Design thinking is a practical, action-oriented way of thinking that uses imagination, critical reasoning, and experimentation to solve problems.

It integrates analytical thinking (understanding what is), abductive thinking (imagining what could be), and iterative making (testing how it works in reality).

Design Thinking is not confined to a single profession or field. It’s not engineering, law, or scientific research — though it draws from all three. Instead, it’s a way of working across traditional silos, linking insight, invention, and execution to solve complex challenges in a changing world.

Let’s break this down for context:

• Science discovers what is possible.

• Engineering makes it functional and reliable.

• Law defines what is acceptable and safe.

• Finance tests what is viable or investable.

• Design Thinking goes further: it reframes problems, explores alternative futures, prototypes new pathways, and makes complex ideas legible and actionable for partners, investors, and society at large.

In practice:

• Science shows how to split a molecule.

• Engineering builds the reactor.

• Law regulates its use.

• Finance models the investment.

• Design Thinking asks: How could this technology reshape a whole system? How might it interact with culture, policy, the environment? How can we design its adoption and its impact?

Design Thinking asks: How could this technology reshape a whole system? How might it interact with culture, policy, the environment? How can we design its adoption and its impact?

Design Thinking applies speculative thinking, systems mapping, rapid prototyping, visualisation, and strategic storytelling — it has the ability to connect all components of a project and business and unlock ideas that push industries forward and address emerging economic, technical and social needs.

Why it matters now

Today’s most urgent challenges — from climate technology and regenerative agriculture to medical breakthroughs and next-generation energy systems — are too complex for any single discipline to solve alone.

New solutions need to move fast, earn trust, attract funding, and prove their value across markets and communities.

Design Thinking matters because it bridges the gaps between invention, feasibility, and public understanding. It translates complexity into clear, compelling ideas that people can see, test, and support. It maps risks, prototypes possibilities, and makes bold visions investable and real.

This is what we do at PUBLIC: we apply the power of Design Thinking to the innovation economy — aligning science, engineering, policy, and finance through visualisation, systems thinking, rapid prototyping, and strategic storytelling. We don’t just tell the story — we help design it, test it, and make it investable.