A Mindset Connecting Universities, Start-ups, and Corporations: What Is Design Thinking and How Does

Definition and Purpose of the Approach
Design thinking is often primarily associated with design—and to some extent, rightly so, since the methodology originates from creative fields and still finds wide application there. However, reducing it only to the work of graphic designers or industrial designers would be an unfair simplification, diverting attention from the true nature of this tool. It is an approach to work based on careful identification of human needs, rapid experimentation, and continuous learning through action. Technology teams, HR departments, marketing specialists, social organizations, and young companies use it to create solutions that meet specific user expectations. Unlike linear project management models, design thinking allows revisiting previous stages, making corrections, and developing concepts based on feedback, so errors emerge much earlier.

At the core of this methodology is a shift away from the pressure of immediate perfection toward collaboration, flexible experimentation, and shared responsibility for outcomes. The process starts with conversations and needs analysis, moves through idea generation, and continues with rapid sketches and iterative development. This approach demystifies the creative process, showing that innovation does not stem from a lone visionary but from well-guided collaboration. In a world of rapid technological and social changes, this work logic facilitates adapting products and services to evolving realities without the feeling that every adjustment overturns the project.

Four Rules of Design Thinking
Around 2010, as part of a joint research program, Christoph Meinel and Larry Leifer proposed a widely cited set of four rules forming the backbone of design thinking. These principles structure the work process and create space where teams can freely test ideas and explore new solutions.

The Human Rule
Design thinking is based on the belief that every creative process is social and that innovation should address the needs of real people. Technology and business goals serve as tools subordinate to humans. This approach focuses teams on the user, their experiences, and context.

The Ambiguity Rule
This principle reminds us that projects often start with many questions and insufficient data. It is here that diverse teams shine—each specialist sees the problem differently. A graphic designer perceives challenges differently from a UX designer, and a programmer notices aspects others might miss. No single expert can implement an entire project alone, but a group with varied perspectives can see much more.

The Re-design Rule
Many solutions we now consider breakthrough are merely stages in a longer history. Technologies and formats change, but the underlying need remains. A good example is the desire to preserve fleeting moments. Initially, this was done through images or portraits, which were time-consuming, costly, and available only to a few. Photography allowed the same need to be captured faster and cheaper, and digital photography moved memories from film to files. As cameras reached smartphones, taking photos became simpler and almost automatic. Today, after years of storing thousands of pictures in the cloud, interest in physical forms returns. Photo books, prints on canvas, or photo calendars allow selecting moments we want to keep longer, rather than storing them deep in digital archives.

The essence of redesign lies in responding to the same need by developing existing solutions, reacting to new expectations, and creating next versions of what already exists, rather than starting from scratch.

The Tangibility Rule
This final principle emphasizes the value of giving ideas a physical form. Instead of long discussions about concepts that everyone interprets differently, sketches, simple models, and mock-ups are created. Holding even a preliminary version of a solution helps identify what needs correction. Tangibility organizes discussion, shortens decision-making, and helps quickly spot false assumptions.

Design Thinking in Practice – Five Steps to Organize Chaos
Design thinking combines creativity, but its strength comes primarily from an organized approach to work. While literature often describes it as a series of phases, in practice it is simply a set of steps guiding the journey from understanding people to producing a finished concept. Each stage serves a different function in building a solution:

Empathize – Understanding the perspective of the person for whom the solution is intended. This involves careful observation, conversations, and analyzing user experiences without relying on assumptions.
Define the Problem – Organizing gathered information and accurately naming the challenge. Initial assumptions may be replaced with a more precise interpretation.
Ideate – Creating a broad range of ideas without judgment. Diversity and freedom of thought are key to thinking beyond the most obvious solutions.
Prototype – Giving initial form to selected concepts: sketches, models, layouts, or simple scenarios. The goal is to quickly translate ideas into tangible forms that can be easily modified.
Test – Checking the prototype with users. Their feedback highlights incorrect assumptions, suggests directions for change, and often leads the team back to earlier stages.

