In our previous article Part 1, we looked at the overview of what Design Thinking is all about, its roles, processes and tools that can be employed to effectively come up with a more “humanize” design for our customers. In Part 2 we will look at the gathering of the “right” people for the establishment of the Design Team members to effectively get things started.
In terms of team composition for Design Thinking, we need to fulfil the following roles to ensure that the team can function effectively.
| No | Role | Responsible For | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DT Sponsor | Executive Sponsor for the Design Team, someone who is Senior in the organization, holds budgets and authority on key areas and processes. | Main Role |
| 2 | DT Facilitator | Facilitate and coach the Design Team on using the “right” Design Thinking tools, processes, and best practices | Main Role |
| 3 | DT Coordinator | Coordinate Design Team activities | Main Role |
| 4 | DT Designers | Core Design Team members | Main Role |
| 5 | Stakeholders | Key people who have a keen interest in the outcome of the Design Team output. | Supportive |
| 6 | Experts | Subject Matter Experts can be called upon to assist the DT Designers with specific tools, processes, and others. | Supportive |
NOTE: Design Team = DT Sponsor + DT Coordinator + DT Designers forming the Core Design Team.
NOTE2: DT = Design Thinking.
We will now dive into the details of each role on what they do to have a clearer understanding of their responsibilities.
1. DT Sponsor
A Senior person within the organization that:
- Selects and defines the scope of the Design Thinking team.
- Nominate and invite the “right” individual to join the Design Thinking team.
- Provide the resources, space, and time (timesheet approval/cost centre) required by the team.
- Accepts the Solution created by the Team.
2. DT Facilitator
An experienced Design Thinking person who understands and knows the Best Practices, tools and processes.
- Coach Design Thinking Team members on the best practices, tools and processes of Design Thinking.
- Helps DT Coordinator to establish meeting schedules and stay on time.
- Informs DT Sponsor of the progress.
- Ensure all team members participate in the Design Thinking process.
3. DT Coordinator
- Schedule and arrange meetings between DT Sponsor and DT Facilitator for engagement.
- Create the Design Thinking sessions schedule for the Design Thinking team.
- Keep track of time and necessary documentation for each Design Thinking session.
4. DT Designer
- Nominated and selected by DT Sponsor for individual skill sets and abilities to contribute to the solution creation in Design Thinking.
- Adhere to the Design Thinking processes and collaborate with other DT Designers on the solution creation.
- Guided by DT Facilitator on the Design Thinking Best Practices, tools, and processes.
5. Stakeholders
- Stakeholders are anyone who will be affected by the Solution created by the Design Thinking team.
5. Experts
- They are usually invited by the Design Thinking team to help with specific expert knowledge/domain that is relevant and required in the solution creation (as required).
Now that you have an understanding of the roles that we need to fill for a Design Thinking team, you can proceed with selecting a diverse and inclusive team to get going.
Interested to know more about how Design Thinking can help you and your organization do better? Reach out to Cybiant’s consultants by dropping a quick e-mail at info@cybiant.com to us.
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