Demystification of Design Thinking in Problem-solving

Design Thinking’s increasing demand exist because the world is changing rapidly, and the problems that we face are growing in complexity. We can no longer resolve them merely through our knowledge and experience; we need innovative methods to address these challenging issues. Design Thinking is effective in these situations. Design Thinking employs different thinking styles and approaches toward problem solving. It is beneficial not only resolving difficult and complex problems, but also help to identify new opportunities through Design Thinking approaches and generate creative solutions that exceed expectations. If we consider Design Thinking is an alternative approach for problem-solving, then we shall see how it different from the other problem-solving approaches, and how it can facilitate an effective process for solving daily or business problems from design perspectives. This study is a theoretical research and mainly focuses on comparing the traditional problem-solving approach with the design thinking problem-solving approach in resolving complex and wicked problems. This paper introduces the concepts of traditional problem-solving approach and wicked problems, and illustrative the deficiency of the traditional problem-solving approach in resolving wicked problem with an authentic example. The paper further explains the problem-solving approach of design thinking and why it is more effective in resolving complex and wicked problems, and how it also helps to identify opportunities through the problem-solving process.