The thinking behind design is shifting from focusing solely on aesthetics to creating experiences that solve real problems for users, as argued by Aral Balkan in his talk "Superheroes and Villains in Design". This shift requires a holistic approach, where the whole team thinks about the user's experience, rather than just individual components. Balkan emphasizes the importance of focus, assumptions, testing, and humanity in design, citing examples from various industries such as transportation and software development. He also highlights the dangers of evil design and the need for designers to take responsibility for creating experiences that are respectful of users' lives and limited time on this earth. Ultimately, great design is a business plan, and success comes from understanding user needs and delivering an experience that makes people feel like superheroes.