There is a less structured, curiosity-driven, paradigm which focuses not on what is absolutely right or wrong, but instead on what is surprising. A problem with rights and wrongs is that, for some people, the pressure of being correct gets in the way of experiencing what actually is.
- Mind Hacks Blog

Those of you in the design community know that designers are trained to look at the world from a different point of view. In most education systems, people are essentially trained away from thinking creatively since, as children, we do this very naturally. In a successful design process, there are no truly wrong answers — the direction you take may be a detour, but somehow it helps you get where you need to go. This concept is certainly not nurtured in most classrooms.

The blog entry that I quoted above caught my eye because it illustrates how the design process as it is generally practiced today closely mimics the natural human learning process that has evolved over thousands of years. As an added bonus, when you are in this more natural state of learning, your body reacts by releasing dopamine, which makes you feel good (like a runner’s high).

The successes associated with the design process and recent trends across disciplines towards it can therefore be described as a reversal to our natural human state rather than as a new breakthrough. Ironic as it may seem, using design thinking is a way for us to learn how to be ourselves.