Strategy & Change Consulting

Agile approach

Procedure

Your benefit

As “Design Thinking” Facilitators and Consultants we offer you

Design Thinking facilitation,
Consulting and preparation of Design Thinking workshops
Integration of the Design Thinking approach into your innovation process
Consulting and training in the Design Thinking methodology and conducting corresponding workshops and trainings.

Request a Quote for Your Design Thinking Workshop Now – Free of Charge!

Design Thinking: the Method

The “Design Thinking” approach starts from the needs of the end user (“user centric approach“):

What user “personas” are there?
What challenges does he/she have?
What could solution approaches look like for the user’s problems?
Do they (really?) work? Can these solution approaches be made even better?
If so, how, to ensure a user-friendly, useful end product that really makes a difference?

These are the core questions to which the Design Thinking approach provides valid, actionable, implementable, and relatively quick answers.

The Design Thinking Process

The Design Thinking process takes place in these five steps:

Design Thinking Moderation - Process — Typical Phases of a Design Thinking Process

Understand what the problem is (“ideate”)
Define the problem (clearly) (“define”)
Develop solution ideas (“Ideate”)
Develop prototypes (“prototype”)
Test solution approach, gain insights into functionality (“testing”)

If the results of the “testing” phase are not yet good enough, steps 1-5 are repeated until a prototype emerges that users rate as sufficiently functional and “good/very good”.

Design Thinking Method Toolkit

Für jeden der fünf oben beschriebenen Design Thinking Schritte gibt es einen sehr breiten „Methodenkoffer“. Für jede Ausgangssituation und Zielstellung, Produktart oder Dienstleistungs-Kategorie gibt es spezifische Methoden – zu viele, um sie hier alle zu erwähnen.

Aber einen guten Teil davon haben wir hier in unserem Artikel über Design Thinking Methoden beschrieben, falls Sie jetzt noch tiefer einsteigen möchten.

Design Thinking Workshop Ablauf – mehr Details Andere interaktive Workshop-Methoden

The Strength of the Design Thinking Approach

Design Thinking workshops are often booked with us (and we love moderating them!) because the method

durch den Nutzerzentrierten Ansatz Irrwege vermeidet
dadurch unnötige Projektkosten umgeht
somit Zeit, Geld und letztlich auch Personalressourcen spart
in der Konsequenz Ihre internen oder externen Kund:innen bessere Nutzer-Erfahrungen sammeln lässt
… und Ihre Abteilung / Ihr Unternehmen / Ihre Organisation für Ihren Nutz-Wert noch stärker respektiert werden wird als vorher.

Examples of Design Thinking Applications

Product development:
Design Thinking can help develop better products because it focuses the development process on the customer and their needs.
Service development:
Companies can use Design Thinking to develop better services by focusing on customer needs and creating a customer-centric experience.
Process optimization:
With Design Thinking, workflows and core processes can be optimized to reduce process turnaround times, optimize interfaces, and create significantly higher satisfaction among customers and employees.
Organizational development:
With the user-centric approach, strategies can be developed, business models adjusted, and structures and processes optimized.
Marketing and advertising:
Design Thinking can also help develop a creative and effective marketing strategy because the Design Thinking approach focuses on the needs and desires of customers.

Overall, Design Thinking can be used in all areas where it’s about,

Probleme zu lösen,
Innovationen zu schaffen
und kundenorientierte Lösungen zu entwickeln.

Design Thinking Workshops: Preparation and Success Conditions

To achieve the effects described above, a number of conditions must be met:

It Needs a “Real” Problem
A product needs improvement, a service is not running smoothly, a process needs to be “overhauled”? The Design Thinking method provides tailor-made solutions for these (and other) challenges.
All Stakeholders “On Board” and Involved
In the 1st phase (“ideate/understand”), valid data is needed from the “end users” who use or experience the service/product/process. The more strongly and impressively the experiences of “real users” flow into the Design Thinking process, the better the developed solutions will fit.
Deep Methodological Knowledge
…(we bring with us).
Sufficient Time
The more complex the problem/question,
the more different stakeholders there are,
the more different solution approaches are to be developed,
the more people will need to be involved in the process,
the longer the process will therefore take.
Rule of Thumb: A typical Design Thinking workshop lasts about 1 day (for the first iteration). Shorter formats are possible but do not deliver better results.
Space for Thinking – Material for Visualization
Spacious and airy rooms expand thinking.
Tactile material for developing prototypes makes the solution approaches developed in the “prototype” phase tangibly experienceable. This allows for more targeted and better feedback from “test users” in the “testing” phase. This facilitates the work for all involved and leads to “value-enhancing” or more useful iterations.

