Design Thinking Fundamentals - RIT Rochester Institute of Technology

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD SOLUTIONS

What the goals are?
​In design thinking, these characteristics of a good solution apply, no matter what your particular situation or set of users. A good solution:

• Has a purpose: You always start with a problem that needs solving and you arrive at the solution using the design thinking process. You are not using design thinking to figure out who may benefit from solution you already have. In other words, design thinking isn't meant to work backward from solution to problem.
• Is useful: The solution fulfills its intended purpose.
• Is understandable: A good solution should be easy to understand or learn. Or, the work to learn the solution should be worth the effort.
• Is honest: A good solution does not promise more than it provides.
• Is sustainable: A good solution does not adversely affect the environment, nor does it require resources (whether material or personnel) in a way that can't be maintained over time.
• Is long-lasting: Make sure the work you put into the design thinking process is worth it. Provide a solution that does not break often or deteriorate quickly.
• Fits to the context: A good solution makes sense for the location it is used in, the people who use it, and the function it was meant to perform.
• Is compelling: It should resonate with the user by making them feel confident when they use it. They should want to use your solution.
• Is simple: The solution should include only those elements necessary for fulfilling the rest of the criteria in this list.

A good solution must take into account the complexity of humans and their practical and emotional responses (their needs and their wants). Both aspects must be considered during all stages of the design thinking process.

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Qualities Needed in Design Thinking

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CREATING A DESIGN BRIEFYour goal for the research stage should be to emerge with a clear problem definition. Some companies ask their design teams to create a design brief.
A design brief is a document that summarizes all user requirements following an extensive research stage and provides a thorough description of the problem the team is being asked to solve. Design briefs are useful for team members and stakeholders and can be adjusted over the life of the project to reflect new understandings.
Design briefs generally contain the following elements...

• A summary of the research that includes, but is not limited to:
  • User characteristics
  • User needs and desires
  • User context
  • Any user personas that you have developed
  • Technology possibilities and feasibility
  • Business options and viability
  • Inspirational and competitive benchmarking
• A reframed problem definition
• The scope and deliverables of the project, including:
  • Requirements for functionality, aesthetics, and what will be appealing to users
  • Project timeline
  • Budget
  • Other business requirements, such as existing or future product-line needs

Although the design brief is created primarily for the design team as it prepares for project's next steps, the brief is also reviewed by key stakeholders.
The brief is often used as a set of criteria to evaluate solutions as they are being developed. It can also be used after a solution is achieved to determine how the project met schedule, budget, and other expectations.
Whether you create a design brief or not, you should at least have multiple sources of data for each of the bulleted items in the list we shared above.
​Strong research provides support for the important work to come. The reframing of the problem definition and creation of the design brief is critical, as it directs the next stage of teamwork, ideation and synthesis. Ideation that is based on an inaccurate or misleading problem definition will result in solution choices that are not in line with stakeholders' interests. Join us next week to learn about the ideation stage.