Understanding the role of design thinking methods and tools in innovation process

This paper presents the results of an ongoing qualitative study with
employees working with innovation in a Scandinavian company. Using Design
Thinking as an approach, the paper analyses how different tools are used to
initiate innovation processes. Issues like innovation drivers, team structure,
creativity, information flow among teams, usefulness and challenges of using
the methods and tools are discussed. The role of different design tools in
innovation processes opens the discussion for possible future directions. The
results suggest that many methods and tools could generate value in regards
with the innovation processes, while there are many challenges that need to be
considered. The findings could be beneficial primarily for companies that
facilitate DT methods, designers, developers, managers and other involved
members in innovation activities could gain insights on how to implement DT
methods and tools.