4 Stages in the design thinking process

Design Thinking

Everything we observe and unearth in the Empathize step is considered, synthesized, and formed into a very focused “problem statement.” What is the specific problem we’re trying to solve with an innovative new product/process? The Define step helps us give structure and definition to the challenge or problem.

4 Stages in the design thinking process

The design thinking process is typically broken down into four stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, and Test.

• Empathize: The first stage of design thinking is to understand the problem or challenge from the user's perspective. This stage is about gaining empathy for the people who will be impacted by the solution. In order to do this, designers will gather information through research and interaction with users. This can involve conducting surveys, user interviews, and other types of observation. The goal of this stage is to develop a deep understanding of the user's needs, motivations, and pain points.

• Define: The second stage of design thinking is to define the problem based on the information gathered in the empathize stage. This stage is about synthesizing all of the information and data collected, and synthesizing it into a clear problem statement. This statement should articulate the challenge or opportunity that needs to be addressed, and the key insights gained from the research.
• Ideate: The third stage of design thinking is to generate a large number of potential solutions to the problem. This stage is about creativity and generating new ideas. The goal of this stage is to generate a diverse set of potential solutions that can be evaluated in later stages. Teams often use brainstorming techniques to encourage free-form thinking, and to generate a large number of ideas.

• Test: The final stage of design thinking is to test and refine the solutions. This stage is about evaluating the potential solutions and making decisions about which ones should be pursued further. This can involve prototyping, user testing, and other types of experimentation. The goal of this stage is to validate the solutions, identify any potential weaknesses or limitations, and make necessary improvements.

Design thinking is both an ideology and a process used to solve complex problems in a user-centric way. Just like user experience (UX) design, it places the user front and center, focusing heavily on empathy.

What’s special about design thinking is that it advocates a solution-based approach to problem-solving. Rather than fixating on obstacles and limitations, it encourages you to experiment, iterate, and think outside the box.

As you may already know, the design thinking process can be divided into five phases: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. While you might look at these steps and see a very logical sequence, it’s important to bear in mind that the design thinking process is not linear. Each step brings new discoveries to light, so don’t be surprised if you need to loop back to a previous step and redefine what you’ve done in order to move forward.

Prototyping is the fourth stage in the design thinking process. Your prototypes will be based on everything you’ve done so far: interviewing your users, defining your problem statement, and coming up with potential solutions. But what is a prototype? We’re glad you asked…

The Cycle of Iteration?

Simply said, a prototype is a scaled-down version of your product that allows you to test ideas and concepts *before spending time and money on actually developing the product.

So, before giving the project to the developers, if you're building an app, you might make a digital prototype and test it with actual users.

Simple paper models to fully functional, interactive digital prototypes—prototypes come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. In part four, we'll look at a few of the various prototype types. The importance of prototyping must first be understood, which leads us to section three.

The double diamond model is a useful conceptual overview of the design thinking process, but it doesn't provide us with a lot of specific instructions on how to carry out that approach. The four primary functions of design thinking in practice are observation, idea development, prototyping, and testing. These are the design stages. Because this procedure is iterative, it keeps repeating itself until the end result is achieved. It's challenging to get any design right on the first try since human demands are complex. Since people's observed behavior and personal reports of the same activity can differ greatly, even accurately describing the problem can be challenging.

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“Life is too short to build something nobody wants -Ash Maurya Running Lean- That’s why we’ll use Design Thinking.”

Observation

Addressing any design issue begins with observation in the stages of design. The best observation for design teams happens in the real world, not in a lab or other controlled environment. One method for doing this is through applied ethnography, which is spending as much time as possible observing people as they go about their daily lives in familiar settings. This provides the designer with the most complete understanding of the needs and expectations of consumers. Although it is based on academic anthropology's methods, applied ethnography is significantly quicker and has a more focused objective.

