Top 14 Design Thinking Books

Introduction

One of the best ways to brush your Design Thinking and innovative skills is by reading the top books for Design Thinking. It is a powerful tool that helps in discovering the best tools and practices in the design industry. Books for Design Thinking will help you understand Design Thinking concepts and train you through the diverse aspects and stages.

Design Thinking has become a critical skill in current times. It is among the most in-demand skills for the upcoming generation prepared by Microsoft. Thus, reading top Design Thinking books has become an essential practice to build knowledge in this area.

We have listed the best books about Design Thinking below. These books explain the basics of Design Thinking and provide important Design concepts.

We recommend you to add these best Design Thinking books to your collection –

1. The Design Of Business By Roger L. Martin
2. Change By Design By Tim Brown
3. Sprint By Jake Knapp With John Zeratsky And Braden Kowitz
4. The Field Guide To Human-centered Design By Ideo.Org
5. Creative Workshop By David Sherwin
6. Creative Confidence By Tom Kelley And David Kelley
7. Design Thinking By Nigel Cross
8. Designing For Growth By Jeanne Liedtka, Tim Ogilvie And Rachel Brozenske
9. The Art Of Innovation By Tom Kelley
10. The Design Of Everyday Things By Don Norman
11. Designing Experiences By Rossman And Duerden
12. HBR’s 10 Must Reads On Design Thinking
13. This Is Service Design Doing By Marc Stickdorn
14. This Is Service Design Thinking By Marc Stickdorn

1. The Design Of Business By Roger L. Martin

https://www.amazon.in/Design-Business-Roger-L-Martin/dp/1422177807

This book is about the requirement of Design Thinking in companies for innovation and winning. The book is a survey defining why Design Thinking is an essential skill. It might not be necessary, but it is good for business at the edges, as per MIT Sloan Management Review.

The book is a classic piece among top Design Thinking books because of the concepts mentioned in it. It explains how leading and prominent companies are using Design Thinking across the globe in innovations.

2. Change by Design By Tim Brown

https://www.amazon.in/Change-Design-Revised-Updated-Organizations/dp/0062856626/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Change+by+Design+by+Tim+Brown&qid=1606538376&s=books&sr=1-1

Change By design is a great inspiration for creative and searching leaders to incorporate Design Thinking in products, services, and organization. This book helps in finding better options for business development. The book contains case studies that help in building Design Thinking skills.

3. Sprint By Jake Knapp With John Zeratsky And Braden Kowitz

https://www.amazon.in/Sprint-Jake-Knapp/dp/0593076117/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Sprint+by+Jake+Knapp+with+John+Zeratsky+and+Braden+Kowitz&qid=1606538449&s=books&sr=1-1

This book is an excellent inspiration for running design sprints in companies. A sprint is a good option for those who are new to Design Thinking concepts. This book is suitable for learners who want to learn in a quick but in-depth manner. It contains a 5-day process outline that one can run and test different ideas. It talks about various steps of Design Thinking, such as Insights Gathering, User Research, and Prototyping.

4. The Field Guide To Human-Centered Design By IDEO.org

https://images.app.goo.gl/R2GAb6SCNQ9aUDia9

This Design Thinking book contains around 57 methods and activities on Design Thinking. Anyone can use them, irrespective of their industry, and challenges. The book talks about the practical approach and the step-by-step procedure of Design Thinking.

5. Creative Workshop By David Sherwin

https://www.amazon.in/Creative-Workshop-Challenges-Sharpen-Design/dp/1600617972

Creative Workshop book contains a lot of activities and exercises based on Design Thinking methods. The book shows eighty different techniques that help in developing creativity and problem-solving skills. It includes brainstorming ideas and suggestions given by top designers. Creative workshops can be a great inspiration in your Design Thinking journey.

6. Creative Confidence By Tom Kelley And David Kelley

https://www.amazon.in/Creative-Confidence-Unleashing-Potential-Within/dp/038534936X

This book explains the key strategies and principles that are important for creativity. It will surely guide you with its inspiring ideas in building Design Thinking careers. Creative Confidence helps in innovation by developing better approaches and problem-solving techniques. One can become more productive and successful by following this Design Thinking book.

