I read “Design Thinking Work Techniques to Systematically Generate Inspiration” by Hiroki Tanahashi.

It’s not that I’m having trouble with my work or feeling troubled (laughs). I just wondered, “What is ‘design thinking’?” and decided to read it. Lately, the word “design” has been flying around me, and I am someone who uses the term myself, but I suddenly wondered, what is design? Of course, since the way of thinking differs by field, I assume there are some differences.

As for the content of the book, the latter half focuses on actual work techniques based on human-centered design, such as planning, research, prototyping, evaluation, improvement, and plan execution, centered on the KJ method and personas. However, it also touches on the history of “design thinking” and what it actually means. The explanation of design thinking uses IDEO, a design consulting firm in Silicon Valley, USA, as an example, describing their work methods. According to this book, design thinking is…

“Using the sensibilities and methods of designers to bridge the gap between people’s needs and the power of technology.”

or

“Incorporating the sensibilities and methods of designers into realistic business strategies to create customer value and market opportunities that meet people’s needs.”

It is described as such. However, “design thinking” even defines the output. The “design” used within that context is explained as “creating a living culture,” and the work of design thinking is described as “human-centered work.” The field of Educational Technology that we are in also deals with humans, and since learning is connected to daily life, it is indeed “design thinking” work. The work flows that appear in the work techniques also have many points in common with research methods in Educational Technology. One might tend to think that these things are difficult because they rely on intuition, but according to this book, design thinking is systematized to a certain extent, and it is apparently incorporated into classes and within coursework at American universities to learn this method.
Work methods and mindsets are also written. The work methods have many similarities with SE system development methods. However, it writes about things we think about unconsciously or things we tend to forget. Among them, the keyword I thought was important is “visualization.” This is important in Web design, learning systems, and even in class; I think “visualization” is what supports everyone involved in the work to be able to do “design thinking” in tasks, thinking, and idea generation. It’s the same in meetings, isn’t it? Regarding idea generation methods, before explaining the KJ method, it is explained using “Peirce’s abduction and semiotics” based on the premise that “ideas do not come from nothing.”

# A friend of mine from my undergraduate days is researching “inspiration” and “creativity” in the field of cognitive science,
# but it seems that it is impossible for ideas to be born out of nothing, as if a light
# suddenly appears.
The work of “design thinking”—and this is also true for research meetings in Educational Technology—often involves group work (meetings). However, what I think is “easy to forget” is that the book points out that group work is not about reconciling the ideas that everyone brings, but rather “creating a state where you can see a ‘larger forest’ from a comprehensive perspective by combining diverse viewpoints based on the ideas that each person brings.”
The 7 principles of “design thinking” work also contained important points. I feel that I must always keep all of them in mind, but among them,

“Do not deny what others have created. If you don’t like it, concretely show a better alternative.”
“It is not important to ‘understand.’ Focus on what you ‘do not understand.'”

are the ones I think are important among the seven. Especially the latter, I believe, is the very reason why I am a researcher. In the field of Educational Technology, in order to achieve the goal of improving everyone’s learning, we must clarify what we “do not understand.”
Also, it is rare for a business book to introduce ethnography at the research stage. I think this is because it has the core concept of design thinking, which is human-centered design. Human-centered design is mentioned for every product, but it is quite difficult to implement. Ethnography is not a light topic like just observing subjects in a laboratory, and if done normally, it takes an enormous amount of time, so I think some kind of ingenuity is necessary when using it in actual business. Also, it is necessary to be careful that it is subjective after all. However, I agree that it is an effective tool as research to be able to see various phenomena occurring within that space. The rest is how to apply it to the field.
I think it is better to read it not for the purpose of reading it when you are in trouble with work, but for the purpose of reflecting on your daily work methods and how you conduct meetings. It reminds you of things you think about unconsciously and things you have forgotten.