Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown.
— interaction-design.org
Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy for users, collaboration, experimentation, and creativity in order to develop innovative solutions that meet user needs.
The stages of Design Thinking are typically defined as: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. These stages are meant to be iterative and flexible, allowing designers to cycle back and forth between them as needed.
Empathy is an essential part of Design Thinking because it helps designers understand the needs, desires, and challenges of the people they are designing for. By putting themselves in the shoes of the user, designers can create solutions that are more user-centered and effective.
Divergent thinking is the process of generating a wide variety of ideas or possibilities, while convergent thinking involves narrowing down those ideas to a select few that are most promising or feasible. Both types of thinking are important in Design Thinking, as they help designers generate and refine ideas.
Design Thinking can be applied in business to develop new products, improve existing products, create better user experiences, and solve complex problems. By taking a user-centered approach to business challenges, companies can create more innovative and effective solutions.
Some tools and techniques used in Design Thinking include user interviews, persona development, empathy maps, brainstorming, sketching, prototyping, user testing, and iterative design.
Yes, anyone can use Design Thinking to solve problems and create innovative solutions. While it is often associated with designers and creative professionals, the principles of Design Thinking can be applied by anyone who is willing to approach problems with an open mind and a focus on the needs of users.
Design thinking refers to the set of cognitive, strategic and practical procedures used by designers in the process of designing, and to the body of knowledge that has been developed about how people reason when engaging with design problems.
Design thinking is also associated with prescriptions for the innovation of products and services within business and social contexts.
The Double Diamond is a flexible framework that can be adapted to different design challenges and used in various contexts. It emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs and goals, and of testing and iterating on solutions to create products and services that meet those needs.