living in beta

Imagine for a moment that a business needs a radically innovative approach to a vexing problem. Designers and managers start with an intense focus on the human aspect—the real problems their customers face in daily life. Somebody gives the obligatory talk about out-of-the-box thinking. Then they step back—way back—and let creativity, not the cold exigencies of logic, reframe the problem. When it works, this process can lead to startling new solutions. In the parlance of the moment, this is called “design thinking.”