The business world has discovered the power of design thinking. An increasing number of organizations are reaping the rewards of a human-centered approach to innovation. Nonetheless, myths about the popular problem-solving method continue to abound. The Enterprisers Project, a blog for CIOs about the future of business and IT, recently ran a piece on the various fictions circulating about the technique. At ExperiencePoint, we’ve heard more than a few myths that could use a little debunking.

Myth #1: Design thinking is only for IT.

Busted! Anyone can use design thinking. No matter what facet of business you’re in—IT, sales, customer service or product design—this problem-solving methodology can be applied to any challenge with a human-centered dimension.

Myth #2: Design thinking only works for product innovation.

Busted! DT is great at generating original products and services, but its usefulness doesn’t end there. Design thinking can reimagine your department’s legacy process, discover invigorating ways to boost employee productivity and revitalize your online marketing strategy. The list goes on.

Myth #3: Design thinking not only increases failure, but also encourages it.

Busted! Design thinking wants you to fail early so that you don’t fail when it counts. The method creates a space for low-fidelity trial and error, letting you test your idea from all angles before investing time, money and effort. By identifying hiccups and ironing out wrinkles at an early stage, design thinking actually decreases the risk of failure when you roll out the final product.

Myth #4: Design thinking is a linear process.

Busted! The design thinking process has steps, but A doesn’t always lead to B. What you learn in one phase may lead you back to the drawing board and round and round again.

Myth #5: Design Thinking requires an “innovation lab.”

Busted! You may have heard of large companies dedicating space to so-called “innovation labs.” But design thinking doesn’t require the creation of a single-purpose studio. Human-centered strategies are about going into the real world to talk to customers, empathize with their needs and innovate with their insights in mind. This process can work anywhere, as long as you put customers first.

Now that we’ve busted these common design thinking myths, we hope you get out there and use the process to tackle your next challenge.

Learn more about human-centered strategies in our post on The 4 Mindsets of Design Thinking

Learn how to enable innovation skill-building at scale or download our free ebook Design Thinking 101.