Software Architecture and Design Thinking
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The document discusses design thinking and how it relates to software architecture. It explains that design thinking was popularized as a process by David Kelly and is based on the work of Herbert Simon. The core design process involves empathizing with users, defining problems, ideating solutions, prototyping, and testing. Software architects can contribute to design thinking by assessing the feasibility and viability of solutions, helping eliminate ideas that cannot be developed, and applying design thinking principles to software components. Involving diverse skills and viewpoints in design thinking can benefit organizations.
Software Architecture and Design Thinking
- 1. www.extentia.com | Confidential SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN THINKING
- 2. www.extentia.com | Confidential Design Thinking – Origin • The phrase Design Thinking was popularized by David Kelly, the founder and CEO of Ideo • His most significant contribution lies in the fact that he recognized design as a process and described it as an iterative, human-centric activity • The foundations can be traced back to a book by the economist/cognitive scientist and Nobel Laureate, Herbert A Simon, in his book – The Sciences of Artificial, in the year 1969 • Many of the ideas in this book evolved into the principles of Design Thinking
- 3. www.extentia.com | Confidential The Design Process At its core, the design process encompasses five main steps • Empathize: put yourself in the user’s shoes and identify needs and problems • Define: the problem statement • Ideate: create ideas, challenge existing state-of-the-art, find solutions • Prototype: find solutions for the problems identified in the first three steps and build experimental prototypes • Test: test your solution and refine it by revisiting any or all of the previous steps
- 4. www.extentia.com | Confidential Design Thinking and Software Architecture • Design Thinking needs to be supplemented by support from software architecture teams for favorable outcomes to build innovative digital solutions • Two important questions to be kept in mind while following the design process • Feasibility: is the solution practical, given the state of technology at any point in time? • Viability: is it likely to become a part of a sustainable business model?
- 5. www.extentia.com | Confidential Role of Software Architecture Software architects can contribute towards • Assessing the feasibility of solutions right in the ideation phase – thus eliminating fruitless prototyping • Helping design teams ‘fail fast’ with ideas and solutions that cannot be supported by software development • Ascertaining the viability or the possibility of sustainable success of a digital solution by assessing the scalability of the proposed solutions • Assessing the testability of ideas generated
- 6. www.extentia.com | Confidential Benefits • Software architects can benefit by applying Design Thinking principles into the components that are under the hood • Server-side software • Data storage • By adopting experimental products, they can appreciate what kind of experience is good for the user, or even bring in new ideas from software that is really in the fringe areas of the geek spectrum
- 7. www.extentia.com | Confidential Conclusion • Even professionals from other disciplines such as finance can contribute to assessing the viability of the solutions • It might be beneficial to involve people with diverse skills and viewpoints in the Design Thinking process • An organization must consider exposing people from all disciplines to the design process as well as the method of Design Thinking • However, design and UX professionals must eventually lead the effort and own the outcomes
- 8. www.extentia.com | Confidential www.extentia.com Write to us at inquiries@extentia.com