# d.confestival: The Future of Design Thinking
As digital transformation reshapes how businesses operate, organizations worldwide are discovering that traditional work methods aren't keeping pace. Design thinking—a user-centered approach that prioritizes rapid iteration and human-focused solutions—is emerging as a critical framework for teams seeking innovative breakthroughs.
The Hasso Plattner Institute's renowned d.school recently hosted d.confestival, bringing together leaders from management, education, and research to explore how design thinking is transforming corporate culture. Among the notable speakers were executives from Steelcase, 3M, Bosch, and SAP, each sharing insights from their organizations' design thinking journeys.
## The Physical Space Paradox
One of the most striking revelations came from Sam Yen, SAP's chief design officer, who admitted to a common corporate mistake: creating designated "design thinking rooms."
"You want design thinking to be part of the overall environment, not a specific room where you go to be creative and you check the box," Yen explained. This approach inadvertently signals that creativity is compartmentalized rather than integral to daily operations.
## Making Design Thinking the Default
Guillaume Alvarez from Steelcase emphasized that design thinking can't be an add-on to existing processes. "It can't be an additional layer to what people do, it has to be what they do," he noted. "If it's added on top, it creates more work, more stress, more confusion. Design thinking is the new engine. It's the new soul of what everyone needs to do."
This shift requires leaders to move beyond verbal advocacy to creating tangible experiences that reinforce new ways of working. "I don't think we convince people by words anymore," Alvarez added. "They have to be convinced by experiencing themselves everyday that what we talk about is real and it does work."
## The Workspace as Cultural Communicator
The physical environment plays a crucial role in supporting design thinking principles. Rather than segregating creativity into special rooms, successful organizations integrate collaborative elements throughout their spaces. Key considerations include:
- **Equal access to technology** and collaboration tools across all work areas - **Flexible seating arrangements** that don't reinforce rigid hierarchies - **Consistent comfort and quality** in furniture and amenities - **Abundant writing surfaces** and ideation tools accessible to everyone
When workspace design aligns with design thinking principles, it reinforces the message that innovation and collaboration are expected everywhere, not just in designated creative zones.
## Learning Through Practice
Monica Dalla Riva, 3M's head of design Europe, reinforced the importance of experiential learning: "Learn by doing. Learn by practicing. It's about unlocking your creative confidence."
This hands-on approach requires environments that support experimentation, iteration, and the occasional productive failure—all hallmarks of effective design thinking.
## Implications for Commercial Spaces
For commercial interior designers, these insights highlight the growing importance of creating spaces that naturally foster collaboration and creative problem-solving. The most successful work environments will be those that seamlessly blend formal and informal collaboration areas, provide easy access to ideation tools, and communicate through their design that innovation is everyone's responsibility.
As organizations continue to embrace design thinking methodologies, the physical workspace becomes not just a container for work, but an active participant in cultural transformation.
