Mind mapping: The key role in Design Thinking Process

Mind mapping is used to represent how ideas or other items are linked to a central idea and

to each other. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure and classify ideas to

look for patterns and insights that provide key design criteria.

Challenge : Mind mapping is one of the most powerful tools in the design thinker's toolbox.  It's

used to look for patterns, it's used to look for insights, that lead to more creative solutions to your

design challenge.

Selection: In the first phase of design thinking process, we take a look at the current reality. At

what is. In doing so, we amass a huge amount of data. Before moving to the next phase, what if,

we need to distill all that data into information and insights that can be easily communicated. This

is just what mind mapping does well. At Darton, we use mind mapping with executives, students,

steel-makers, educators, retailers, those are not-for-profit firms, government agencies, consumer

package goods companies, and all will attest to its power.

Application: Mind mapping is looking for patterns and insights in a large quantity  of data you

collected during your exploration of what is the current reality. The goal is to establish criteria for

the what-if idea generation phase. This phase is pivotal in the design thinking process. Mind

mapping provides a segway from what is to what if. Mind mapping  is an engaging alternative to

that giant report we might otherwise have written to sum up and communicate in prose and

charts and spreadsheets. Mind mapping is more intuitive. It's more creative. It's more visual, and

it's more engaging. David Kelley, the founder of IDEO said, when I want to do something

analytical, I make a list. When I'm trying to do something creative, I make a mind-map. That said,

let's be clear what we  don't mean by mind-mapping and the design-thinking process.In design

thinking we use the mind mapping process to capture and represent the minds of our

customers. That's minds, minds, of our customers. We involve our colleagues in order to develop

a common  mind among them regarding the current reality of a design challenge.Through mind

mapping, we extract meaning from data in a way that lets patterns and insights emerge. Patterns

and insights we might otherwise have missed, as we sorted piecemeal through the data, to

generate that report I mentioned.But the design thinking process of generating the map,

deliberately involves many stakeholders.

Insight: By the way, Mind Mapping is a great way to align the organization around a common

understanding of the current reality.  This can be a big help as you move forward in the design

process. Equip each gallery-goer with a clipboard, a bold marker, and a bunch of medium-sized

sticky notes. Ask them to browse through the gallery on their own, with or without talking to one

another.Ask them to pick out the good stuff.That is, ask them to note on separate sticky notes

any item they believe might inform new ideas.

Now be sure you've reminded them of the design challenge so they have that mind as they

browse.Ask them to take note of what fits, as well as what doesn't fit. Sometimes the good stuff

is what appears to be an outlier.

Approach: An insight statement is more than just a word. Your participants have made

observations. Now they must turn those observations into insights. They need to uncover what's

implied by the observations. A good way to get this started is to ask, so what? You might need to

ask, so what several times. continue until meaningful insight statements emerge.Once you have

your design criteria in hand, you'll be ready to move on to thinking about possible solutions to

your design challenge.Design criteria are the foundation of What if? Your team will have

agreement regarding how to decide if a solution is good, but you won't have a solution in mind In

What if, you'll focus on possibilities. I hope you can see how critical mind mapping is to the

design thinking process. And how it can unleash creativity and intuition, that will serve you

well throughout the rest of the process. And mind mapping can be a lot of fun

