There’s a famous quote that goes by ‘Not every day is sunshine.’

So what does it mean? It means not everyday things go well. We all face some problems or have shortcomings or needs. Some of us might be having difficulties in our studies and need better results. Some have issues with the government. Some are struggling to have proper meals every day

Now, what’s important is how we deal with them. How do we approach the problem? What steps do we take to find a solution? What factors do we consider before we take action? And most importantly, how do we change our methods if things don’t work out?

Now, everyone has their style of dealing with things. But what if I told you there’s a way or method that anyone can use to solve a problem, and it is likely to work most of the time. You might have used it yourself. Multi-dollar corporate companies use it too. So what is it called? Design Thinking.

Design Thinking is not just a problem-solving method for name’s sake. It considers emotions, needs, motivation and then devises a plan that works effectively.

That’s why companies like Apple, Samsung, Google, Nike, Adidas, Netflix, OnePlus, Toyota, Nestle, etc. have thrived so much. They understood their users' needs and took the emotional factors into account as well.

Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown

But Design Thinking is also an out-of-the-box way of approaching a problem.

Consider this incident. Some years ago, a truck driver tried passing under a low bridge but eventually got stuck. It resulted in long traffic on that route. Firefighters, engineers, other truck drivers gathered and were suggesting to dismantle the parts of the truck. Everyone gave a solution based on their level of expertise. Then a boy came around and suggested something that seemed too obvious or laughable for a solution. Can you guess the solution?

He said, “Why not just let the air out of the tires?”. The boy left everyone in utter amazement. The idea was implied, and it lowered the height of the truck. And without dismantling a single piece, the truck was out of the bridge. Simple yet the most effective solution.

So, this is how Design Thinking provides an out-of-the-box solution as it welcomes ideas from different sources or people. And as a career, design thinking is valuable in every field. Be it a new tech start-up, hospitals, product designing, or even NGOs all around the world use the process of design thinking to achieve maximum output. If you have the knack for solving problems in the most creative ways, maybe, design thinking is where you can excel.