Why we use “Design Thinking”?
Having been closely engaged in programs and activities implemented by our partners i-APS (People-first development (i-aps.com)) we have gained insight into the core challenges and best practices in three areas of work:
1.Assessing delivery of humanitarian aid in hard to reach areas
2.Enhanced community and beneficiary engagement to support appropriate and effective project design and implementation
3.Institutional strengthening and development
Since data collection and analysis is at the core of our work with i-APS we have come to understand that well informed advisory groups working in close partnership with communities, can produce effective support strategies and design actions that directly meet people’s needs.
That is why at KS-APS we always integrate data collection and close communication with partners in our work. Instead of designing solutions separately; we make active agents out of our clients and partners who closely engage in identifying gaps and exploring ways to best achieve goals and overcome their struggles.
Whether our clients work in business, government, education, or nonprofit, through design thinking we can help them develop innovative solutions based on the needs of their customers or target audiences.
See the following phases to understand our step by step approach to Design Thinking:
Once we are familiarized with our clients needs and established strong communication and partnership with their team we collectively work towards defining and structuring the list of the most important findings. At this stage we map out the structure of the client’s team: Personas, Roles and objectives, decision making mechanisms, challenges and Pain Points and frame specific questions or struggles to address.
We ask all members of our client’s organization to share their ideas. Discussions are facilitated by our experts of the field who encourage collective brainstorming of solutions. We apply a “Yes” approach to every opinion so that we don’t limit the freedom and creativity of our partners to think past the obvious. We closely engage with customers and target audiences and help them articulate and challenge their ideas for solutions via surveys and group discussions.