[SFT 2026] Design Thinking Workshop #1 : Introduction, Empathize & Problem Discovery

Main ideas & lessons conveyed

• Purpose of the workshop (Samsung SFT 2026)

  • Introduce Design Thinking and how it can be used to develop solutions/products.
  • Focus of this session: Introduction + Empathize + Problem Discovery (first phases).

• Design Thinking as a human-centered problem-solving approach

  • Starts with people and their needs, not assumptions.
  • Uses empathy to understand target users’ real problems.
  • Produces solutions through iteration—prototype, test, learn, and refine (not a one-pass linear process).

• Why empathy and problem discovery are crucial

  • If you solve the wrong problem, even a “great” solution may fail.
  • You must validate needs with real users (interviews/observation/surveys), because user needs can vary by context and location.

• A key framework: lenses for evaluating ideas/solutions

  • Desirability (Do people/users want it?)
    • Confirm via interviews/observations—not historical data or assumptions alone.
  • Feasibility (Can it be built technically?)
    • Consider prototyping, scalability, and technical constraints.
  • Viability (Is it sustainable as a business/service?)
    • Consider business sense, revenue model, and long-term sustainability.
  • Responsibility (added in the modern era)
    • Check ethical concerns and whether the solution creates net positive or negative societal/environmental impact.

• Example-driven understanding of human-centered design

  • “Norman doors” story:
    • Bad/ambiguous design confuses people.
    • Good design improves discoverability and feedback.
  • Hospital/child experience examples:
    • Redesigning environments and procedures can reduce anxiety and improve outcomes (e.g., themed rooms, music, distractions, and staff/patient buy-in).
  • Service flow examples:
    • Queues, counter placement, check-in layouts, etc., strongly shape the real user experience.

• Design thinking phases (iterative, nonlinear)

  • Covered phases include:
    • Empathize (understand people)
    • Define (formulate the problem clearly)
    • Ideate (generate multiple solution options)
    • Prototype (build visual/usable representations quickly)
    • Test / Iterate (learn from real users and cycle again)

• Behavior change theory as a basis for impactful design

  • Example: using environmental cues (e.g., piano music/stimulus) to encourage healthier behaviors like taking stairs.
  • Insight: design can shape behavior by improving the experience and reducing friction.

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Methodology / instructions (detailed)

A) How to approach Design Thinking (conceptually)

• Start with empathy
  • Observe users in context.
  • Listen to what they say and what they do.
  • Avoid assuming you already know the problem.
• Define the problem precisely
  • Convert findings into a clear problem statement tied to user needs.
  • Focus on the human need behind the request (root cause).
• Ideate broadly
  • Generate many solution ideas (including “wild” ones).
  • Don’t judge too early; prioritize quantity first.
• Prototype quickly
  • Create quick representations (sketches, mockups, simple artifacts).
  • Use prototypes to make ideas testable.
• Test and iterate
  • Validate with real users.
  • Learn from feedback and revisit earlier phases as needed.
  • The process is looping (return to ideate/prototype when necessary).

B) Empathize phase—practical steps emphasized

• Create/select target user scope
  • Decide who you’re trying to help.
  • Build a persona / proto-persona using demographics, habits, motivation, challenges, and hopes.
• Collect evidence about the user
  • Use one or more methods:
    • Interviews (qualitative)
    • Observation / ethnography (see real behavior in real environments)
    • Immersive testing (try the service yourself)
    • Surveys (quantitative validation)
• Interview technique guidelines
  • Begin with context (e.g., “typical day,” “daily journey,” “what happens step-by-step”).
  • Use open questions and let the user lead the narrative.
  • Probe deeper with “why” (a “5 whys”-style approach) to find root needs.
  • Avoid leading/close-ended questions that force the expected answer.
  • Avoid “pitching” your solution during the interview.
• Validate what users really mean
  • Distinguish between:
    • What users ask for vs. what they need (deep underlying requirement).
  • Break down user statements and check relevance to real conditions.
• Watch for common empathy/interview traps
  • Designing from assumptions (“I’m the user, I know”).
  • Confirmation bias (only listening to answers that support your idea).
  • Falling in love with the solution instead of re-checking the problem.
  • Interviewing the wrong participants (sample bias).

