Design Thinking Design thinking has emerged as one of the most powerful ways to encourage out-of-the box ideation. Design teams shouldn’t be relegated to designers. They should include strategic thinkers, operations managers, front-line customer service managers, designers, technology experts, and others who have keen perceptions about the world outside the company’s four walls. A vibrant combination of skills and perspectives on customer needs is critical to figuring out how to use technology to get the greatest value for customers. Data about customer preferences and existing trends are where design thinking begins. For example, realizing that consumers were becoming accustomed to making purchases, streaming music, buying movie tickets, and renting cars by pushing a few buttons on their smart phone, Disney invested approximately $1 billion into The Disney Experience for its Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida. Visitors receive a wrist band that allows them to open room doors, make reservations for attractions, and pay for food and other items with a swipe of their hand. Launched in 2013, Disney estimates that 80% of its patrons use the device, attesting to its 10 popularity as part of the Disney experience. U.S. retailer Target acted to improve its customer experience when it added an indoor mapping section to its smartphone app. The company refers to it as a GPS for the customer’s shopping cart. All a customer has to do is clock on an item on the shopping list they have created in the app and the map shows them where it is. It also displays promotions and where the relevant items are 11 located. (The app uses Bluetooth beacons built into new LED lighting to enable the service). Agile Development Agile development is a cornerstone of design thinking and effective product and experience design. The method relies on frequent tests and iterations so that a final product or service can be developed quickly, and be pressure tested before a company makes a major investment. Agile product development starts with a minimum viable product that includes only the essentials that need to be validated. The process then refines the idea via iteration and market input. Companies can then test and refine other features in rapid succession to determine the scope of the final product or service. This process significantly reduces the chances of falling flat in the market. 10 USA Today, Disney Parks Tech Upgrades Make Visiting More Convenient, February 27, 2018, accessed May 23, 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/ story/travel/experience/america/theme-parks/2018/02/27/disney-parks-magicbands-fastpasses-app/374588002/ 11 Techcrunch, Target Rolls Out Bluetooth Beacon Technology in Stores to Power New Indoor Maps in its App,”, September 20, 2017, accessed May 23, 2018, https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/target-rolls-out-bluetooth-beacon-technology-in-stores-to-power-new-indoor-maps-in-its-app/ 8