Designing for Growth MP3 CD – Unabridged, September 20, 2016

I wanted to make a different kind of review, one where I could share personally BIASED views based on my previous experiences with design thinking and with what I like and don't like about this book. First, my overall advise is TO GET THIS BOOK and its companion field work, if you plan to use design thinking (or your adaptation of it) in a business setup. The cost is nothing compared to a well thought out process that demystifies the topic and gets you a broader repertoire of tools that you can use in many different contexts.Positive feelings about the book- Well laid out process in general and important warnings at key moments- Clear language and well written- Nice, clear and logical structure- Handy starter templates- Pedagogic as it has a combination of ideas, questions, examples, explanations, quotes to make subject alive.- Concise enough to not get lost- Very good job on connecting the tools into a (maybe too linear) pipeline. This is a bit done on purpuseWhat I think I get- Process clarity- Ideas of how to conduct each phase that are actionable- Ideas on how to sell Design Thinking in a business environment- One point of view on each tool that incrementally builds knowledge about proper use- The desire to try out these ideas or understand their value in context (do's and don't, when it's best, when to avoid, what you can get, etc.)Negative feelings about the book- Uninspired examples in general- Lack of any "break-through" innovation in examples- Most of the "filled out templates" are "imagined by authors", not real outputs of any design thinking process- Boring tasks to "Do at home". eg. reorganizing fridge or bookshelf... gets reduced to finding a taxonomy and doesn't unleash any innovation. I understand why there logical and pedagogic mind makes is so simple. But some exercises are uninspired.- Criteria and examples likely will fail to capture essence and true insights one can get with design thinking (my biggest gripe).- Lack of commitment to the process - for example, the Darden Experience example should be replaced in the second edition. It is very biased and seeks to please faculty, even portraying people based on laziness and lack of clarity in student goal. I think this was the biggest detracting element of the book -but forgive that and understand this book emerged as part of an academic effort, not consultancy work.- Lack of street-smart advise is evident. It has a lot of detail around conceptual advise which is just amazing and awesome. It has very little advise on managing the flow and groups. I think it bay be the subject for another book, but advise on how to manage actual sessions is not at all trivial and is non-existant. Look for D-School B-tapes for an example of that, or watch live sessions of good moderators/facilitators.Why get the book?You are planning to use design thinking and want a second opinion on flow. You want templates. You want additional examples (even some are quite dry or rather uninspired). You are very far from creative processes and need a stepping stone, even if you land close to where you where. If you want to see a well structure flow start to end. If you want a reference book on basics for the tooling across the pipeline. If you are building competency and plan to read 3-4 books, attend some workshops, and complement with online material. Well, in those cases, this book is a GREAT companion. It's an easy read. It has many useful ideas. It's clear. Even if dry and muted a little bit, it represents a good starting point if you want to use Design Thinking in a very boring conservative environment - one which you management may accept. But be careful - you'll still need to develop much deeper intuitions and a refined sense of what it is, this is a starter, reference book only.When not to get this bookIf you are looking for practical advise that is usually required to make Design Thinking produce great results (execution and setup details).If you want to learn by example this book will fall short and you'll may end up with lackluster results (but maybe not)If you want a deeper journey into the use of design ideas for innovation to inspire you on a longer term journeyGet this book if- You want a clear exposition of (one take at) Design Thinking- You want a logical approach and explanation that gives you confidence as a non-creative person- You want a starter book with templates to start transpiring some of what DT is about- You want to complement and expand ideas, as the book generally packs good advise all along- You want other people to understand the core ideas of design thinkingWhy 5 stars?If you want a clear exposition, well written book to help connect the dots, and you plan to fill in the gaps through a lot of mistakes, learnings, and deeper insights borrowed from other sources, the book will serve you well. Like a close friend, learn that nothing is perfect, but this a relationship to keep and nurture. The book is PACKED with advise, and it is sound advise, with a few pitfallsBiggest pitfall to avoid?Be especially careful about the 4 aids. The approach proposed is lovely, and they warn that the process isn't really linear. The aids to help you transition from phases effectively, connecting each phase with the rest of the effort smartly. However, I have seen several design thinking projects where these blur, where the transitions are much simpler CLIENT FOCUSED criteria, and where the transitions CAN'T be described in a napkin at all.Some of the best concepts I have seen defied verbal explanations (which still allows you to specify what resources you'll need, but avoid limiting what the Aid must contact and question what's in the proposed Aid).OverallA huge project by the authors, with great insights, that shows dedication, and that accomplishes that in a succinct manner. As they state, that you are getting a book like this at this price is a gift. And capturing this subject in any single book is very difficult. Overall, this book is a must get and a great resource for the clarity it brings, the wealth of advise, the careful writing and the amazing wealth of hard learned wisdom that it sets free.Final thoughIf this book ever gets pulled out of Kindle Store and goes out of print, you'll regret not having purchased it. It rarely happens that you see so much advise (most of it awesome little bits of hard earned wisdom) in such a compact form. I have purchased both Kindle version and print version. While is has some weaknesses, the book is a true companion, and I will update this review (hopefully) with comments as I put some of the ideas to practice, the actual intent of the whole process.

If you look up design thinking on Google images, you'll see something with a bunch of hexagons or circles that each represent a step in the process. That part is pretty easy to find. The not so easy part to find is what each of those steps consist of. This book will help fill that void, and will provide some tools you can use to complete each of the steps of the design thinking process. I use the word process loosely, because as with any creative endeavor, there is a certain level of flexibility required as you move along.I would mostly recommend this for those who are newer to design thinking.

This is a very well-written book, almost all of which is highly pragmatic and useful for marketing practitioners. I appreciated the authors' four-stage design project framework very much, and each of the tools is described in sufficient detail so they can be used. I also liked the four or five specific examples that the authors carried throughout the book and their final discussion about what happened with this book. All in all, this is a top-quality book for marketing practitioners, especially those who are interested in managing customer experience.

After I took Dr. Lietdka's course at Darden School of Business, I got bitten by the design thinking bug.I am an industrial engineer who loves System Thinking, specially Dr. Checkland and his soft system methodology. Now, my firm has a strong position in the innovation arena, supported in part by three seminal reads: Designing for Growth, Change by Design and Lean Startup.This book is a good beginner's tool to understand how to "design think". Enjoy!

Full Disclaimer: I am a graduate of the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business and I took Professor Jeanne Liedtka's Design Thinking class in my second year of my MBA program. My review may be a bit biased as a result.For starters, as a CPA and an MBA, I have a very hard time seeing the world outside the realm of numbers (otherwise known as the box of numbers). To me, the answers to life's mysteries/challenges and business problems can be solved with the help of Microsoft excel and a calculator. But the reality of today's business world doesn't take place in an excel model.Designing for Growth gave me a new framework to attack challenging and abstract business problems. But most importantly, Designing for Growth has helped me gain comfort with abstract ideas as I now have a framework to term this ideas into a reality.Designing for Growth will give you a new framework that will help you think more creatively and add to your underlying skill sets. This book is well worth the buy and if you ever get a chance to hear Professor Liedtka speak, I suggest you jump at the opportunity! (yes I do in fact still use a calculator). Designing for Growth has helped create a framework for me to

Great book

The authors have given design thinking a sophisticated but easy to understand and much needed new presentation. This book has already provided great fodder for conversations around the design community. I am a big fan and would recommend this to anyone trying to understand how to help people and organizations make the most out of complex opportunities. I will use the ideas in this book throughout my professional career. I hope I can meet the authors someday so I can tell them this in person!