Design Thinking Methods - Part 1: Canvas
Design thinking is a meanwhile widespread agile approach to problem solving or the development of innovative ideas. The method is often used in product development, but can also be applied in other processes. For example, in your marketing!
Learn today in the first part of our series "Design Thinking" how to visualise your company DNA with the practical tool "Canvas"!
1. What is Design Thinking actually?
In design thinking, it is assumed that challenges are solved faster and better when people from different disciplines work together. Openness to feedback and different perspectives play a central role. This is the only way to maximise creativity in the team.
In strategic marketing and customer communication, you can use design thinking methods for a change of perspective. Look at and analyse a problem from the customer's point of view and you will find that challenges suddenly appear in a different light and you find creative approaches to solving complex problems.
2. Use from Design Thinking in B2B Strategy workshops
Design thinking methods are increasingly being used in strategic workshops for brand development and positioning.
As a "soft" introduction to a strategy workshop, you can use the "canvas", among other things. This approach originally comes from painting (cavas = canvas). Become an artist yourself by quickly but creatively assembling your ideas into a collage on a sheet of paper.
This approach does not yet require you to switch to the client perspective, but it does encourage ingenuity and creativity in your interdisciplinary workshop team.
3. How does the "Canvas"?
The so-called canvas method is used to identify the company's own DNA - i.e. the central characteristics that define you as a company.
Divide the group into small groups and make various (thematically different) magazines and journals available. Now your colleagues can give free rein to their creativity and cut out pictures and text passages that match your company. Two collages are created per group, which should answer the following questions:
- Who are we today?
- Who do we want to be tomorrow?
The results are presented in a joint round after completion. Analyse together which elements are and will remain part of the company DNA. Pay particular attention to the areas in which further development is necessary to achieve your vision for the future.
If you are interested in learning which other agile design thinking methods you can use in your strategy workshops, stay tuned! We will continuously present more methods in our blog that support you in optimising your brand communication.
Yvonne Willmer
At Blaupause , my main task is to structure and manage complex projects for industrial clients. From time to time, however, I also write blog articles and social media posts on B2B topics that are close to my heart. Have you already put some of our suggestions into practice? Then I would be happy if you tell me about your results.