Difference Between Design and Architectural Thinking

Overview

• Design and architectural thinking together create a powerful framework for solving problems involving human interaction with the environment.
• Solutions should consider both logical and emotional perspectives (head and heart).

Traditional Problem-Solving

• Historically, problem-solving has been viewed as a logical exercise.
• Involves:
  • Holistic examination of the problem.
  • Decomposing the problem into smaller parts.
  • Analyzing interconnections among parts (Systems Thinking).

Importance of Design Thinking

• Design thinking is necessary to complement traditional problem-solving approaches.

Example: Hospital Environment

• Patient treatment success factors:
  • Doctor's expertise, accurate diagnosis, appropriate medication.
  • Additional Factors:
    • Soothing ambiance of the hospital.
    • Patient's awareness and knowledge about treatment.
    • Comfort of the treatment area.
• Designing an ideal patient treatment environment requires a focus beyond mechanical aspects.
• Full context of the patient experience is crucial.

Components of Design Thinking

1. Understanding User Context:
   • Conducting fieldwork to empathize with the user.
2. Ideation and Prototyping:
   • Visualizing multiple solutions to address both explicit and implicit user needs.
   • Iterative, fast, and cost-effective process.

Architectural Thinking

• Follows design thinking and focuses on:
  • Structuring the business and systems for scalability and commercialization.
  • Understanding the interconnections, organizational structure, and leveraging existing capabilities.

Conclusion

• Design thinking and architectural thinking complement each other:
  • Design Thinking: Emphasizes user context and needs.
  • Architectural Thinking: Focuses on connecting the parts to meet those needs.