Business Models Inc.

Do you apply design thinking? Or checklist thinking?

November 09, 2011 | Patrick van der Pijl

Last week I had a conversation with a successful founder of a start-up. We had a good discussion about ‘success’. When is a company truly successful? We talked about the inspiring - and well known - TED-video of Simon Sinek about why certain companies are more successful than others. Sinek explains this with the simple concept of ‘why, what & how-questions’.

Because we apply design thinking at Business Models Inc. every day, I wanted to share some thoughts with you on how the concept of Sinek matches with design thinking.

So, what is Design really about?

If you apply design thinking to your daily work, you will probably notice in interactions with others, that most people think that ‘design’ is about ‘form’ or how something looks or appears in our world. Actually, design isn’t only about the visible element of human action - in terms of Simon Sinek; the ‘what’ question. Design thinking is about connecting the ‘why, how and what’!

I will give you an example. In our society, many companies, managers and entrepreneurs are more concerned about how their output, for instance a report, looks (what) than what the report actually does for others (why). “Did you already finish writing that report?” Or: “Let’s write a business plan! / make a PowerPoint presentation!”

This behavior often occurs because of time pressure, deadlines must be met. So, when we meet our deadline, and it just looks pretty, all is well.

Only focusing on the what-questions : a missed opportunity

The ‘why’ and ‘how’ are often subjugated to the ‘what’. But, this is actually a missed opportunity! Thinking about ‘why’ and ‘how’ inspires you to think about your vision and strategy. In this way you can really add value and fulfill your customers need.

In many organizations it is about ‘getting the job done’ (what). It doesn’t really matter ‘how’ the result was achieved.This is what we call ‘Checklist thinking’. As long as everything on the checklist is done, you are safe. This often results in doing work that is unnecessary or even counter-productive, producing output that nobody cares for. Checklist thinkers do not take the time to ask themselves the question ‘why’ they do something.

It seems ironic that Sinek takes Apple as a successful example. Isn’t Apple always really concerned with how products look to customers? It is not ironic, actually. Indeed, Apple is very successful in applying design thinking. But that’s not only the case because the products and services look great! Everything in an Apple product is connected with the ‘why’ question. Apple really understands why you as a customer need their product, what it will do for you. The iPod was not just an mp3 player: it was a way of life, a way to show ‘i love music’.

The Why-questions stimulate to think about customer needs

If we really take the time to reflect on “why” we launch a particular product, business model or company, we soon find out that this question stimulates us to think about ‘customer needs’ and the functionality of our products with the aim to serve our customer. Only after understanding this comes the next step: ”how” to proceed. How can we ensure that we really help our customers? At this point we really add value! How do customers use the product? How do you reach them? What are their needs? The last step in this process is thinking about the ‘what’: what specific features, colors, dimensions, sizes, etc. Only if you let the ‘why’ and ‘how’ influence the final form of your product can you make sure that you have a well-designed product.

What about you?

Do you allow yourself to think about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ question first? Or do you immediately start with the ‘what’ question? In other words, have you already mastered design thinking?