Google ‘design thinking approach’, and you’ll find a myriad of articles about the five (5) stages of design thinking. However, there are several different processes that you can follow.
A previous blog post of mine discussed the differences between Human-Centred Design and Design Thinking. In this article, I explore some of the industry’s most useful Design Thinking approaches.
What are some Design Thinking approaches I’ve used?
I like to think that I use Design Thinking in almost every decision, from having that morning bagel to picking my outfits for the week. I can make every effort to be more efficient and effective. It all comes down to having empathy for my needs. Who needs instincts, cravings and personal preferences when you have Design Thinking! Ha.
On a more serious note, Design Thinking helps us better understand the problems at hand. These processes allow us to create, experiment and generate solutions that can be tested and refined. Which undoubtedly encourages innovation and collaboration.
So here is my list of five (5) must-know Design Thinking Approaches!
Keep reading to find out about my favourite Design Thinking approaches. In no particular order.
1. The Double Diamond
Ahh, old-faithful. The trusty double-diamond process from the Design Council in the UK.
The two diamonds provide designers with an approach to exploring problems deeply (diverging) and then finding solutions to these problems (converging).
- Discover the problem.
- Define the challenge using the data you gathered in the Discovery Phase.
- Develop different answers or solutions to the challenge(s) defined.
- Deliver by testing different solutions and discarding the ones that don’t work.
As you can see in the diagram above, it is not a linear process; developing and testing allow us to start over from the beginning. It’s about getting feedback and learning.
2. Kanazawa Technical College
In 2014 Kanazawa IT, along with their Technical College, developed this design process for design thinking:
- Empathy is about observation and gathering data.
- The Analysis phase looks at scenarios. This is an opportunity to utilise other tools such as the Affinity Diagram (K-J Method), a six sigma tool.
- Co-Creation is all about collaborating to create potential solutions.
- Whilst the Prototype phase includes rapid development, role-playing and testing.
3. Hasso Plattner Institute
Hasso Plattner Institute, more widely known as the d.school at Standford University, conceived one of the most recognisable approaches in the industry.
In some instances, designers have further broken down the approach into the one I have shown in my diagram above. It can be found in The Design Thinking Playbook.
- Empathy (for your users): This phase includes observations, engaging with your users or immersing yourself in their world.
- Define: unpacking your empathy findings. Defining the problem and the point of view vision.
- Ideate: The fun part is when you get to generate ideas and radical solutions. Collaborate with your team and explore every aspect of the problem.
- Prototype: Make your ideas tangible. Create your ideas and make them real, physical possibilities.
- Test: Test and refine your solutions, especially in the context of the product’s life and for your user.
4. IDEO
The first design company to successfully commercialise the design thinking approach from the above d.school approach. Their approach initially focused on:
- Understand
- Observe and Analyse
- Visualise
- Evaluate and Optimise
- Implement
IDEO’s Design Thinking process has become synonymous with its Human-Centred Design approach.
“Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”
—TIM BROWN, EXECUTIVE CHAIR OF IDEO
5. ICT Company Swisscom
Since 2003, Swisscom and Creaholic have been working towards defining a human-centred design thinking process. Which defines HCD as ‘Hear’, ‘Create’ and ‘Deliver’):
- Hear: Understand the project, the problem, and the design challenge with help directly from the customer.
- Create: Transform what was learned into potential solutions and possibilities,
- Deliver: Confirm the ideas and make them concrete. Test prototypes, verify and then gain insights to refine them.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned in my previous post. I believe in understanding the different types of approaches to design thinking and taking from them the most beneficial methods or techniques when defining your problem. But always practice in the real world.
Otherwise, how else will you know the best techniques and methods to define and solve your problem?
In Conclusion
If you want your solutions to be truly effective and sustainable. Always ask questions to understand biases, identify assumptions and evaluate with a crucial eye for success.
Do you have another approach to Design Thinking that you would like to share?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.