Development of a Blueprint for a Hybrid Design Thinking Process

Design Thinking (DT) is a widely used and proven way of designing innovation processes. In recent years, innovation work has shifted more and more into the virtual space. Thus, the questions arise how DT can function in virtual/hybrid environments and which requirements must be met to ensure that the virtual/hybrid process is at least as effective as the analogous variant. However, research on hybrid DT processes is still in its infancy. Our study aims to elaborate a process model that shows how a successful hybrid DT process can look like. This contains recommendations on how the process must be adapted, which phases should be analogous, virtual or hybrid and which tools and methods can be used in this context. Furthermore, we point to new skills and (cultural) framework conditions which are needed to realize a successful hybrid DT process.