Key Insights

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  Organizing design teams around customer journeys fosters deeper collaboration across disciplines.

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  Design thinking should be seen as a shared mindset, accessible to all roles, not an exclusive design discipline.

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  Design research is crucial to spread the voice of the customer beyond designers to the entire team.

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  Design systems enable rapid prototyping and iteration critical to effective design thinking workflows.

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  Direct involvement of customers (e.g., agents) in the design process accelerates feedback and reduces recruiting pains.

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  Artifacts like persona maps and affinity diagrams help maintain cross-team alignment throughout design iterations.

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  Balancing large and small team collaboration requires careful timing of feedback and managing fidelity of deliverables.

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  Building trust within the organization, especially with leadership unfamiliar with design, is key to scaling design thinking.

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  Communicating without using design jargon and framing exercises as inclusive collaboration makes design thinking more approachable.

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  Patience, low ego, and shared ownership are cultural pillars supporting successful design thinking adoption in large organizations.

Notable Quotes