When I first learnt, that we would be subjected to a two-day Design Thinking workshop, my immediate thought was, that like a true MBA school, our institute has decided to add yet another buzzword to their curriculum. Going in, I was expecting a professor as old as time, droning on and on about two HBR readings, three case studies and six journal pieces. (Okay, maybe some exaggeration there). Thankfully, Design Thinking turned out to be a rather, memorable and unique experience.
Our instructor for the course, turned out to be Mr. Ankur Grover, a young Design Thinking practitioner himself, and co-founder of Tinker Labs. For those who are unaware, a slight detour. Design Thinking refers to the creative strategies used by designers in their work process. However, over time Design Thinking has evolved into a problem-solving approach for both businesses and social innovators. Design Thinking is essentially a five-step approach that helps answer problems that don’t have straightjacket solutions. More on it, as we go along.
For our workshop, first, we were divided into teams of eight. Even this was not going to be straightforward. The class was split into groups based on their pick of Hogwarts Houses and whether they identified with the Dark Knight or the Man of Steel. And then the teams were made by mixing from each group in just the right quantities. Once that was done, our team, which we had very ‘creatively’ named the titular, Resign Thinkers, got to work.
Our task was to solve one problem faced by any stakeholder (Have to throw in some MBA jargon, after all) on the campus. We decided to tackle the lack of collaborative work and study spaces for MBA students in the campus. Of course, this is with the assumption that students do actually study. Debatable yes, but we proceeded. The first step in this process is to empathize with our user. Thus, for the first time, we were getting academic credits for roaming around in the campus, talking to our fellow batch mates. Why aren’t all classes like that?
The next step is what they call Define. We sat down actually defining our definitive problem statement and profiling our users. How do you do that, you ask? Well, you run to the center of the class, like it is the beginning loot in the Hunger Games and raid as much stationary as possible. Thus, we began drawing and charting our user. The next step was to Ideate. Idea after idea, posted on a stick it notes, slapped on a large chart paper. Probability and Possibility, no bar.
Step Four is to Prototype. And then we did something, I haven’t done since the fifth standard. Made prototypes of our different workspace designs. Bean Bags, soft floor, Epic Lego wall, vending machines, charging stations, projectors, partitions and what not. Our final step was to get Feedback. And thus, began chaos. 400 odd students who had the workshop that day were roaming around showcasing their prototypes to each other.
Design Thinking is not a linear process, nor is it an exact science. It is a creative, iterative process. After each round of feedback, you keep going back to the drawing board, till you have found the perfect solution. And that is what we did, to arrive at our spectacular (so humble!) workspace.
Design Thinking remains the most enjoyable course I have taken in the entire first year of MBA and has really changed the way I look at problems. It is a course that really should be part of every MBA’s curriculum.
An ABG Company I wish to work for: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd.
I did my summer internship at Madura Fashion & Lifestyle (a division of ABFRL) and, given a chance, I would love to continue my association with the company. Retail, especially apparel retail, itself is going through a very interesting phase in the country with all the recent developments and MFL is a leading player. MFL, does not only house the country’s leading fashion brands (Louis Philippe, Peter England and Van Heusen, to name a few), it also has a fantastic work culture. At Madura, there are no hierarchical barriers. Everyone, right up to the senior management is approachable and helpful. The only rule at Madura, is to deliver on your work. No other aspect of your work style is dictated by the company. And of course, the hefty employee discounts and abundant travel opportunities, really just make it one of the most attractive work propositions.