What is design thinking?
I like to think about it in two parts in order to simplify the definition.
The first being just a mindset: it's an ideology of approaching every problem in a user-centered way.
It's that simple.
Now, where the complexity comes in is in the second part of that definition which is the
six step process that most people know.
Now, the six steps are only there to help you practice that ideology of user-centered design.
So what are these six steps?
The first step is Empathize.
You want to pull qualitative data like user interviews, direct observation, contextual
inquiry, diary studies... and understand what your real user's need is.
And then we get to Step 2: Defining.
Now a lot of people thing to think about coming up with ideas in the opposite way: come up
with a ton of different ideas and then narrow.
Design thinking flips this on its head.
It says let's come up with and define the problem before we even consider the solutions.
This is Step 2, the definition of the problem: what user need you and your team want to satisfy.
Once you know the problem statement from Step 2, we bring that in to Step 3: Ideation.
This is when we start to consider the wide range of potential solutions.
We generate crazy, wild ideas and then slowly start to narrow them down.
So once we have all of these ideas from Step 3 we move them into Step 4: Prototyping.
This is when our ideas start to manifest for the first time.
We can test them with end users and we can start to iterate until they're at a place
where they represent what the end product may be.
And then go into Step 5 and this is Testing.
This is traditionally what Nielsen Norman Group is so well known for.
Testing ideas in order to make sure that the user knows how to use them and that they truly
resonate with their needs.
And then we get into Step 6. Now, this is the "Design Doing" of the "Design Thinking."
You have to implement that idea.
Put that vision into effect so that it actually touches an end user's life.
That said, even though those six steps are often presented and taught linearly I want
you to remember that you can practice them and should practice them dynamically.
Adapt them to your needs.
Our field already has so many different terms and processes, so why introduce yet another
thing that's new?
Design Thinking benefits extend far beyond the process itself.
It fosters collaboration, it helps create design artifacts that you can return to, and
most importantly it gives you a tangible way to always make sure that you're keeping the
user at the center of your products.
Now, nothing in Design Thinking is new.
Instead, it's pulling methodology from all of the different genres that have existed
much longer and applying them in a new way.
Next time you're problem-solving, think about the Design Thinking process.
Is there a better way to keep the user at the center of every decision you're making?