Have you ever been tasked to solve a problem and got stuck coming up with solutions? Do you wonder how people come up with simple, creative ideas that just work, and wished you could find a recipe for successful solutions?

In this episode, our Host William chats with Sumit and Charlotte on the topic of Design Thinking . The three of them, along with Vini, Yuwei and Bean, are part of a team from University of Sydney's Leadership and Enterprise MBA program.

First we looked into the importance of Design Thinking and Innovation. We also defined the difference between a good solution from a great solution in terms of a 2x2 matrix:


 ############### |       System 1                  |        System 2
Experience Centric    | Copying trends         | What people didn't know they need |
Problem Centric          |  Linear thinking        |  In-depth, 360° problem solving           |

We explored some of the team's favorite creativity and design thinking frameworks, aptly summarized in their very own Fried Rice model and how these techniques were fundamental in the team's effort in solving  their clients' problems creatively. :

1. Know thy ingredients' flavors: Use appreciative inquiry to understand not only the problems but also the strengths of the clients and their customers.
2. Marinate to modify flavor: Use  reframing technique to modify the different parts of the problem statement to see them in a new light and spark new ideas.
3. Dice vegetables: Use abstraction technique to deconstruct the features of the clients, customers and environment.
4. Mix and mash in the wok:  Toss around all the ideas from the reframed and abstracted problem statement. Lean in the strengths, and let new ideas form.
5. Taste before you serve: Test your solution, and iterate! No solution is once size fits all, tailor it back to the client.

Let us know your favorite design thinking techniques!