Contributions of Design Thinking in Inter and Transdisciplinary Communication, Research & Co-work Environment for Complex Problem Solving

Fátima Caiado, Leonardo Springer

Design, as research process, management strategy or problem-solving methodology, is nowadays embedded on organizational structures, social demands and in human interaction and experiences. Involves digital & analogue technologies, requires immersion in complex problems and systems, since the stage of identifying problems, constraints and consequently needs and opportunities, with constant feedback that prompts multidisciplinary team’s cooperation looping, from gathering data, to ideation, model and prototype, analysis, and synthesis, evaluate and test, experiment, thus presenting solutions. This cybernetic loop research process stimulates and feeds itself of feedbacks gained also from Inter and Transdisciplinary Communication, that stimulates new knowledge [7], in Research & Development + Innovation (R&D+I).

This exploratory research approaches a Project-Based Methodology known as Design Thinking (DT), considering four models: Stanford d. School - 5 Step Design Thinking; Design Council - Double Diamond; IDEO Human-Centered Design, 3I’s model (Inspiration, Ideation, Implementation); and Katja Tschimmel - Evolution 6*, and the Creative Techniques used in these methodologies.

The present deductive research tries to explain correlations between its use in academia/business/social environments, as a transdisciplinary communication approach, to complex problem resolution, embedding Design Thinking methodologies in applied research.

* “R&D is increasingly viewed as an input to innovation in the context of the overall efforts made in a knowledge-based global economy.” pp.3 [9] “2.9. The term R&D covers three types of activity: basic research, applied research and experimental development. … Applied research is original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge. It is, however, directed primarily towards a specific, practical aim or objective.” pp.45 [9]

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