DESIGN THINKING PROCESS
-A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Design Thinking is a problem-solving and innovation methodology that emphasizes a user-centric approach to creating solutions. The framework helps individuals and teams approach complex challenges in a creative, empathetic and iterative way. The primary goal of Design Thinking is to develop innovative and practical solutions that meet the real needs of end users.
Design Thinking can be applied in various industries to help with designing products or business processes, developing technology solutions or even an end-to-end business model.
WHERE DOES THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS COME FROM?
Design Thinking evolved through a combination of ideas, practices and insights across multiple disciplines that contribute to the framework’s principles of empathy, bias towards action and use of iteration. The result is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes understanding users as people, generating innovative solutions and refining those solutions based on feedback.
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DESIGN THINKING FRAMEWORK
The following principles collectively guide individuals and teams to generate creative, user-focused and solution-driven approaches to tackle a wide range of challenges.
EMPATHIZE WITH USERS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR EXPERIENCES AND NEEDS
Design Thinking puts the user first. It creates solutions based on what users need, do and feel so that solutions are useful and meaningful to the people who will use them. By viewing things from the user’s perspective, practitioners gain deeper insights into the experiences and emotions when using a product or service to ensure the right need or problem is solved.
ENCOURAGE A BIAS TOWARDS ACTION THROUGH COLLABORATION
Design Thinking is about action, not overthinking. Experimenting with ideas by rapidly creating tangible prototypes helps to validate concepts and gather real-world feedback quickly. This approach discourages delays in theoretical discussions by encouraging learning through doing. It also promotes multidisciplinary collaboration, bringing together individuals with diverse skills and perspectives to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the problem and potential solutions.
PROMOTE ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT BY EMBRACING AMBIGUITY AND LEARNING
Design Thinking encourages an iterative approach to problem solving. Solutions are refined and improved through multiple cycles of prototyping, testing and feedback. Iterative experimentation, testing and real-world feedback are essential components of Design Thinking.
- Iteration allows for continuous learning and adaptation, resulting in solutions that become more effective over time.
- Failure is seen as a valuable part of the Design Thinking process. When ideas do not work out as expected, they provide opportunities for learning and refinement. Design Thinking embraces failure as a path to success.
THE 4 STAGES OF DESIGN THINKING
Design Thinking typically consists of several stages or phases. These may vary in name but generally include the concepts of Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver.
- Divergent thinking is used in the discover and develop stages of Design Thinking to generate a wide range of ideas and possibilities without judgment or criticism. It allows designers to expand the possibilities and consider different perspectives and dimensions of the problem.
- Convergent thinking is used during the define and deliver phases to focus attention on selected problems and solutions.
While these four phases provide a simplified overview, it is important to note that Design Thinking is generally an iterative process. This means that teams might cycle back through these phases as they refine and improve their solutions based on feedback and new insights. Collaboration and multidisciplinary teamwork are crucial throughout the entire process to ensure a holistic and effective approach to problem solving and innovation.
We are often asked “Which component of the Design Thinking process is human-centered?” Design Thinking aims to solve problems and when the problems are those faced by real people the process is highly human-centric. The first two stages, Discover and Define, are especially focused on gaining a deep and empathic understanding of the users and their needs. The subsequent two stages focus on developing solutions and getting prototypes into the hands of real users as fast as possible – to gain tangible feedback on how well the problem is solved, how usable the solution is, and how people feel about the proposed solution.
STAGE 1: DISCOVER
In the initial Discover phase, the focus is on gaining a deep understanding of the problem and empathising with the people it affects. This is achieved through research, interviews and observations to gain insights into the users’ needs and aspirations, behaviors and pain points. The goal is to develop a strong foundational knowledge about the context and the people involved.
To learn more, see the article on empathy mapping which provides detail on the Discover phase.
STAGE 2: DEFINE
The Define phase synthesises and refines information collected during the Discover phase to understand the core problems or challenges. A key problem or challenge is then selected and articulated in a clear and actionable way through a problem statement that is specific, human-centered and focused on the needs of the users. This helps to provide alignment and direction for the subsequent stages. Defining the problem effectively sets the stage for generating innovative solutions.
STAGE 3: DEVELOP
The Develop phase involves generating ideas and potential solutions to the defined problem. This phase encourages creativity, so that people are open to thinking of new possibilities.
Teams aim to generate a wide range of ideas without judgment, considering both traditional and unconventional approaches. Techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping and sketching are commonly used in this phase. The goal is to encourage a diverse set of ideas and perspectives that can lead to novel solutions. The emphasis is on quantity and diversity of ideas rather than immediate evaluation.
