Ted Talk Summary

   Tim Brown’s talk on design thinking focused on ways to make things more modern and easy to use. Things often become obsolete quickly in the modern world because modern design tends to focus on one specific thing, becoming incremental. Lately, design has gotten smaller, becoming a tool of consumerism by creating aesthetically pleasing objects that aren’t actually useful. To get away from this trend designers need to focus less on the object and more on design thinking.

   Design thinking used to be large. Things during the industrial revolution such as the suspension bridge in Bristol, the Themes tunnel, and the great western railway are examples of design thinking used on a large scale. When developing the great western railway the question might have been asked “How do I take a train form London to New York?” this question was answered through the innovative connection of a railway that led to a ship, which took passengers to New York. You could simply disembark from the train and board the ship. Integrated thinking which solves problems like these balances desirability with feasibility and visibility.

   The current “priesthood” of designers working on small things now stands for aesthetics, image, and fashion, having only a temporary effect on society. Design is, however, becoming big again. Design thinking is now being applied to problems like global warming, clean water, and health care. To solve these problems design must be human centered and start with human needs. Human needs are more than just good ergonomics; culture and context must also be understood.

   The conversion sound digital hearing aid tackled the problem of how to provide the poor of India with affordable hearing aids. They found a solution to this problem by rapid prototyping. Technicians were replaced with an app on a PDA and hearing aids are now four dollars a pair and the company is the biggest manufacturer of hearing aids. This was accomplished by building to think instead of thinking to build. This is another way of problem solving and design thinking. Learning by making and rapid prototyping can speed up the process of coming up with a solution.

   Instead of creating a consumer society design can have the biggest impact by creating a participative society. Shifting ideas from a passive relationship of consumer and producer to the active engagement of everyone can create a more meaningful, productive, and profitable experience. Design can have the greatest effect when put into the hands of everyone, not just producers. Creating participative design systems will soon be a major theme in the design and economic world.

   Times of change are when design has the largest impact because new alternatives and new ideas are needed, opening up the window for design thinking. New choices are created and existing situations become obsolete. Design thinking gives a new way of attacking these problems and allows us to create rather than make choices. By focusing on the needs of humans, prototyping quickly, and creating active participation of the community, we can tackle bigger questions and have a bigger impact.