Stick to that thought

MANILA, Philippines - “Design thinking is a way of thinking about the world, and a way of approaching problems, with the human at its center,” explains Arriane Serafico co-founder of Designing.PH, the Wanderrgirl herself, who helped draft The Philippine Design Competitiveness Act, which aims to establish a national design policy for the country.

The 25-year-old good governance advocate says design thinking can be applied for both the private and public sectors.

“Design thinking can allow businesses to create products and services that are more unique, engaging and environmentally friendly. It can enable governments to be more forward-looking. It can push creativity and innovation for a country to stay globally competitive,” she explains.

Armed with Post-It Notes, markers and a whole lot of ideas, thinkers dare to re-design the world. Recently, 45 individuals came up with proposed solutions to the challenge: How to Improve the Manila Tourist Experience. The two-day Design Thinking Bootcamp looked like a “Post-it party” with ideas posted everywhere in the unique space of Meridian International (MINT) College, a “not your ordinary college” where “creativity, ingenuity and responsibility come together.”

“Any profession can benefit from design thinking,” Arianne adds. “And it’s not just some fancy new term of brainstorming. Ideation starts with the problem, instead of going straight to thinking about the solutions.”

Only after drawing insights from real-life observations can the next step of design thinking begin: Ideation. It is the process of brainstorming possible solutions to address the challenges faced by the users. Solving problems the same way, or by using a time-tested template won’t always work. Arriane recommends “divergent thinking” — looking at different perspectives to solve a problem, and an optimistic mindset that believes ideas will work despite signs of difficulty.

That’s why Post-It Notes are ideal for design thinking. These multi-colored sticky papers are a staple in design thinking activities all over the world, and a favorite office and creative tool.

“My favorite part as a facilitator is letting my team members attack a wall on their own to rearrange Post-It notes and move group ideas around while discussing them. These help form connections and allows them to build on each other’s ideas,” says Arriane.

For information, visit www.post-it.com.ph and like 3M Philippines on Facebook.