Design thinking is both a process and an ideology concerned with solving complex problems in a highly user-centric way. It’s an approach used for practical and creative problem-solving. It can also be applied to any field. It is extremely user-centric. It focuses on humans first and foremost, seeking to understand people’s needs and come up with effective solutions to meet those needs.
Solution-based thinking focuses on finding solutions; coming up with something constructive to effectively tackle a certain problem.
Four principles of Design Thinking
– The human rule (All design activity is social in nature)
– The ambiguity rule (Ambiguity is an inevitable experiment at the limits of your knowledge)
– All design is redesign (while technology and social circumstances may change, basic human needs remain unchanged)
– The tangibility rule (prototypes help to make ideas tangible, enabling designers to communicate them effectively)
Five Phases of Design Thinking
There are 5 steps/phases of design thinking, as per the aforementioned Hasso-Plattner-Institute of Design at Stanford (otherwise known as d.school”). Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
- Empathize: The first stage, get to know the user and understand their wants, needs, and objectives. This means observing and engaging with people in order to understand them on a psychological and emotional level. Set aside your assumptions and gather real insights about the user.
B. Define: The second stage, is dedicated to defining the problem. Gather your findings and start to make sense of them. What patterns do you observe? What is the big user problem that your team needs to solve?
A problem statement will be created and framed in a user-centered way. Once you’ve formulated the problem into words, you can start to come up with solutions.
C. Ideate: This is where creativity happens, and it is crucial to point out that the ideation stage is a judgment-free zone. Designers will hold Ideation sessions in order to come up with as many new angles and ideas as possible. Various techniques that designers might use, from brainstorming and mind mapping to bodystorming and provocation. Towards the end, narrow it down to a few ideas with which to move forward.
D. Prototype: This stage is about experimentation and turning ideas into tangible products. This step is key in putting each solution to the test and highlighting any constraints and flaws. Throughout this stage, the proposed solutions may be accepted or rejected or accepted or redesigned depending on the end user’s feedback.
E. Test:
The last stage, the result of the testing phase, will often lead you back to a previous step, providing the insights you need to redefine the original problem statement or come up with new ideas you hadn’t thought of before.
Benefits of Design Thinking at work?
– Significantly reduces time to market: Design thinking can significantly reduce the time spent on design and development
– Cost savings and a great ROI
– Improves customer retention and loyalty
– Fosters Innovation
– Can be applied company-wide
