Design Thinking: New way to market research

Design Thinking is a structured method with clearly defined goals over a periodic/specific timeline. Design thinking focuses on the people more than anything else. Whilst business models seek to solve problems, design thinking takes a few steps backwards and seek to understand the problem first before attempting to solve it. Design thinking focuses on the following pillars: observations, interviews, brainstorming, prototyping. And this is were research takes a major role in the beginning of the process of design thinking.
It may be true to some extend that not all business problems would be solved using this methodology. However, we cannot doubt the impact that design thinking will have in re-shaping the thinking of strategist and researchers of organisations moving forward.
Since design thinking is human centered, this approach could shape the thinking of researchers, making them more focused, customising their research tools to be in line with the intended goals. And as a result, allowing them to have research finding that have more value and feed into the strategy as it provides meaningful insights.
This approach makes sense as the purpose of many research undertakings are to find solutions to customer, or products that altimately will be used by customers. So, everything comes into full circle, to the HUMAN, who is at the centre or reason of research.
However, good research that is human centred does not translate into design thinking, there are more elements that complete design thinking as listed earlier (observations, interviews, brainstorming, prototyping).
Design thinking may not be easy to be used as a model in corporate organisation or large business. This is because they often have a different focus as mandated by the shareholders and board of directors. And this design thinking may be found pushed to the marketing department or communications department of the organisation, where the probaly not even enough people who understand the process of design thinking. What I am advocating is that, there is always a place for consultants/agencies in business, for reasons like producing results using design thinking and helping influence organisational strategies.