Think outside the (proverbial) sandbox

Oftentimes it's quite hard to change what you know: that sandbox of familiarity. What many don't realize is that even though the sandbox they know and love seems like a haven for play, its actually quite limiting in terms of the possibilities for new forms of play, or value if you will.

What I find in many cases is that while businesses know that the status quo might not be reaching new levels of innovation or consumer value, they find themselves incapable of discovering ways in which to deliver new found value.

Helping clients uncover new ways to be relevant in today's times is what design thinking is all about. Design thinking is fast becoming a widely used method for creative solutions. It's a process based around the building up of ideas that will ultimately make a business more effective at helping their customers.

Design thinking helps businesses align themselves with solutions, services and a long-term vision. It's prepared with that business's particular customers' dynamic behavior and needs in mind. It's a customer-centric era we're living in, where core audiences are also core advocates. They are the ones that will help steer the business. The key element is to identify where the customers are intending to go, and to properly channel their needs through insight and strategy.

In an interview with Paul Bennett, Chief Creative Officer at IDEO, he discusses ideas around what winning organizations will look like in 18 months. He considers the fact that people (companies, businesses, individuals) should stop focusing on the answer and starting emphasizing the right questions. He talks about businesses coming to IDEO not to help them with answers but to help them discover the questions to ask. I think this is the culprit for insights and pattern generation that help businesses uncover value driven solutions to their customers. This is design thinking. It's taking the play out of the proverbial sandbox and into a world that allows for deeper connections to be made and for innovation to bud.

By Mona Chammas

Mona Chammas
		About the author:
		A digital practitioner both within and beyond the borders of her advertising career, Mona Chammas is a digital native leading the interactive department at BBDO in her native city of Beirut. More than a career, Mona’s passion for all things Web 3.0 and beyond is demonstrated via her active online lifestyle including a personal blog (www.thisismona.com), which was published in March¹s edition of ArabAd, the Middle East’s highest circulated advertising magazine. Mona blogs mainly about next generation web, brand strategy. The convergence of design thinking, online branding and innovation really get her going!
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