Design Thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation that has gained significant popularity in recent years for its ability to tackle complex problems and drive creative solutions. Originally developed by David Kelley and Tim Brown of IDEO, the process has been widely adopted by designers, engineers, and businesses around the world.

At its core, Design Thinking is about understanding the needs of the people you are designing for, generating ideas to meet those needs, and then testing and refining those ideas to create innovative solutions. It is a flexible and iterative process that encourages collaboration, experimentation, and empathy.

Because of this, The Massive Collective adopted the standard Design Thinking approach to align with the needs of Te Ao Māori. This has led to a unique interpretation that we use as part of our core tīkanga when developing solutions whether that, is digital, strategy or business development.

Our Design Thinking Tīkanga
Our tīkanga brings to the forefront our values as a company and interweaves those throughout the five stages of design thinking. These values are

• Kaupapa Māori
  Underpinning all work that we undertake
• Tīkanga Māori
  Promoting and using Te Reo
• Kairangi
  Maintaining high standards
• Kaitiakitanga
  Nurturing, consolidating, developing and expanding
• Manaakitanga
  Valuing our people and customers
• Wairuatanga
  Recognising and Respecting

With this uplift, we have created our very own Design Thinking Tīkanga. It contains six stages of the process which is split into three phases:

• Understand
• Explore
• Materialise

A practitioner moves between the stages within the phases as depicted in the image below.

The Six Stages of Design Thinking

1. Whakaarohia - Empathise
   The first stage of the Design Thinking process is to empathise with the people we are designing the solution for. This involves understanding their needs, desires, and challenges through observation, interviews, and other research methods. By putting ourselves in the shoes of your users, we gain valuable insights that will inform the rest of the solution design process.
   
   Empathy is crucial in this stage. As solution practitioners, we must set aside our assumptions and approach the problem with an open mind, seeking to understand the experiences and perspectives of the people we are designing for. This stage often involves conducting interviews, observations, and surveys to gather insights into the users' needs and motivations. We often conduct a lot of these activities kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) in alignment with Kaupapa Māori values.
2. Whakamāramatia - Define
   Once we have a deep understanding of your users, the next step is to define the problem you are trying to solve. This involves synthesizing our research findings and identifying the core issues that need to be addressed. This step is crucial as it sets the direction for the rest of the solution design process.
   
   In the define stage, we work to craft a meaningful and actionable problem statement. This statement is based on the insights gathered during the empathise stage and clearly articulates the challenge at hand. A well-defined problem statement sets the stage for the ideation and prototyping stages that follow.
3. Whakaarotia - Ideate
   With a clear problem statement in hand, it's time to start generating ideas. This stage is all about brainstorming and exploring a wide range of possible solutions. There are no bad ideas at this stage – the goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible, no matter how wild or impractical they may seem.
   
   Ideation sessions can take many forms, from group brainstorming sessions to individual sketching exercises. The key is to encourage creativity and collaboration, allowing ideas to flow freely without judgment. This stage is about quantity over quality, as a diverse range of ideas can lead to innovative solutions.
4. Tauria taketake - Prototype
   Once we have a selection of ideas, the next step is to create prototypes. Prototypes can range from rough or simple written/sketched ideas to more complex models, depending on the nature of the solution design challenge. The goal of prototyping is to quickly and cheaply test ideas and gather feedback from you or your users.
   
   Prototyping is a crucial stage in our tīkanga, as it allows our kaimahi to bring ideas to life and test them in a real-world context. By creating tangible prototypes, we can gather valuable feedback from users, whānau, stakeholders, and ultimately you as our customer. This can then be used to refine and improve their ideas.
5. Whakamātautau - Test
   Entering into the final phase of our Design Thinking Tīkanga is to test our prototypes with real users. This stage is all about getting feedback and refining ideas based on what we learn. By testing early and often, you can quickly identify what works and what doesn't, saving time and money in the long run.
   
   Testing is an iterative process, and we may need to go through multiple rounds of testing and refinement before arriving at a final solution. This stage is crucial for ensuring that the final product meets the needs of users and delivers a fit-for-purpose solution.
6. Whakakaupapatanga - Implement
   The final stage of our Design Thinking Tīkanga is to implement the solution. This involves bringing ideas to life and integrating them into the real world. In the digital space, implementation may involve working with our product development team to turn your prototypes into fully functioning products or services. In our Strategy & Business Development space, implementation may involve working with your kaimahi to understand the strategy, onboard and develop processes of methods to tautoko (support) the implementation of the strategy or mahi required.
   
   Implementation is a critical stage in the Design Thinking process, as it is where ideas are transformed into reality. This stage requires careful planning and coordination to ensure that the final product achieves its intended goals.

Conclusion
Our Design Thinking Tīkanga is a powerful tool for driving innovation and solving complex problems. By putting the needs of users at the centre of the solution design process, Design Thinking encourages creative thinking and collaboration, leading to innovative solutions that truly meet the needs of users. Whether you're designing a new product, service, or organisational process, this tīkanga can help you approach your challenges with empathy, creativity, and innovation.

If you are interested in learning more about how we can use our Design Thinking Tīkanga to support your Company or Organisation please reach out for a kōrero to explore your next steps.