Prototypical Design Thinking Workshop Process

Here is a prototypical process of a Design Thinking workshop from one of our consulting projects:

Zeit	Schrittfolge
8.45	Ankommen, Kaffee
9.00	Hallo Vorstellung der Design Thinking Coaches
9.10	ÜBERSICHT: Design Thinking Methode Challenge definieren
9.45	Teambuilding „Helicopter“ Check-in
10.00	EMPATHIZE – Input
10.15	EMPATHIZE 1. Status Quo Raster 2. „5 Whys“
11.15	— KAFFEEPAUSE —
11.30	DEFINE – Input
11.45	DEFINE 1. User Journey 2. „Möglichkeits-Felder“
12.30	— Mittagspause —
13.30	IDEATE – Input
13.45	IDEATE 1. Bodystorm, „Facilitated Stargazing“ 2. Morphologischer Kasten
14.45	PROTOTYPE – Input
15.00	PROTOTYPE 1. Idea Napkin 2. „Bauen“ der Prototypen
16.00	TESTING – Input
16.15	TESTING • Gruppen testen Ihre Ideen untereinander, sammeln strukturiertes Feedback ein
16.55	PRÄSENTATIONEN • 3 min pro Team
17.15	Feedback
17.30	ENDE

How We Work as Design Thinking Facilitators

We Listen
and gain a deep understanding of context, initial situation, and objectives
We Ask Questions
and understand what you need and what might (still) be standing in the way of your objective
We Propose
a targeted and suitable approach from our professional perspective
We Agree
on what is possible and adapt our approach
We Select
We have suitable methods for every initial situation and every objective
… and we make you an irresistible offer
with a tailor-made approach, pragmatic, detailed, with many suitable references, cost-saving and quick implementation perspective.

Individual Design Thinking Facilitators or Well-Coordinated Teams

Some Design Thinking workshops need more support than others – especially when it comes to larger groups with many stakeholders involved.

Mit unserem professionellen und sehr erfahrenem Team sind auch für größere Projekte gut aufgestellt.

Hier finden Sie Referenzen und Kundenstimmen und eine Übersicht der Auszeichnungen, die wir bisher verliehen bekommen haben.

Consulting on Introducing the Design Thinking Approach

If you’re not just looking for Design Thinking facilitators, but are considering introducing Design Thinking as an agile innovation method or anchoring it as a permanent part of the DNA of your company, you’ve also come to exactly the right place.

We advise you on how to

Anchor Design Thinking as an integral part of your development and innovation process in your company
Train your R&D teams in Design Thinking
Improve your internal processes with the Design Thinking method and make them more user-friendly
Achieve even better customer ratings in customer service and support
Make your services even more value-enhancing and customer-friendly
Continuously improve your products faster based on the true needs and requirements of real users/buyers

Schedule a free initial consultation for your Design Thinking project here!

Let’s talk!

We have more than 21 years of experience and will be happy to advise you!

Book your free initial consultation. We will get in touch with you.

ENTHUSIASTIC CUSTOMER REACTIONS AND OPINIONS:

Thank you very much for the highly professional and motivating implementation of the Open Space. The feedback from the participants was consistently positive.

Thank you again for the great workshop – we have already started implementing the first suggestions and are having a lot of fun doing so.

The training was enjoyable and, above all, it advanced us, inspired us, and was fun. Thank you very much for that!

That was really good. You understand your craft!

Thank you for the great event. We took away a lot of impulses and look forward to reaping the benefits.

We have received very positive feedback about your training. Thank you very much for that!

That was a really great workshop, thank you very much!

Thank you once again for this all-around successful workshop day! We couldn’t have managed it like this without your support. The effort was worth it!

Thank you again for the great workshop – we are very happy with the outcome!

The day was extremely productive. I am very motivated to continue working with the results.

I’m always thrilled to work with professionals – Thank you very much for the goal-oriented moderation!

A big thank you for moderating the workshop. As a team, we emerged from the day with a good team spirit and a clearer picture regarding the way forward. The workshop was very worthwhile!

4-day workshop and yet: playful, creative, inspiring and structured with good methodology. Highly recommended.

Objective, constructive, optimistic – You have put us on course. Thank you to initio – I will definitely recommend you!

The DAV sincerely thanks initio for their support on this sometimes challenging journey. A mission statement of this quality would not have been possible without initio, and above all, we would not have conducted the discussion so openly. We are grateful for this impetus.

Once again, my sincere thanks for the excellent collaboration, organization, and the great results of the workshops!

We achieved all our goals and it was exactly what I had envisioned. Thank you very much!

It’s fun to work with you!

That was a very good method. We couldn’t have done it without you!

