A Designer Takes on His Biggest Challenge Ever | Fast Company
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"We moved from thinking of ourselves as designers to thinking of ourselves as design thinkers. We have a methodology that enables us to come up with a solution that nobody has before." -- David Kelley

bio of IDEO's David Kelley. IDEO is a creative design and technology firm, an inspiration.

Ideo CEO David Kelley talks about evolving Ideo from a design firm to a "design thinking" firm.

Ten Things to Demand From Design Thinkers

Design thinking starts with empathy and perception around what people actually need and do, as opposed to what they say they want. This, in turn, mandates new processes for evaluation and new metrics for measurement. It may even require the courage to make decisions that run counter to metrics. That's the decision Herman Miller designers faced when focus groups told them that people thought the first Aeron chair would be a failure.

more on luxury or dearth of its necessity

Allison Arieff

Addressing other nations at the G-20 last Wednesday, President Obama suggested that the United States was unlikely to return to its role as a “voracious consumer market.” If Obama’s right — and the experience of Japan, post-recession, suggests he may well be — what might that mean for design?