In week four, my class went over Design Thinking. I was given the opportunity to ponder over articles and videos that explained the importance of design thinking in the social innovative world. The Fast Company Staff wrote an article titled, "Design Thinking... what is that?" There is a video titled, "What is Human-Centered Design?" Martin Kirk, Jason Hickel, and Joe Brewer wrote an article titled, "Using Design Thinking to Eradicate Poverty Creation." I also read a few pages from D. School's book titled, "Bootcamp Bootleg." Lastly, I watched a Ted Talk by David Kelley titled, "How to Build Your Creative Confidence." Some key points I have gotten out of this week's reading and videos were Herbert Simons' seven steps, a three step process, design flaws, and the empathize mode. Simon's seven steps of Design Thinking consist of define, research, ideate, prototype, choose, implement, and learn. The three step process of Design Thinking consists of see, shape, and build. Some design flaws consists of how the development industry defines the problem itself, a built-in blindness to power dynamics, and metaphors matter. The empathize mode consists of observe, engage, and immerse.
What really got me excited this week was learning about Doug Dietz and his work on helping children overcome their phobia of MRI machines. I was born with multiple health issues, so I am familiar with the hospital setting. As a child, a lot of things in the hospital used to terrify me ranging from the operating room itself right down to the needles for a basic blood draw. I was even afraid of the x-ray machine. Fortunately, I did not encounter an MRI machine until I was much older and no longer had a fear of scanning machines. What Doug has done is transform MRI machines into a pirate ship and made the procedure into an adventure for children to enjoy and not as many children needed to be sedated anymore. Doug's story made me wish his line of thinking existed about thirty years ago. It would have been nice to enter an operating room painted like a tropical island and the operating table was like a boat. I would have gladly gone aboard on that kind of table instead of fighting and screaming to the point where I had to be sedated with a sharp sting from a needle to the leg then knocked out with anesthesia through a gas mask.
Design Thinking is an important skill in social innovation because it can help the innovator really empathize with the community and their current issue at hand. In fact, the first step from the Bootcamp Bootleg reading is empathize, followed by define, ideate, prototype, then finally test. Design Thinking helps an individual be aware of the fact they are working with live, actual fellow human beings and it is imperative to focus on solutions which can address their specific needs. Doug is a great example of a social innovator. He was initially proud of just getting children through the MRI machine and locate the problem at hand, but then he really paid attention to how the children behaved with the machine. He empathized with the children and did something about it.
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