Doing it right - Critical success factors for design thinking implementation

Abstract

Proficiency in design thinking (DT) can contribute to the success of many companies. Successful implementation of DT can be achieved by identifying its Critical Success Factors (CSFs). Critical success factors are items or actions that should be present in a particular project or situation in order to be successful. However, to date, there has not been any formal study on synthesizing the critical success factors for a successful DT implementation based on existing research. In light of this, the aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that proposes factors that may play a role in influencing the success of the DT implementation. Based on best practices and protocols from thematic analysis, we analyzed and synthesized extant literature in order to recognize research topics from the selected papers and categorize them into specific themes to build a framework. This study significantly contributes to the body of knowledge related to DT by offering the first attempt to identify CSFs for DT implementation, which can allow companies to take required precautions to elude failures or problematic areas and be able to increase the success rate of implementing DT.