Design thinking has become a corporate staple, plastered on t-shirts and mugs in countless variations. It's one of the most recognizable and branded "thinking" frameworks around, but this widespread visibility often overshadows a deeper question: what does it genuinely mean?
What is design thinking?
Design thinking, fundamentally, is about solving problems for people. In cross-functional teams, it's common for individual disciplines to become engrossed in their own perspectives—business focusing on the bottom line, marketing on strategy, and engineering on technical solutions.
This can inadvertently obscure the most crucial element: the humans for whom the software or service is being built. Design thinking's strength lies in its ability to bring everyone back to this shared understanding. By providing a user-centric framework, it enables all team members, regardless of their background, to align on the needs of the people they serve.
For the past three decades, companies have consistently leveraged design thinking frameworks. We've even developed an instructional program, Hello Design Thinking, to teach individuals how to apply this powerful methodology to their own businesses. Our framework is built upon four core steps:
- Gather inspiration. Inspire new thinking by discovering what people really need.
- Generate ideas. Push past the obvious to find breakthrough solutions.
- Make ideas tangible. Build rough prototypes to learn how to make ideas better.
- Share the story. Craft a human story to inspire others to take action.
While design thinking frameworks may vary, they all converge on several core principles: prioritizing the user, brainstorming a multitude of ideas, and continuously collecting feedback. This dynamic loop of creating, evaluating, and refining is what we call an iterative design process.
Why does design thinking matter?
Design thinking is a framework that encourages teams to transcend conventional business approaches and generate innovative solutions to problems. It also bridges the gap between designers and non-designers, allowing everyone to grasp user-centric objectives. To truly appreciate its significance, let's compare it with traditional business thinking.
Design thinking is an iterative, solutions-oriented approach, powerfully rooted in observing people to understand their habits. Business thinking, in contrast, is more definitive, relying on equations for proof and dissecting focus groups or surveys. While business thinking often zeroes in on user output, design thinking shifts the focus to truly understanding what the user wants. This enables your team to genuinely improve users' lives, a benefit that often aligns perfectly with boosting the company's bottom line.
The phases of the design thinking process
Regardless of the specific design thinking framework you use, you'll encounter the same core stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
Empathize, observe, and gather inspiration
The initial stage of design thinking centers on understanding your user and the problem you're trying to solve. This problem might start small, like developing a new feature, but could grow into a larger company-wide issue, or simply remain contained. The main objective here is to empathize with your users. Ideally, you'd experience their situation firsthand—through observation or participation—to truly grasp their needs. This direct insight allows you to accurately define the problem.
Since the user is at the heart of design thinking, this step is absolutely crucial. Remember, it's vital to observe without bias; avoid guiding users toward answers you want to hear.
Define and reflect
Once you've observed, the next step is to unpack and dissect your findings. Analyze what you and your team witnessed, focusing on the problems and frustrations your users encountered. This analysis should lead you to the core of what you're solving for, helping you define what needs to be built.
Generate ideas
Now is the time for boundless creativity; every idea is on the table, and practicality should be set aside. The objective is to produce the widest possible range of concepts. Thinking unconventionally and without constraints is key—this is where design thinking truly shines. For seasoned teams, this can transform into a fast-paced, high-energy exercise. The group can quickly jump between ideas, envisioning both current and future states, building on each other's contributions until the best fit is found.
This process is akin to a Gedanken or thought experiment, where the collective aim is to explore the potential ramifications of the principles under consideration. Numerous methods can facilitate this step, including utilizing collaborative platforms like InVision Freehand for real-time idea development and refinement.
Make your ideas tangible
With your list of ideas in hand, the next step is prototyping to assess their viability. The volume of prototypes required will depend heavily on the problem and solution space—ranging from hundreds for complex, unknown issues to a smaller number for more defined challenges with existing competition.
Think of "prototype" broadly. This stage is about increasing fidelity incrementally. For physical products, a simple cardboard form factor works. For digital experiences, high-fidelity paper sketches, wireframes, or clickable prototypes are effective. The crucial element here is to explore your ideas tangibly and confirm they resonate as they materialize.
Test to learn
This crucial step reveals whether your ideas truly solve the initial problem, allowing you to test solutions before fully investing in their development. Testing can take many forms, from clickable prototypes and wireframes to in-person experiences or even fully coded products.
Often, this stage leads to redefining your problem, and that's perfectly fine. Testing is always beneficial, deepening your understanding of your users. Remember, design thinking isn't a linear process; it's a dynamic methodology for gaining profound user insights.
