© 2026 NPR Illinois
For your right to be curious.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Join the NPR Illinois team!

Community Voices is seeking a co-host/editor to join Jeff Williams and Randy Eccles in getting to know our neighbors and more. Apply by May 25, 5 p.m.

The news department is seeking part-time fill-in anchor/reporters who are available either weekdays from 5:30 to 9 a.m. and/or 3:30 to 6 p.m. Apply by June 5, 5 p.m.

When The Customer Actually Comes First: Design Thinking

The perfect place to practice design thinking...
The perfect place to practice design thinking...

For years, design thinking has offered businesses a framework for putting consumers’ needs at the center of their work.

It sounds obvious — the customer always comes first. But not every company embodies that mantra, and some think they know consumers a lot better than they actually do before launching a product.

Through innovation bootcamps and training seminars, design thinkers promise to bridge the gap between creators and users.

Here’s how The Wall Street Journal describes the methodology:

Is design thinking the best way for companies to solve complex problems — and turn a profit? 

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Kathryn Fink
Kathryn Fink is a producer with NPR's All Things Considered.