h1

%0 Thesis
%A Minet, Alice Désirée
%T Design thinking in the digital era : conceptual, qualitative, and experimental analysis
%I Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
%V Dissertation
%C Aachen
%M RWTH-2025-04034
%P 1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen
%D 2025
%Z Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University
%Z Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2025
%X In recent years, digitization and globalized markets have led to a rapid change in consumer preferences. This is forcing organizations to continuously develop innovations in order to remain competitive. For this reason, many organizations are increasingly turning to agile methods such as design thinking to structure the often complex innovation process. This approach is characterized in particular by its practical, experience-based, and human-centric way of solving problems. At the same time, digital transformation is bringing about far-reaching changes in working methods and processes. Organizations are faced with the challenge of adapting their working conditions and redesigning the tools, routines, and processes they use. This also influences the way in which design thinking methodology is implemented in practice. While traditionally applied in physical spaces and through face-to-face workshops, the collaboration and interaction of participants are now increasingly moving to virtual environments. However, this shift towards digital design thinking brings with it particular challenges. For example, theories from cognitive science and social psychology propose that mental processes emerge from the social and physical interactions of the body with the environment, suggesting a bidirectional entanglement between sensorimotor and cognitive processes. While previous research has highlighted the benefits of digital tools in innovation management, such as increasing efficiency and overcoming geographical boundaries, there are still research gaps regarding potential barriers to the application of design thinking. In particular, there is a lack of understanding of the trade-offs associated with the digitization of design thinking, which affect both the process and the outcomes. In addition, scholars have called for strengthening the theoretical foundations of design thinking by examining the behavioral principles that underlie this practice. This dissertation addresses these gaps by examining the cognitive mechanisms and strategic implications that occur when conducting design thinking in digital environments. A total of four essays discuss different aspects of the interface between design thinking and digitization: Design thinking as a process, as a creative mindset, and as a strategic tool for organizational transformation. The essays Ia and Ib take a process-oriented perspective, focusing on how digitization influences the implementation and outcomes of each phase of design thinking workshops. Using conceptual and qualitative research methods, the articles analyze the comparison of virtual and physical formats and show that both offer different advantages in different phases of the design thinking process. This provides a nuanced understanding of how companies can strategically integrate both formats to drive innovation. Essay II shifts the focus to design thinking as a creative mindset, examining how digitization affects creativity in the early stage ideation phase. Drawing on embodied cognition theory, this article argues that physical interactions with objects and materials are critical to the development of creative ideas. Through a series of laboratory experiments, it is shown that digital ideation settings limit sensorimotor experience and thus inhibit creativity, especially when developing new and innovative solutions. The results highlight the importance of considering the fit between tools and tasks in the ideation phase to foster creativity effectively. Essay III examines design thinking as a strategic approach to organizational change through a case study of the Ford Motor Company. While design thinking has helped Ford identify and address essential customer needs with innovative solutions, the study also highlights organizational barriers to scaling design thinking across the organization. It emphasizes the need for design thinking to align with broader corporate strategies to ensure sustainable innovation in the digital era successfully. This dissertation has important theoretical and practical implications. On the one hand, it extends the understanding of how digital environments change the cognitive mechanisms that underpin design thinking as a process, mindset, and strategy. On the other hand, it provides practical insights for organizations on how to apply design thinking, considering the limitations and benefits of digital tools. Through this holistic approach, the dissertation enables a deeper understanding of how innovation can be fostered in a digitized world.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)11
%9 Dissertation / PhD Thesis
%R 10.18154/RWTH-2025-04034
%U https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/1010348