Scrum and Design Thinking: Solving Complex Problems Together
What is Design Thinking?
Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.*
Design Thinking does not have a single definition, it has evolved over the years and continues to do so. It might be considered as a concept, a method or a strategy of providing innovative solutions that solve people’s problems. Or it might be considered as a way we see the world... In a nutshell, Design Thinking is focused on solving people’s problems through creativity.** Even without formal training, individuals can use it as a creative method to tackle a wide variety of challenges.
How are Scrum and Design Thinking compatible?
Considering Design Thinking’s human-centered approach and Scrum’s focus to solve complex problems for people, it is surprising that Design Thinking and Scrum are sometimes regarded as incompatible. The idea that Design Thinking and Scrum cannot align often stems from viewing Design Thinking as only a process, and/ or viewing Scrum merely as a vehicle to deliver stuff faster. In reality, at their core, both approaches emphasize solving problems for people—whether they are end-users, customers, or stakeholders.
At the heart of Design Thinking is human-centered design. It focuses on deeply understanding the needs, desires, and pain points of people, leading to solutions that truly resonate. Similarly, Scrum is built around delivering true value to the customer through continuously gathering feedback and iterating through incremental delivery.
By embracing the mindset and principles of human-centered design inherent in Design Thinking, Scrum Teams can enhance their ability to deliver innovative, impactful solutions for their customers.
The Benefits of Incorporating Design Thinking into Scrum
Incorporating Design Thinking in Scrum allows Scrum Teams to empathize, learn and achieve better customer outcomes through activities such as:
- Observing and immersing in the user’s physical environment
- Empathy & Journey Mapping
- Reframing and opening up problem statements using methods such as “How Might We?”
- Ideation approaches such as Worst Possible Idea, Scamper and Crazy Eights
- Prototyping and testing assumptions
- Using divergent and convergent thinking to help Scrum teams tackle complex problems collaboratively.
- Exploring and leveraging the different perspectives in the team
These activities, among many others, allow Scum Teams to truly keep their users at the heart of everything they do. Scrum Teams might see results such as:
- Improved user outcomes
- Increased stakeholder buy-in and engagement
- Ability to innovate
- Bringing the team members closer to those they are developing for
- Faster time to market
- Continuous learning and adaptation
- Reduced waste. (Early prototyping and user testing help identify and eliminate ideas that will not work.)
In essence, Scrum and Design Thinking both share a fundamental principle: creating meaningful outcomes by keeping people at the center of the process. Together, they empower teams to solve problems creatively, iteratively, and, most importantly, with a focus on the human experience. We’ve included several resources for you to learn more.
* https://designthinking.ideo.com/faq/how-do-people-define-design-thinking
** https://designthinking.ideo.com/
Resources:
Other:
https://designthinking.ideo.com/
https://medium.com/@davegray/updated-empathy-map-canvas-46df22df3c8a
https://voltagecontrol.com/articles/journey-mapping-in-design-thinking-best-practices-tools/
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/how-might-we
https://www.qmarkets.net/resources/article/ideation-design-thinking/
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process