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Important Issues on the Impact of Design Thinking in Software Development 5 Important Issues on the Impact of Design Thinking in Software Development

5 Important Issues on the Impact of Design Thinking in Software Development

Updated Sep 3, 2024

11 mins read

In the digital age, we’ve all wondered why some startups soar to success while others, despite hefty investments and flawless functionality, do not find their place in the market. According to CBInsights, in 42% of cases, startups fail primarily because of misinterpreting market demand, making it the leading cause of failure. It’s a complex puzzle with various factors at play, but from our experience, there’s a nifty framework that can help determine if a product has real potential – add Design Thinking as part of UI/UX design services.

In essence, the effectiveness of a product extends beyond the utilization of state-of-the-art technology and impeccably written code. Instead, the pivotal determinant lies in the application of Design Thinking. This strategic approach facilitates the validation of ideas and solicitation of feedback from potential users during the early stages of product development, all without the necessity of coding. By doing so, it allows for a comprehensive understanding of the product’s potential success before substantial investments in development activities.

What is the Design Thinking Process

Design Thinking prioritizes the why behind the what, emphasizing the purpose of a solution over its execution. It is not a linear methodology that helps better understand and structure data about potential users, their goals and pain points and, based on this knowledge, to turn the idea into a user-friendly product. It also helps teams identify and reframe problems, then generate and test creative solutions.

Design Thinking in a business context functions as a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to validate ideas systematically, ensuring their viability before committing resources to full-scale development. This approach, driven by human-centric principles and iterative processes, aligns product or service development more closely with user needs, ultimately enhancing the likelihood of success in the market.

The Most Common Reasons to Use Design Thinking as a Part of Development Process

why use design thinking as a part of development process

Why Use Design Thinking As A Part Of Development Process

  • Enhances Product Market Fit: Early testing and user feedback help ensure that the product addresses a real market need.
  • Cost Efficiency: Detecting and addressing issues early in the design process is more cost-effective than making changes later in the development cycle.
  • Risk Mitigation: Rapid testing allows teams to proactively address issues, mitigating the risk of these issues becoming more significant and thereby reducing overall project risk
  • Iterative Refinement for Continuous Improvement: This iterative process ensures that the design evolves over time, adapting to changing circumstances and user expectations.
  • Customer-Centric Innovation: Design thinking places the customer at the center of the innovation process. By understanding and addressing customer pain points, designers can create solutions that have a meaningful impact on users’ lives, fostering long-term satisfaction and loyalty.

Top 5 Questions on the Impact of Design Thinking in Software Development

Software solutions are comprehensive products and they depend largely on the expertise of specialists building them. It is important that the effectiveness of a solution is combined with user-friendliness and design. It is believed that much of any solution’s success depends on the design thinking that implies a user interface. We have collected and answered five of the most important questions on the impact of design thinking in custom software solution development.

To What Extent Does Software Solution Development Depend on Design Thinking?

Design is essential when developing software solutions. Any custom software has its design that users need. How much does software depend on the design? To answer this question, it is necessary to understand what kind of software is developed. The software doesn’t depend on the design that displays data in a simple form, such as tables, simple charts, etc. In this case, ready-made templates are applied. In all other cases, design needs to be drawn.

If we talk about whether a designer’s thinking should be restrained, then we usually don’t do it, but we explain to the designer that there are certain rules that need to be followed (for example, sometimes design should not overload the system because its performance is low). If you don’t go beyond that, then it is possible, or in our opinion even necessary, not to limit the designer.

Design thinking and the software development process are related. Products are developed based on certain criteria that are defined not by the user, but by others. When these features are not defined well and change during the software development process, the design thinking ends up determining the structure of the creation and implementation process.

There are cases when requirements for the product are specific, and the goal of the development is mostly the quality of implementation of certain solutions rather than the search for tasks for a solution. In such cases, design thinking works against the rational use of project resources.

Is it Necessary to Control and Restrain Design Thinking and Ideas?

Design thinking is aimed at “developing innovative products and services” – this is what it should be constrained with. If a task, for example, is to optimize the software product workflow, then the specialist’s critical approach will provide a cheaper and more qualitative result. And a natural constraint for design thinking is within the final project budget – not all ideas can be and are worth implementing and testing.

How Does the Success of a Program Product Depend on Design Thinking?

When a new product is being developed, there is no clear understanding of what will be implemented and how. Composing a technical requirement specification and after that changing it in the course of work becomes senseless. At the same time, creative identification of tasks is an approach that reduces the ambiguity of the product goals. This is what allows the successful implementation of a product in terms of design thinking.

Design thinking can be restricted with the realization of certain product features or the view of the product from the user’s perspective. In the second case, there is the opportunity to build a great solution, and a design approach provides this opportunity. However, the software development budget needs to be increased as well, which is why a commercial product should not only rely on design thinking to be successful.

Can Bad Design Ruin a Brilliant Product?

On one hand, it is unlikely because a software product is created by a team, and the extent to which it will be successful depends on how the team was assembled and that is on the project manager. Even if the design is not great, but the program itself is, then it is unlikely that the product will be unsuccessful.

