Design Thinking, has been a significant presence in our lives for quite some time. There are numerous resources and applications available. To briefly define it, Design Thinking is known as a user-centric, creative problem-solving approach. This methodology is famed for its human-centered approach, especially in solving complex problems. The aim is to gather everyone involved around a table, solving the problem collaboratively with cumulative knowledge. It fundamentally consists of five stages: Empathy, defining the problem, ideation, prototyping, and testing. Each stage is interconnected, and the process is not linear—it may take steps back at times. This approach aims to make the solution process more flexible and adaptable, ultimately creating real value for the end-user.
However, today's goal is not just to demonstrate how impressive or straightforward the model is, but to experience it—and yes, to experience it in a somewhat absurd manner! This three-week blog series has been designed for us to experience how Design Thinking can be applied through the Galactic Coffee Crisis. Our aim is not just to solve a problem, but also to learn how this process is conducted by trying it out.
Our First Week: Hello Galactic Coffee Crisis…
If we assume we are heading towards a future where coffee lovers prevail, how would we feel if coffee suddenly disappeared from the world? - I might cause a little trouble at my next meeting :) - But why do we standardize the potential coffee shortage issue during the space age only according to Earth? Couldn’t aliens love coffee too? Or considering the possibility of intergalactic travel, what if we all experienced a coffee crisis together in the universe? My God, that would be terrifying… But thankfully, as humans, we are a species well-equipped and adept at solving complex, interconnected problems. And fortunately, one of the tools we've developed is design thinking.
Let’s Set Up Our Problem Scene;
Imagine coffee's sole duty in the universal arena isn't just to wake you up; it also powers spaceships as a next-generation fuel hero! (Of course, spaceships run on caffeine, we won't question gasoline in the future) Yet, we and our galactic neighbors suddenly face an unprecedented crisis; a severe coffee bean shortage, endangering all space travel! Among the key players in this crisis are the owners of the Galactic Space Cafe (Mowky and Pete), spaceship pilots, intergalactic coffee farmers, and galactic government officials. This problem is a typical multi-stakeholder issue asking how we can please everyone and actually provides a sufficient scenario to experience design thinking, so let’s get started!
Now, throughout this three-week blog series, our goal is to involve you in solving the complex problem of the Galactic Coffee Crisis - yes, solving it alone isn't fun! Each week, I will be waiting for your ideas and solution suggestions. At the end of the series, there is a prize for the participant with the most innovative and applicable solution proposal: free entry into the Design Thinking section of the Monday Innovators Club!
Share your ideas with me and discover learning by doing at the Monday Innovators Club - we have even more eccentric problems there… Come on then, fingers on keyboards, pens in notebooks, computers on digital panels; how will we save our galaxy from the coffee crisis? ;)
#Designthinking #Design #GalacticCoffeCrisis #innovation #MondayInnovatorsClub #Ideate #Innovate #ProblemSolving
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