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A weekly periodical
Writer's pictureallisonjolester

Fall Forward: The Art of Failure in Design Thinking



Hello, intrepid design-thinkers! Are you strapped in and ready for our next roller coaster ride through the funfair of design thinking? Today, I'm visiting the somewhat scary, often misunderstood, but always exhilarating Haunted House of Failure. Yes, you heard that right, folks - failure. That dreaded 'F' word that's often hidden in the attic of our minds, never to see the light of day.

But hey, it's time to throw open those cobwebbed doors and embrace the fail, because in the world of design thinking, failure isn’t the wicked witch, it’s the fairy godmother!

Failure is your BFF (Best Failure Friend) You know that feeling when your 'eureka' moment turns out to be a 'oh-no-ka' moment? Well, in the design thinking realm, that's a cause for celebration! Because in this topsy-turvy world, failure is not a dead-end, it's a sign that says, "detour to success ahead."

In other words, failure isn’t a slap in the face; it’s a friendly pat on the back, nudging you to keep going, keep refining, and keep improving. It’s the cool aunt who sneaks you sweets, and tells you, "Darling, you’re onto something here!"

The Fabulous School of Failure Each failure is a lesson. Think of it as attending the School of Fabulous Failure, where every mishap, misstep, and mistake is just another credit in your 'Master of Innovation' degree.

Couldn’t make your prototype work? Great, you’ve just learned one way not to do it!


Idea didn’t quite hit the mark? Fabulous, you’ve got insights to fine-tune your solution!

Failure = Fearless Creativity And here’s the golden nugget: when you embrace failure, you unlock the gates to fearless creativity. Imagine a world where you’re not afraid to make mistakes. A world where each wrong turn is just a detour on the scenic route to success. That’s the landscape of design thinking. It’s a playground where failure is the cool kid who dares you to swing higher and slide faster.

In closing, design thinkers, let’s not tiptoe around failure like it’s a sleeping dragon. Instead, let's ride that dragon into the sunset of success. Because in the magical kingdom of design thinking, failure isn’t the villain, it’s the unlikely hero! So let's step into our hero capes and embrace the wonderful, wacky world of fabulous failure.



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