Design Thinking in a Nutshell for Eliciting Requirements of a Business Process: A Case Study of a Design Thinking Workshop

The design thinking (DT) method has gained interest among software development organizations that strive towards better realization of user experience by building relationships, observing user behavior, and understanding user needs. Previous studies addressed the importance of DT in software-intensive development projects, mainly for realizing fuzzy needs of different stakeholders, better understanding problems before rushing to solutions, and enhancing creativity in innovation processes. The present research investigated whether and how a small dose of DT, e.g. a workshop, can facilitate requirements elicitation of an organization's business process. The paper presents an exploratory case study of a DT workshop on procurement process requirements conducted in a large technological organization specializing in the development of hardware and software systems. The study revealed that applying the DT method and tools promoted the discussion among the various stakeholders and allowed different voices to be heard, leading to new requirements regarding the business process, from both human and technical perspectives. Following the case study, we propose a general DT workshop for addressing business challenges. We argue that such a workshop can foster creativity and innovation in the context of business process requirements elicitation, addressing both human and technical concerns.