3 Design Thinking exercises to make problem-solving more exciting

Design Thinking workshops provide a hands-on approach to problem-solving.

Giving designers hands-on experience with Design Thinking is essential. We’ll learn to walk in the shoes of the end-user and also make decisions focusing on their needs. In some cases, Design Thinking exercises are added to a meeting to help solve a problem that seems challenging — but how do we make sure we keep those problem-solving sessions exciting?

Here are 3 techniques and exercises from Design Thinking that you can leverage.

The best way to give designers hands-on experience with Design Thinking is through exercises.

#1 — “Yes, but” vs. “Yes, and” exercise

That exercise takes more than 15 minutes and is done in pairs. The purpose of that exercise is to improve teamwork and learn to accept others’ ideas and also build on them. It shows the difference between an open and closed mindset.

The exercise starts with choosing a task that will be discussed. Both designers must know the task. One person will start the conversation by sharing an idea. Now, let’s decide that both designers have to design a search page together.

Designer 1: “The search page should show current trends.”