Bertao, R. A., Jung, C. H., and Joo, J. (2022). Identifying inconveniences in daily life: a problem finding prompt to foster non-designers’ engagement in design thinking training. In Gabriela Goldschmidt and Ezri Tarazi (Ed.), 13th Design Thinking Research Symposium, Expanding the Frontiers of Design: A Blessing or a Curse? (pp. 354-368). Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa: Israel.

Abstract

In general, companies use training programs to implement design thinking’s creative problem-solving approach and encourage employees to adopt it. However, non-designers face individual barriers when joining such initiatives and experience challenges related to the implementation of regular practices in organizations. This paper conducts a case study of a design thinking training program developed by LG Corporation and explores a particular perspective applied in the initial phases of the design thinking methodology—namely, problem finding via empathetic observation. The initiative focused on helping non-designers develop the skills to identify customer inconveniences that may require design thinking’s problem-solving attitude. The program blueprint encompassed a preceding activity designed to increase awareness of design thinking methodology via immersion in customer issues and utilized innovative strategies to promote participant engagement in training.

Keywords

design thinking, training, boot camp, problem finding, LG Corporation.