It's crucial that the individuals being watched are representatives of the target market for the finished product. The method that designers use to select observers depends on the nature of the product. Regardless of cultural differences, activity-based techniques are beneficial for items that are utilized in essentially the same way (like cars, computers, and phones). Since the emphasis is no longer on specific users, this may initially appear to be in opposition to human-centered design. But as it focuses on assisting the user in developing a practical conceptual model, activity-based design is ultimately a technique of human-centered design.

• For instance, operating several systems simultaneously while driving a car is a difficult operation (like working the pedals while also steering, checking the mirrors, and following traffic laws). This makes learning to drive challenging, but because each of those activities is necessary for the larger activity of "driving," learning them is easier than it would be if they were learned separately. We are able to make sense of the disparate parts thanks to the action.

It's critical to distinguish between tasks and activities. Driving is the action in the aforementioned example, whereas steering and checking mirrors are chores that support it. This distinction pertains to each action's objective: Tasks are "do-goals," or straightforward actions that only matter because they are a component of a higher level activity. Activities relate to "be-goals," or objectives that relate to our choices and self-image.

Design Research Is Not the Same as Market Research

You can be reminded of market research when you watch people to see how they might use a given product. Although the two procedures are comparable, their goals are very different. Marketers want to know which demographics are most likely to purchase the goods, whereas designers want to know what people need and how they might use specific things.

Depth versus breadth is another distinction between the two disciplines. As many people as possible are routinely surveyed by market researchers. They often employ quantitative data collection techniques since they are more interested in averages than specifics. Designer researchers, in contrast, may observe a single person for hours or even days as they investigate a considerably smaller number of subjects in much greater detail. Instead of using averages, their qualitative methods are helpful for identifying individual requirements and issues.

A successful product is well-marketed as well as well-designed. Even the best product will fail without a strong marketing plan because people can't appreciate the design if they aren't persuaded to acquire the product in the first place. Even the most effective marketing plan is only effective to a point without good design, as users are unlikely to purchase a product again if it is cumbersome and difficult to use.

Idea generation

Observation offers the background information required to identify and define the issue. Idea generating is the first stage in investigating solutions. There are three guidelines for effective idea generation.

• First, focus on quantity over quality. Generating as many ideas as possible increases the odds that at least one of them will be useful.
• Second, don’t censor yourself. Don’t kill ideas before they have a chance to make the list. Even “silly” ideas can spark useful discussion.
• Third, question everything, especially the obvious. Asking “obvious” questions allows the opportunity to reexamine basic ideas, which often leads to the most revolutionary new designs.

Prototyping

Examining the most promising concepts in greater detail is the following stage in the design process. This is accomplished through fast prototyping, which emphasizes building very crude models of a number of concepts rather than a more realistic representation of a single idea. Sketches, cardboard models, sticky note arrangements, spreadsheets, and even skits can all be used for rapid prototyping. Once the list is reduced to one or two concepts, more intricate prototypes can be evaluated.

Testing early prototypes can benefit from the "Wizard of Oz approach." Designers can construct a façade that simulates the experience of the final design, much like the wizard in the old fairy tale uses smoke and mirrors to appear bigger and more powerful (for instance, by having a research assistant assume the role of a future computer program and provide responses in a "automated" chat with users).

Testing

Testing comes last in the design process. It's time for the testing phase once the team has reduced the number of potential solutions to one idea and refined that idea into a more complex prototype. The first step in this process is to invite members of the target user group (often five are sufficient) and have them use the product as they ordinarily would.

Put them in pairs, with one using the prototype directly and the other expressing comments, questions, and recommendations if the product is intended to be used by just one person. This makes consumers speak aloud about their ideas, which is useful for designers watching the testing process.

It may seem insignificant to test only five individuals, but keep in mind that testing is an iterative process. Designers will modify the prototype's design using the feedback from the first five users after the initial testing period. Then, this revision will be tested with a fresh group of five potential consumers. Instead of testing a big group just once and hoping the modifications made as a result will be effective, this approach enables continual feedback on more successful iterations.

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