C) Evaluate solution fit using the 4 lenses (Desirability / Feasibility / Viability / Responsibility)

• Desirability
  • Interview/observe to confirm users want it and understand their pain points.
• Feasibility
  • Assess whether it can be built; consider prototyping and scalability.
• Viability
  • Consider sustainability and whether the business/service model can work.
• Responsibility
  • Evaluate ethical and societal/environmental side effects.

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Hands-on activity (workshop exercise) instructions

A) Working in the Miro boards (what participants did)

• Use an online workspace (Miro) with two main card areas:
  1. Brainstorm card (problem/opportunity-oriented)
     • Generate idea(s) starting from problems or opportunities around you.
     • May include improvements of existing solutions.
     • Encourage “wild ideas,” but include at least one innovative concept.
  2. Proto-persona card (user/prototype persona)
     • Create a preliminary persona based on the selected problem/idea.
     • Fill in:
       • Demographics/role
       • Behavior patterns
       • Motivation/goals
       • Challenges/obstacles
       • Hopes/desired outcomes

B) How teams were guided to find problems/ideas

• Look for issues in daily life or community contexts, such as:
  • Waste/garbage problems
  • Transportation problems
  • Environmental cleanliness/greening issues
  • Social issues (e.g., accessibility, service flow problems)
  • Any local bottleneck/opportunity
• Estimate constraints, including cost per user (example discussed: affordability should shape the design).
• Brainstorm solution concepts that address the identified needs.

C) Timebox / workflow (as implied by the facilitator)

• Participants duplicated provided templates to their own boards.
• They were given limited time windows (e.g., ~15 minutes per section) to:
  • Fill brainstorm cards
  • Fill proto-persona cards
• Some participants struggled duplicating on mobile; the facilitator suggested using a desktop browser when possible.

D) Presentations and example outcomes

• One group presented ideas for agroforestry farmers facing unfair distribution and low prices due to intermediaries, proposing concepts such as:
  • Connecting farmers to end buyers via an application/platform
  • Education/regulation to improve economic outcomes
  • Harvest quality monitoring to improve pricing fairness
  • “Wild” technology concepts (drones/IoT sensors/logistics automation)
  • A digital cooperative / digital supply-chain intervention concept

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Q&A—key answers and clarifications

• Q: Do proposals need to match a specific “design thinking” sequence in evaluation/repair?

  • A: If proposals already exist, refine them; evaluation ensures the phases align with design thinking thinking (including improvements in subsequent phases).

• Q: What’s a big mistake that can have fatal consequences in a later phase?

  • A: Falling in love with the solution too early.
  • You must validate with the right users through empathy work.

• Q: How to handle survey participants who don’t take surveys seriously?

  • Revalidate answers via follow-up or re-interviews where possible.
  • If quality is too low, replace samples and aim for sufficient sample size (roughly stated: interviews ~5–10; surveys minimum ~30).

• Q: In the empathize phase, do you need an idea first or do you interview first?

  • A: First define the problem scope (what you want to help with), then interview. Solutions can remain undefined initially.

• Q: How do we ensure AI-generated design is human-centered?

  • Ensure the design is derived from insights collected from real target users.
  • Interview the correct demographic and validate desirability/fit for the intended segment.

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Speakers / sources featured (identified)

• Olivia — workshop moderator (host/introducer, mood check, instructions, Q&A facilitation, attendance/feedback prompts).
• Mas Kusuma (Maks Kusuma) — innovation coach; delivered design thinking content and led hands-on guidance and Q&A.
• David Kelly — featured video segment defining design thinking:
  • “Design thinking is an approach to creative problem solving… human-centered path to innovation.”
• Don Norman (and “Norman doors” reference) — conceptually featured via a video segment (doors, discoverability, feedback).
• Vox Media / 99% Invisible — referenced as a source/collaboration for the “Norman doors” design example video content.
• GE Healthcare / design team / children’s hospital context — referenced via a video case about child-friendly diagnostic imaging experiences.
• Amazon — referenced in connection with a case example (Pilpack acquisition).
• DIY studio in China / HTX Studio — referenced via a video example about an automated trash-bin / robotic IoT system (DIY robotics/IoT storytelling).
• Samsung SFT (Samsung Sol for Tomorrow 2026) — the event/series being run (not an individual).