Design thinking set to verse

Design is traditionally concerned with the creation of artifacts to fuel consumption. More recently, the remit of design has widened greatly. Design activity is claimed to be beneficial in negotiating a diverse range of complex issues, for example aiding humans attempting to exist on meager incomes or enabling effective procurement practices within government bodies. The methodology termed “design thinking” is argued to help designers and non-designers engage with a broad remit of issues. As the subject of design thinking is complex, there exists a need for a condensed means of communicating its claimed attributes and remit. The design community has disseminated widely on design thinking. This paper argues that this activity may have contributed to “dissemination fatigue”. There exists a need for a means of communicating design thinking’s attributes and remit in a new, informative, succinct and easily digestible manner. Poetry is argued to be a condensed method which for centuries has been utilized to disseminate complex notions, pass on knowledge and precipitate emotions. This paper aims to convey some of the claimed attributes and remit of design thinking in poetic verse. This paper is influenced by the tradition of critical design. The overarching aim is to provide the community with a constructive vehicle to critically discuss the attributes and remit of design thinking. This process is important in helping the community to unpick the debate surrounding this influential notion.