STAGE 4: DELIVER
In the final phase, Deliver, a tangible prototype or concept is tested and evaluated to determine if it solves the identified problem. This phase brings the idea to life in a way that allows it to be communicated and experienced by others. Prototypes can take various forms, depending on the context. These might include physical models, digital mock-ups or functional prototypes. The chosen prototype is tested with users or stakeholders to gather feedback and insights, which then inform future iterations.
WHAT IS DESIGN SPRINT VERSUS DESIGN THINKING?
Design Sprints and Design Thinking are 2 related but distinct approaches to solving problems and creating solutions.
Design Thinking is a human-centred methodology that involves discovering through empathising with the users, defining the problem, ideating to discover possible solutions, and delivering prototypes and testing these with users.
A Design Sprint is a multi-day process that applies the principles of Design Thinking to a specific challenge, with the goal of validating a solution with real users.
Some comparisons:
- A Design Sprint is a structured and time-bound activity. Design Thinking is a method associated with flexibility and iteration.
- A Design Sprintss require dedicated teams, ideally around 4–7 people, who work together for the duration. Design Thinking can be done by individuals or teams of various sizes and durations.
- A Design Sprint focuses on one specific problem and solution. Design Thinking can be applied to multiple problems and solutions.
- A Design Sprint produces a high-fidelity prototype that is tested with real users. Design Thinking can produce prototypes of different levels of fidelity that are tested with different methods.
Design Sprints and Design Thinking are complementary, not mutually exclusive. They can be used together or separately, depending on context, scope and goal.
WHAT INDUSTRIES CAN BENEFIT FROM DESIGN THINKING?
Design Thinking principles can be adapted and applied to a wide range of industries. Organisations can use Design Thinking to focus on understanding the user and their needs, to generate creative solutions, and to iterate based on user feedback to provide products and services that resonate with the user.
Examples of industry applications:
- Automotive – using observations and interviews with drivers to develop and test car interior prototypes
- Energy – building on insights from customer feedback to develop new energy-management phone solutions as wireframe mock-ups and test with a range of potential customers for feedback before making decisions on launching new services
- Fast moving consumer goods – using focus groups to get information on how potential products will be perceived to guide further development and marketing decisions
Just as Design Thinking can add value across a range of industries, it can also provide benefits across a range of functions and activities in all organisations:
- Process improvement – teams from anywhere in the organisation can apply Design Thinking principles to select areas for improvement and to prototype solutions
- Product development – cross-functional teams can be formed to quickly test concepts with customers to determine which ideas are worthy of continued investment
- Procurement – specialists who can provide insights into complex needs can come together to refine purchasing scope and approaches ahead of, or instead of, lengthy and potentially redundant requirement documentation.
HOW DOES THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS OFFER A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?
By applying Design Thinking organisations can create innovative solutions that are more user-friendly, efficient and effective. Benefits include:
- Increased understanding of the context and customer emotions leading to improved customer satisfaction
- Development of a culture of experimentation and learning, which encourages innovation and calculated and contained risk-taking
- Additional opportunities for cross-functional teams to create differentiated insights based on their diverse perspectives and skills
- Simplified processes, reduced costs and increased productivity
- Creation of a unique value proposition that differentiates the organisation from its competitors.
Design Thinking is not just a tool or a technique: it is also a mindset and a way of working. It can be applied to any industry, domain or challenge. Design Thinking is the new competitive capability essential to helping organisations to create better products, services and experiences for their customers.
THE DESIGN THINKING APPROACH IN ACTION: REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES
ADAPTOVATE leverages Design Thinking frequently when working with clients. Below are 2 examples of how we helped our clients achieve success using Design Thinking.
ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS:
We helped the client to redesign an end-to-end service delivery model for student enrolment, teaching operations and courseware lifecycle using Design Thinking. Through the process redesign we helped the client to reduce duplicated efforts, and to improve student experience and consistency across their portfolios, and to develop, update and continuously improve their courseware.
“Thank you for helping us solve a really wicked problem, we are excited to implement this.” – C-suite executive
AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES:
We worked with the client to co-design an end-to-end Customer Journey Map, then mapped it to the business processes to determine pain points and opportunities for improvement. This process incorporated key human-centred design elements and divergent thinking. We then facilitated a Design Sprint, which was a focused week to quickly discover and agree on their objectives, define the problem, develop and prototype solutions, and deliver them to potential customers to test.
“I can’t believe how quickly you helped us get to the solution. We would never have got there without you. The structure your team brought was instrumental in getting us to where we got to.” – Head of Product
WHERE TO START YOUR DESIGN THINKING JOURNEY?
Contact our team at ADAPTOVATE to talk about how to change the way you think, how to seize opportunities and solve problems.
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