Design Thinking : A User-Centric Approach to Problem Solving
Design thinking in simple terms is all about solving complex problems in a user-centric way. In other words, it is really about putting users first, seeing problems from their perspective, and solving these problems in such a way that it ensures great experience and outcomes.
Design Thinking is an iterative process (non — linear) with 5 stages namely:
- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
Empathize — This stage is about understanding the people you want to design the product or service for, empathizing with them to really see things from their standpoint. This is where information gathering comes in, by engaging in user research, interviews, and persona creation.
Define — At this stage, you collate all the information you have from stage 1 (Empathize), analyze them and then define the user needs, problems or challenges. These definitions become your problem statements.
Ideate — During this stage, you are taking all that you learned in the previous stages (Empathize and Define), and you come up with possible solutions. At this point, everyone in the team brainstorms to come up with solutions that will deliver on the defined problems in a way that drives the desired outcomes.
Prototype — This is the stage where all generated ideas are broken down into a select few, and then turned into simple testable prototypes. This could be as basic as a paper prototype (sketching). Prototyping is simply coming up with something that can be tested with real users.
Test — At this stage, you are taking your prototypes, which was based on stage 3 and 4 (Ideate and Prototype) and then you test them with real users, which was based on stage 1 (Empathize). The goal is to get real-time feedback based on user interaction and usage of the prototype.
Although the final stage is testing, the design thinking process is iterative. Hence, Product teams often use the results and insights from the tests conducted to redefine one or more further problems, by going back to stage 2 (Define), back to stage 3 (Ideate), and stage 4 (Prototype) based on new findings. In other words, you can return to previous stages to make further iterations, alterations, and refinements — to find or rule out alternative solutions.
Conclusion
Design Thinking as part of the product discovery process is a philosophy and a mindset which contributes to the entire process of developing a product, feature, or set of features. The goal is to gain the deepest understanding of the users and what their ideal solution/product would be.
Reference(s)
- 5 stages of the Design thinking by process by Rikke Friis Dam and Teo Yu Siang https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process
2. Gerd Waloszek, Introduction to Design Thinking, 2012: https://experience.sap.com/skillup/introduction-to-design-thinking/
3. AJ&Smart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHGN6hs2gZY