Research and practice show that teams rarely progress through these stages in a straight line. Many projects require revisiting earlier steps, collecting more information, or refining the problem before moving forward. This flexibility does not mean chaos—the logic remains intact, and the key element is starting with the user, not the brilliant idea. Only by understanding the user do the subsequent stages make sense, preventing solutions that meet our own assumptions rather than real needs. This method helps young professionals navigate modern organizational structures.

Why Companies Love Design Thinking
Employers today do not seek people who only follow instructions. Increasingly, they value independent thinking, the ability to navigate incomplete data, and conscious problem analysis before proposing a solution. People who can pause with a “ready-made idea” until they understand the user context, and treat lack of knowledge as a starting point for questions and research, are highly prized. This mindset reduces the risk of costly mistakes and facilitates rapid prototyping of solutions suited to user needs.

Modern teams also need empathy and collaboration skills—competencies naturally developed through design thinking. Projects conducted in this way rely on constant perspective exchange and openness to feedback. Teams quickly learn that the first idea is rarely final, and refining concepts through iterations enhances both solution quality and team relationships. This approach, well-known in IT, marketing, and R&D, suits individuals comfortable with change and open to continuous iteration. Flexibility, willingness to learn, and attentiveness to user needs become traits that strongly attract employers.

Design Thinking in Student Life
Design thinking also works outside university and can aid daily organization. It often starts with small experiments, such as choosing a planning tool. Before building a complex Notion structure, it is worth testing a simpler method—just a few days with a basic task list can reveal whether it actually works. If it does not, alternatives can be tried: a paper planner, another app, or even a plain sheet of paper. Such short tests prevent unnecessary frustration and help find solutions that truly support everyday life. Similarly, empathy in group work is effective—simple conversations about each person’s possibilities and limits usually suffice to avoid misunderstandings and better allocate tasks.

This logic also helps in learning. Instead of assuming a subject is “impossible to grasp,” it is useful to identify what makes it difficult. Sometimes it is the study time, other times the note-taking method or pace. Trying several techniques for short periods—flashcards, mind maps, or podcasts—helps find the most effective learning style. Small experiments like these can be more beneficial than ambitious but unsustainable resolutions for perfect study habits.

How to Practice Design Thinking
University offers many opportunities to practice design thinking—especially in interdisciplinary projects where people from various fields collaborate. This is an excellent environment for learning empathy, collaborative problem-solving, and working under uncertainty. Outside formal projects, the mindset can also be developed daily. Small practices gradually build a project-oriented way of thinking:

Start with conversations, not solutions—talking with people involved often reveals hidden context.
Work in short cycles—breaking tasks into weekly stages makes adjustments easier and shows progress.
Collect feedback early—initial reactions save time that would otherwise be spent revising polished versions.
Get to the root of the problem—ask “Why?” repeatedly until reaching the underlying cause, not just superficial symptoms.
Think in versions—treat outcomes as successive iterations. This reduces perfection pressure and simplifies improvements.

A Method Closer Than You Think
Design thinking is most visible when it stops being a methodology and starts influencing behavior. It is not about perfectly executed processes, but the habit of testing assumptions, being attentive to people, and readiness to change direction when new information arises. This attitude permeates both project work and everyday decisions—often subtly, simply as a more conscious approach to problems.

Over time, flexibility and curiosity make communication easier, accelerate decision-making, and improve responses to unexpected challenges. Not because “it must be done,” but because design thinking provides tools for navigating a world where few things are obvious. Its real power lies in quietly shaping daily life, not in grand declarations or slide slogans.

Sources:

CEWE – personalized photo products
Alvarado, L. F., Design thinking as an active teaching methodology in higher education: a systematic review
Wrona, S., Design thinking. What is it about?
Acevedo, R. L. G., Confidence and Motivation in Design Thinking
Seevaratnam, V., Gannaway, D., Lodge, J., Design thinking – learning and lifelong learning for employability in the 21st century
Design thinking – Wikipedia