The support in the preparation and execution of our retreat was very professional and helped us greatly. We were very satisfied with the two intensive days

Everyone was very satisfied with your moderation. The agreements made together work wonders. The team workshop did us a lot of good!

It’s truly impressive how you perceive group dynamics and spontaneously guide them in a targeted manner for further proceedings during the event. We all, and I personally, really liked that.

The change management training was very good! You truly understand the subject matter in depth – it shows.

You moderated our two-day strategy workshop very professionally. The challenge was significant, and the result is very good. Thank you very much for that!

The minister’s cabinet and the department are pleased with the excellent cooperation, which is characterized by trust, reliability, and great empathy!

You were a real asset to our team development. Thank you very much for that!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with you both personally and professionally, and it was a great pleasure to conduct this workshop together with you!

Thank you for the valuable insights into your practical work and the many tips and moderation tricks that provided a lively glimpse into the implementation of methods.

The interactive conference design was really helpful in implementing our WE strategy. Through the high employee participation, we received important impulses for further implementation. The preparation was precise, and the on-site collaboration was professional and very pleasant. Thank you!

Your vigilant and well-founded moderation and inspiration have helped us tremendously. The team was also thrilled!

I have received only positive feedback about your training. The content was very relevant to practice and everyone also found the structure of the seminar very good!

I am very satisfied with the consultation. The workshop has brought us a great step forward. Thank you for that!

Thank you for the great training. You have stimulated many thought processes in me!

Her expertise received 9.5 out of 10 possible points, her teaching 8.8 and the learning atmosphere 9.7 points. Top!

Thank you once again for the truly excellent consultation! This quality is not often encountered.

Thank you very much for your great support. Thanks to your help, we have truly taken a big step forward.

We are all thrilled with your seminar. Thank you very much! I have already implemented the first impulses and I’m already noticing initial successes. I’m looking forward to trying more…

A very helpful and good workshop! The results also helped us greatly during the restructuring phase.

This was a very efficient process that provided us with valuable insights and results. I am looking forward to the further process.

Our leadership conference greatly benefited from your intensive methodical consultation and professional moderation. The results exceeded our expectations!

The Open Space format was a powerful and thoroughly successful kick-off for our change process. The ministry was also thrilled!

The team development was truly excellent preparation for our strategy retreat.

We have received exclusively positive feedback on the conference. We can work very well with the results. Thank you very much for your commitment!

initio operates in the sensitive, complex, and dynamic field of strategic consulting not only efficiently but with foresight, sustainability, and passion. The impulses from our collaboration continue to influence our daily business at Sony Music to this day.

You prepared our workshop intensively and precisely. Both the method and moderation fit very well with our objectives. We were able to continue working very successfully with the results. Thank you very much!

I received particularly positive feedback regarding your moderation. Several workshop-experienced participants reported that they came with rather low expectations and left extremely positively surprised.

I have rarely experienced processes where so much has been achieved.

I will adopt some of your methods for my own workshops.

Thank you very much for this team development process. I’m glad we booked you.

You have played a very significant role in the success of our event, because without your support, it would have been much more difficult for us to ‘sell’ your innovative approach. Thank you for that!

The seminar was very helpful and will accompany me for weeks and months to come.

Very good! 1.6 as feedback score from workshop participants – I hope we continue the constructive and very pleasant collaboration!

Your sharp analytical skills were very impressive and helpful.

I learned a great deal in your seminar. It was exactly the right mix of theory, inspiration, and practical application. Therefore, I give it 9 out of 10 points!

Thank you for these really good, efficient days! The workshop was received positively throughout.
Thank you very much for your support!

The mission statement process was straightforward and creative. A very good result all around!

4 days workshop and yet: playful, creative, inspiring and structured with good methodology. Absolutely recommended.

By your professional steering of the process, you have played a significant part in the success of the project. Thank you very much!

Thank you very much for the really helpful seminar!

A model of this quality would not have been possible without your help. The result, however, is thoroughly gratifying and is already finding its way into our daily work.

The well-prepared and professionally accompanied team event gave us valuable suggestions and insights. Together we are now implementing this in further concrete steps. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the valuable insights into your practical work and the many tips and facilitation tricks that gave a lively insight into method implementation.

Rarely received such a well-structured seminar with excellent content.

It was impressive to see how much came out of our workshop. That was outstanding!

We are more than satisfied with the result. Thanks again for doing an excellent job! We hope to continue working with you!

The method training was very helpful. We can highly recommend initio Consulting for future seminars.

After the workshops with initio, we can clearly see how we can develop and proceed further and which tasks have high priority now. Thank you very much for your support!

The strategy workshop was extremely productive. You have always kept the group focused on the essential issues. We fully recommend your facilitation!