Design thinking for libraries

I heard Dan Buchner give a presentation on this at the PNLA 2016 conference and it got my wheels turning.

Design thinking is a method for needs assessment, analysis and planning.  It starts with people's values and aspirations, seeking solutions that meet those needs.

Business think    Vs.    Design think:

Logical                        Intuitive

Deductive/inductive     Abductive

Proof requirement        "What if"

Precedents required    Free from history

Right and wrong          A better way

Quick decision             Open possibilities

Anti-ambiguity             Ambiguity YEAH

Results                        Meaning

Identify a problem,     Identify values
plan approaches          and resulting aspirations
and tactics                   and desired experiences

Besides a general attitude and approach, design thinking includes a methodology for interviewing people about their values, aspirations etc; and an implementation philosophy that stresses action, experimentation and prototyping.

There is a guide available at designthinkingforlibraries.com