Introductory Innovation & Design Thinking Reading List

I'm often asked by folks looking to break into the innovation/design thinking fields for books they should read to get a deeper understanding on the space. To me, the below books are the best introduction(s) to this world.

I’ve written them in the order I think they should be read for those totally new to the space. I also tend to update this list from time to time - it was most recently updated in Dec of 2017.

The Innovator’s Dilemma – Clayton Christenson

In you’re going to start anywhere when it comes to understanding the role of innovation in most organizations, this book is it. It gives a great foundation for seeing why even the smartest organizations are often blindsided by (seemingly) niche trends and customer needs that end up getting solved better by small, upstart, competitors. This book is also famous for coining the now greatly overused and misunderstood term: ‘disruptive innovation’. (Link to purchase)

The Design of Business – Roger Martin

Although somewhat academic in places, this book provides an excellent foundation for understanding what ‘design thinking’ is and what its role should be in most organizations. This book is particularly good at showing how design thinking differs from other sorts of thinking organizations tend to do. Roger also has a real way with words in this book – I still find myself quoting from it often in my day-to-day work. (Link to purchase)

Creative Confidence – Tom & David Kelly

This was the first book I ever read on the subject when I was in school. More inspiring than practical, this book is really helpful if you’re worried about whether or not you have the ‘creative’ skill to do this type of work. As one can probably pull from the title, this book aims to prove that creativity is more inherent in ourselves than we think. (Link to purchase)

Interviewing Users – Steve Portigal

Talking and empathizing with human beings is at the root of this type of work, so everyone should know how to do it well. This book goes into exhaustive detail about how to conduct good human-subject research and all the practical details you need to know to do it in a professional manner. (Link to purchase)

Sprint - Jake Knapp

In my opinion, this is the most contemporary book on actually doing design thinking work in a day-to-day context. Although this book is framed around a 5-day ‘design sprint’ concept (and how to do one), it’s chock-full of great general guidance on how to get buy-in from superiors, navigate ambiguity on projects, and run projects in a participatory way. On top of all this, this book is exceptionally well-written, funny, and wonderfully illustrated. (Link to purchase)

Further Reading

The above list is a helpful introduction to the thought and theory of innovation & design thinking, but you may find it too conceptual in nature. If after reading these books, you’re hungry for more methodological material (how to actually do this sort of work hour-to-hour), the following books are chock-full of great stuff:

• 101 Design Methods – Vijay Kumar
• Convivial Toolbox – Liz Sanders
• Universal Methods of Design – Bruce Hanington
• Communicating the New – Kim Erwin

Additionally, Doblin has made many contributions of its own to the thought and theory of innovation. Most notably:

• The Ten Types of Innovation – Larry Keeley
• Managing your Innovation Portfolio – Bansi Nagji & Geoff Tuff
• Beyond Design Thinking – Larry Keeley

If you have questions about this list or want to suggest additions, feel free to contact me.