You might think a bank branch has nothing in common with an Apple Store — and on the surface it doesn’t — But look a little closer through a more creative, design thinking lens, and you’ll see that banks can learn a lot from Apple’s retail outlets about how to create a more customer-centric environment.

You know something has gone mainstream when it starts showing up at conferences. Design thinking is no different.

This year there are several national and global conferences specifically focused on the powerful business strategy of design thinking, as well as dozens of industry conferences offering design thinking tracks and workshops to help experts in every field learn how a human-centered design approach can help them innovate and improve business outcomes and success.

Design thinking has become the mantra for many large organizations seeking to disrupt their industries and delight their clients. Fortunately, this customer-centric approach to design has been around long enough to provide many successful roadmaps for organizations to follow. Dozens of global companies have proudly proclaimed their dedications to design thinking.

A new study shows design thinking maturity delivers higher revenues and better returns for organizations