What is the Difference Between Lean and Design Thinking?
I get this question a lot.
The next question after that would be: aren’t they the same?
I posted this question on my twitter feed and here are some great replies. Thanks guys!
Apples and oranges. Lean and agile are methodologies for the product development process. DT is about understanding the user from step 1, whether that is in the product process, the strategy process, or any other business aspect. Much more broad than lean or agile.
— Santiago Castillo (@Casti_io) July 16, 2018
All think of the client, DT focuses on the feeling and the experience, lean more for smoother process. Perhaps in agile and lean, aesthetics don’t have as much value? Many differences, but hard to put on words. All are i.e. user centric but a bit differently
— Irina Kujanpää (@IKujanpaa) July 8, 2018
I’m not going to go into the details of each process as there are tons of great articles written on it. The value-add I can offer is to discuss these two process at a conceptual level so that we may understand when and how best to apply them.
The reason for much of the confusion is that there are a lot of similarities between the two processes. I like to describe Lean and Design Thinking as 2 sides of the same coin, but the context of use is very different. What does not help is when presentations I have seen on Lean methodology uses Design Thinking as part of their repertoire of tools.
So both take a human-centered approach to understand what customers or stakeholders require, and then redirecting the focus on delivering to what they want. Both processes use an iterative methodology as a way to learn, refine and validate our offerings to ensure that they are correct. But the similarities go as far as this.
The way I usually explain the difference is as follows:
Lean focuses on optimising a process by removing waste so that you can deliver on the best experience as possible for your customer. This assumes that this “experience” is right for your customer in the first place. Design Thinking is what you use to determine if it’s right or not.
To expand on this, Lean (as described by a good friend at IBM) is a project management methodology that allows for quick changes or improvements, with a focus on delivering the highest quality product or solution. Design Thinking asks a simple question: knowing now what our customers are looking for, what are our opportunities for our business so that we can continue to remain relevant to our customers in the future.
Here is a handy table for your conscious consumption.
I love to hear your thoughts, please do drop me a message below if you have any.
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