When I was an intern last summer, I asked a colleague of mine what classes I should take during my senior year in order to best prepare myself for the professional world. She immediately responded with “a course on design thinking or a human-centered approach”. Although I was a little skeptical about it, I took this advice. I originally came into this class thinking that I would not be able to perform as well as I have in other business classes. I knew nothing about sustainability, I was extremely insecure about my creative thinking abilities, and I had no idea how to actually use design thinking in my life. However, looking back at the course of the semester, I am proud of myself for how far I’ve come, what I’ve learned, and what I will be able to take with me into the real world post-graduation. Here are some main takeaways that I’ve learned during this class:
1. It’s important to think about the trajectory of the world as a whole, and how that impacts business. Before coming to this class, it never crossed my mind to think about if the world is becoming a better place to live than when our parents were our age. Having those in-depth discussions about whether the world is improving challenged me to think much more abstractly and on a larger scale. It’s easy to become jaded by hearing about all of the catastrophes of the world on the news–sometimes, it feels like the world is getting worse. However, there are so many ways that the world is improving that don’t get nearly as much media attention as they deserve. Life expectancy is rising, child mortality is declining, and it is becoming cheaper to engage in renewable energy like solar power. Further, companies are making huge strides in recognizing their responsibility to become more environmentally conscious. Even though this is a relatively new phenomenon, it’s going to have a strong impact on how businesses are run in the future. This class allows us to challenge the notion that businesses are stuck in rigid ways, and provides an outlet for innovative thinking that also can improve society as a whole.
2. Design thinking can help anyone solve a complex business problem, even the most logical of people. The design thinking process challenged me to think in ways I never thought I could. I was extremely skeptical about whether or not the design thinking process would be something for me. Looking back, if someone told me at the beginning of the semester that I, along with my team, could come up with a practical yet innovative solution that was also sustainable, I would say “yeah right, I can’t do that.” Even the simple practice of ideation allowed me to express my creativity in ways that I didn’t even know possible. By the end of the semester, I was invited to partake in a meeting with Tribe Innovation to help come up with better sustainable practices for William & Mary. I can now confidently say that I truly enjoy the design thinking process.
3. Sustainability means much more than just being environmentally conscious. In the beginning of the class, I thought sustainability solely meant becoming more aware of waste, plastics, and being encouraged to recycle. Having created a Living Principles Analysis, I realize that sustainability encompasses so much more than just the environment. It means focusing on improving the economy, the people, and the culture of a company. It is so much more holistic and interdependent than I originally anticipated–in order for a company to be sustainable, it must look at all aspects of a business, and not just whether they’re putting recycling cans around the office. Sustainability is also not just about the way businesses are run, but also about becoming aware of consumer behavior patterns and how those can be changed to act more sustainability. This class provided an outlet to understand sustainability so much more than I thought I would, and that’s something I’ll be able to take with me for the entirety of my career.
4. Design thinking is a process. I’ll admit that I’m not the most patient of people, and there were times where I got very frustrated with how long coming up with an idea would take. Our group also had to go back and change our HMW statement during the prototyping process, which worried me a lot. However, that’s the beauty of the design thinking process. It is not linear, and it takes time to create a solid idea that has the potential to grow. I also learned the importance of feedback–even though I’ve been given feedback many times after presentations in other classes, this was the first time where we were specifically instructed to improve our ideas with feedback. This is so important to utilize in the business world, because people can get so much more good done if they are listening to and learning from each other.
In hindsight, I am so glad that I took my colleague’s advice. I feel more prepared than ever to step into the real world as a working professional. Understanding the design thinking process is definitely going to help me in my first job, and I can see myself using it to help solve business problems. This is the first class where I truly believe that I was able to take away something valuable. I also think that I am much more aware of my consumption habits, and I want to strive to become a wiser consumer in the future. This class has not only improved my creative confidence, it has also given me tools to become a smarter thinker, both in my personal and professional life.