Design thinking enabling innovation: a literature review

Abstract

Innovation is fuel for the sustainability and competitive advantage of an organization. Practitioners have proposed several tools to promote innovation in an organization. The design thinking framework is one approach for problem-solving that can lead to innovations. Some industries have already matured in practicing the design thinking approach, while others are in the nascent stage and still exploring the benefits of creating more innovations. This article puts forwards a systematic literature review followed by a bibliometric analysis on adoption of a design thinking approach for fueling innovation and solving complex problems in different domains. The present study also gives an overview of the penetration of the design thinking approach in various industries and domains. The literature review reveals that design thinking is practiced in almost all industry segments, with more evidence in education and healthcare and an upward trend in user-centered design and complex problem-solving.