Self-Quiz: What’s My DTQ?

How ready are you to embody design thinking? This quiz will help you see ways in
which you are already using it.

Scoring: Check the response that most accurately describes your formula for success.

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A. What do you view as the key source of data to solve a business challenge?

1. An existing repository of data
 2. New data that customers or users can provide in a survey
 3. New data from the actual lives and stories of current users


B. How soon does a customer or user get involved directly in the process?

1. Toward the end, when we pilot the solution in the market
2. In the middle, when I’m ready to test key elements of the solution
3. At the beginning, before I even frame the challenge


C. When you face a challenge, what is the span of time from brainstorming alternative solutions to selecting a solution to be implemented?

1. As fast as possible; select the solution immediately and start implementation planning within a few hours
2. Within a few days, a week at most
3. Maybe a few weeks, we take the time to get user feedback before choosing the solution for implementation


D. When developing potential solutions into something you can implement, how many would you test?

1. Just one; our job is to identify the best solution and implement it
2. Two alternatives, just to be sure
3. Often more than three; we test many possibilities to build a few


E. How would you first show your concept to real customers or users?

1. The team would build a completely operational system
2. The team would provide a high-fidelity prototype
3. The team would show 4 or 5 different storyboards illustrating how the concept could work


F. Once you arrive at a solution you believe in, how do we make the case?

1. Facts and data
2. Human-centered stories supported by facts and data
3. Human-centered stories


G. When you create a PowerPoint presentation what is the ratio of words to images?

1. 500 words to 1 image
2. 50 words to 1 image
3. 5 words to 1 image


H. How do you most often engage teams in meetings?

1. Share PowerPoint presentations and host question&answer sessions afterwards
2. Assign pre-reading, hold a discussion, and take notes for the group on a flip-chart or white-board
3. Design workshop-style exercises that share enough content to inspire collaboration and/or facilitate decision-making

Scoring Your DTQ (Design Thinking Quotient)

Treat each of the numbered responses you checked as points. Add the points to find your result:

8 – 11 points Novice-with-potential
12 – 17 points Design-friendly
18 – 24 points Design-forward

You generally favor analytical thinking, and that’s good. Analytical thinking has helped companies sustain their businesses for years. To use design thinking to manage growth in your business, you’ll need hands-on practice as well as a tolerance for placing small bets and learning from failed experiments.

You are comfortable bringing design thinking to some challenges and you are ready to apply design thinking more intentionally in your work. You can speak equally to design-thinkers and analytical-thinkers, that’s a fantastic skill to have.

You are growth-minded and comfortable experimenting. You may want to pay particular attention to these Project Management Aids <<insert link to D4GdownloadsPMAs>>, which enable smoother project communication between design thinkers and people who are less comfortable experimenting.