After devouring the ready-to-use wisdom in Change By Design, I began to consider the number of industrial designers I’ve met.  I asked: were they really implementing design thinking or just doing design?  Sadly, most of them fell under the latter.

One of my friends that should be above just doing design is actually trapped by it.  When he invents a truly creative gadget, he is more concerned with using that gadget to prove the supremacy of his design intelligence and impressing his fellow designers than solving core human problems or even just making the product easy to buy.

This attitude doesn’t just occur among designers. I’ve seen programmers develop software to impress other programmers, MBAs writing up business plans to astound other MBAs, and investors who invest so they can brag to other investors.

To really make a valuable impact, we must have a human-centered approach.  And, when we learn from others outside our industries and disciplines (be it a quirky psychologist or nerdy accountant), we can focus upon the underlying motivations of humanity.  Instead of a lone professional working to stroke his ego and impress his peers, an intelligent team of individuals can present working solutions to the world.

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