The Impact of Design Thinking on Innovation

Abstract

In a world that gets harder and tougher every day, companies need creative and multifaceted solutions for facing their challenges, which simultaneously enables them to win over their rivals. Such a need leads to a method, called Design Thinking, the process of creating new and innovative ideas to solve a particular problem. The aim of this paper is to show how design thinking affects Product, Process and Organizational Innovation. The objective of design thinking is to involve consumers, designers and businesspeople in an integrative process which can be applied to product, service or even business design.  Based on the information and literature, the conceptual framework of the research was designed and hypotheses were developed.  Data from 95 organizations in science park of Tehran, Iran provided empirical evidence for this survey. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) using Smart PLS 3.0 computer software was used to analyze the data. The results of this study suggested that: Design thinking could be applicable to Product, Process and Organizational Innovation. Using the various Design Thinking tools, techniques and templates, organizations can apply them to make their innovations come true.