A designer, of course, can ruin a product, which can make it less successful, but it is unlikely that it will be completely unsuccessful. The team is assembled in such a way that there is enough expertise to develop a great product, even if the design budget is small. A more likely scenario for a product failing is if it encounters challenges in its release to market, due to, for example, poor marketing, lack of finances, or not enough promotion.

On the other hand, bad design can damage a brilliant product. When designers are interviewed at a software development company, there is a portion of the interview dedicated to testing their ability to design efficient systems that perform well in both emergency and non-emergency situations. It is possible for a system to be built that is non-tolerant to accidents and failures and a software product will function the same way in both tolerant and non-tolerant systems.

Is it Possible to Cultivate a Design Standard that Creates a Competitive Advantage for a Company?

Yes, it’s possible. Many companies organize or take part in hackathons with the goal of creating prototypes (of the designer code) to implement new ideas or experiment with the latest technologies. It broadens the company’s product range application as well as its technology stack, which provides access to a wider sales and labor market.

Design Thinking Process Principles in Leobit

At Leobit, we use Design Thinking as a methodology that prioritizes user needs, fosters creativity and enables continuous improvement in problem solving and innovation. In the following we will try to explain what we do at each step and what the value is. The 5 Steps in Design Thinking Process Are:

The 5 Steps in Design Thinking Process

Leobit’s Design Thinking Process Principles

Empathize

For us, this is one of the most important stages in trying to understand our users. Who are they, what is their lifestyle, what are their goals, how do they already do “x” and what problems do they face. In our experience, one of the best frameworks for this is an in-depth interview, which allows to see many things from a different angle, to learn about problems in the current solution that were not even considered.

Deliverables: Business model canvas, result of surveys, competitor analysis, focus group report etc.

Define

Once we’ve built understanding with our customers, it’s important to synthesize our insights and make them actionable. In this phase, we usually work with the user persona to map all the data in a convenient way. Then using insights, we try to clearly identify problems that are focused on user problems and use for that JTBD.

Deliverables: Depending on the project needs, the final deliverables of this phase could be: empathy map, point of view (POV) statements, problem definition framework, HMW (How Might We) questions, mind mapping, user persona, etc.

Ideate

After gaining a solid understanding of the problem, we engage in a brainstorming session to generate a multitude of ideas, prioritizing quantity over perfection. Following this creative phase, we evaluate the feasibility and alignment of these ideas with the core user needs, selecting the most suitable and viable solutions to pursue further.

Deliverables: Affinity map, card sorting, mind map, storyboard, user journey, user flow.

Prototype

In this stage we already define the problem and have ideas how to solve it. It is time to turn it into testable prototypes.  Also, it is time to start working on wireframes.

Deliverables: The first prototype of the project.

Test

The last but not the least stage is testing.  In this stage we test our solutions with real or potential users. This step helps make sure the final result will delight customers. During the testing phase, the product undergoes real-world trials, allowing observation and evaluation by actual users. This crucial stage verifies the accuracy of the initial problem definition and gathers targeted user feedback on the prototype, revealing previously unexpressed user needs. 


Deliverables: User feedback report.

The Key Benefits of Design Thinking Are

User-Centric Solutions

According to McKinsey, user-centric organizations cut service expenses by 33%, this stems from reduced support needs and product returns, thanks to heightened customer satisfaction. Solutions are tailored to meet the actual needs, preferences, and pain points of users, enhancing overall user satisfaction and engagement. Design thinking involves actively seeking and incorporating user feedback to shape the design and functionality of the software. Instead of relying solely on assumptions or internal expectations, design thinking emphasizes direct engagement with users to understand their challenges, desires, and behaviors.

Innovation and Creativity

Teams are encouraged to explore unconventional ideas, leading to novel solutions and breakthrough innovations. As per Parsons New School, 69% of design-led firms perceive the innovation process to be more efficient with design thinking. 

Effective Problem Solving

It provides a structured yet flexible framework for identifying, analyzing, and solving complex problems, breaking down complex issues into manageable parts and addressing them systematically, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes. Additionally, as an iterative process, design thinking allows for the gradual improvement of the product and the rapid testing of ideas, ensuring continuous refinement and innovation. As indicated by Parsons New School, 71% of organizations implementing design thinking observe an enhancement in their team-level working culture.

Enhanced Decision Making

Since design thinking helps to keep the team and stakeholders on the same page, it also contributes to making data-driven decisions, thereby reducing reliance on assumptions and guesswork and fostering a more informed and collaborative decision-making process.

Efficient Resource Utilization

Resources are allocated more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of costly rework and ensuring a higher return on investment

Conclusions

In summary, the Design Thinking process is a crucial and transformative strategy for problem-solving and innovation. Its human-centric approach fosters empathy, collaboration, and a deep understanding of user needs. By promoting a mindset that values iteration and sees failure as a path to success, Design Thinking empowers teams to craft solutions resonating profoundly with users.

Amid today’s competitive business landscape, where differentiation and customer experience are paramount, Design Thinking emerges as a strategic cornerstone. It equips businesses to develop solutions not only for immediate challenges but also to foresee and adapt to evolving market needs. Essentially, the Design Thinking process is indispensable for businesses committed to propelling innovation, enriching customer satisfaction, and sustaining a resilient and adaptive stance in the constantly changing market environment.

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Artem Matsa | Business Development Director