Foundation
• Specialization as well as application
• Application

8. Strategy Execution

What do you learn?

• Firstly, Design thinking process
• Reframing what you see
• Ideating as well as innovation
• Building the business model
• Informing as well as innovating the offering- choreography

How does Design Thinking help in Innovation?

Design thinking is more than just a process.  Furthermore, it opens up an entirely new way to think and offers a collection of hands-on methods to help you apply this mindset.

Nonetheless, it minimizes the risk of innovation by engaging customers or users through a series of prototypes to learn, test as well as refine concepts.

What are the advantages of the Design Thinking Course?

There are four stages of the design thinking process namely:

• Clarify, Observe users as well as reframe a problem to gain deeper insights.
• Ideate, Generating innovative ideas to fulfil users’ needs.
• Develop, Combining ideas into concepts as well as testing each one with early prototypes.
• Implement, Effectively communicating an innovation’s value to stakeholders.  Furthermore, put a solution into action.

What are the career benefits of Design Thinking?

1. Develop new products as per customer requirements – This course brings along the ability to develop product innovations that add value to customers’ lives as well as bring in revenue to the firm.

2. Gain understanding with customers – Furthermore, developing empathy with customers who use your products allows you to innovate for their actual needs.

3. Saves time, effort and money – A single, efficient process can lead to saving time, money and effort compared to running on a trial-and-error basis.

4. Gain an edge in the Job market – Nonetheless, there is a significant rise in jobs posted for design thinking lately.

5. Overcome Cognitive Fixedness – Nevertheless, it is a state of mind in which one consciously or unconsciously assumes there is only one way to interpret or approach a solution.

6. Lead a Team Toward innovation – Along side leadership skills, further, this design thinking course can enable you to lead innovation within your organization.

What are the top skills for developing as a Design Thinking Leader?

1.         Empathy as well as systems thinking

3.         Feedback as well as continuous improvement

4.         Question mindset

5.         Collaboration as well as facilitation

6.         Customer Centric

7.         Coaching as well as change management

Who uses Design Thinking?

Having been used to solve business problems at companies like Toyota, Intuit, SAP as well as IBM.  Furthermore, it is useful to break down problems in any complex system, be it in business, social organization, or government.

What is a Design Thinking Certification Course?

Nonetheless, this course helps students understand the philosophy and process of design thinking and how to understand users better, by providing solutions creatively.  These classes focus on promoting solution-based problem-solving as well as innovation within organizations.

What are design thinking workshops?

It is a facilitated meeting where multi-disciplinary teams plan and prototype user-centred designs.  They are generally used when teams want to arrive at a user-centred solution while working together.  

What is the recommended team size for this workshop?

Putting all together, nonetheless, a recommended brainstorming size usually winds up between two to three people on the minimum size and eight to ten people on the higher side.  The minimum number generally works when participants are diverse and individually adept at multiple strategic thinking perspectives.

So, let’s summarize what the future of design thinking looks like

The future of design thinking is all about going beyond designing for today’s problems.  Nevertheless, empathy, as well as experimentation, are still a must.  Furthermore, this future includes tools as well as methodologies coming from strategic foresight and forecasting, such as scenario planning, maps, and trend maps.

To summarize, we can say, the key is that to break ideal models as well as make prospects we seek to live in, we should move past planning for the current necessities.  Furthermore, understanding that the edge additionally keeps on moving.

Recommended Reads

• Top 10 Best Design Thinking Courses in Delhi
• What is Design Thinking?
• Best + Free Design Thinking Courses

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