7. Design Thinking By Nigel Cross

https://www.amazon.in/Design-Thinking-Understanding-Designers-Blac14/dp/1847886361

Design Thinking by Nigel Cross tells how designers think and work. It explains the creative approach of designers. The book includes case studies of well-known work by designers. This guides in developing skills required for Design Thinking at any organization.

8. Designing For Growth By Jeanne Liedtka, Tim Ogilvie And Rachel Brozenske

https://www.amazon.in/Designing-Growth-Field-Step-Step/dp/023116467X

Designing for Growth contains Design Thinking techniques, mindset, and vocabulary. It guides managers about exploiting the potential of design for the growth of the business. This Design Thinking guide shows how design and innovation can boost growth. It contains a step-by-step process, framework, and a systematic approach to address the critical Design Thinking questions.

9. The Art Of Innovation By Tom Kelley

https://www.amazon.in/Art-Innovation-Updated-42446/dp/1781256144/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=61863677474&dchild=1&ext_vrnc=hi&gclid=CjwKCAiA5IL-BRAzEiwA0lcWYlFLn5zkL–SdHW75EezdQ-6ZhPOoof1O6VyebL0aOTdrlT779ju1hoC4tcQAvD_BwE&hvadid=294110028465&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9061645&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=597332332196203105&hvtargid=kwd-357838026127&hydadcr=24457_1807900&keywords=the+art+of+innovation+by+tom+kelley&qid=1606538874&sr=8-2&tag=googinhydr1-21

The Art of Innovation talks about the culture of innovation at the organization. It helps in building a collaborative approach at work. World-famous products and services such as the I-zone instant camera of Polaroid’s and more are examples of following continuous innovations.

10. The Design of Everyday Things By Don Norman

https://www.amazon.in/Design-Everyday-Things-Don-Norman/dp/0465055710/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=The+Design+of+Everyday+Things+by+Don+Norman&qid=1606538936&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRjM2WThGNDNBMUFQJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzk0Mzg2MkRSRFRPWlRGUkQ1UyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDM5OTAyMVBNT1dYWkZLUE9JNyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

This book confirms that a design doesn’t need to be complicated. It is an excellent resource for considering the importance of usability and aesthetics in developing design techniques.

11. Designing Experiences By Rossman And Duerden

https://www.amazon.in/Designing-Experiences-Columbia-Business-Publishing-ebook/dp/B07L9K1Y1N/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Designing+Experiences+by+Rossman+and+Duerden&qid=1606538988&sr=8-1

This book is a comprehensive introduction to Design Thinking. The frameworks presented by the author are well suited for every design-based project. It offers the main concepts like intentionality, memory, and dramatic structure in a simple way. The book also contains practical examples.

12. HBR’s 10 Must-Reads On Design Thinking

https://www.amazon.in/Reads-Design-Thinking-featured-Brown/dp/1633698807/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1606539048&sr=8-1

This book is a collection of ten articles based on Design Thinking. We recommend this Design Thinking handbook for producing innovations.

13. This Is Service Design Doing By Marc Stickdorn

https://www.amazon.in/This-Service-Design-Doing-Practitioners/dp/9352136845/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=This+is+Service+Design+Doing+by+Marc+Stickdorn&qid=1606539101&sr=8-1

This Design Thinking handbook is the first comprehensive book that defines service designing for improving interaction and quality between customers and service providers. This book guides in performing design methods and implementing concepts.

14. This Is Service Design Thinking By Marc Stickdorn

https://www.amazon.in/This-Service-Design-Thinking-Basics/dp/1118156307/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=This+is+Service+Design+Doing+by+Marc+Stickdorn&qid=1606539101&sr=8-2

This Design Thinking handbook tells us how to improve interactions between customers and services. It helps in the marketing of business in a unique way and as per the customer requirement. 

Conclusion

The above-mentioned top Design Thinking books are a great source of learning about Design Thinking skills. These books give insights, essential tools, and resources for innovation.

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