Design thinking is comprised of 5 non-linear steps that are designed to help organizations and designers address rapidly changing markets and consumer expectations. Here is a general overview of each step and how they work together.
Empathize:
-
The process begins by understanding and empathizing with the people who will use the product or service.
-
Design thinkers seek to gain insights into users' experiences, needs, and challenges.
Define:
-
Based on the information gathered during the empathize phase, the problem is defined in a human-centric manner.
-
This involves synthesizing the collected data to create a clear and concise problem statement.
Ideate:
-
This phase involves generating a wide range of possible solutions to the defined problem.
-
Brainstorming sessions and creative thinking techniques are commonly used to encourage diverse and innovative ideas.
Prototype:
-
Design thinkers create tangible representations of their ideas to quickly and cheaply test them.
-
Prototypes can take various forms, from sketches and wireframes to physical models, depending on the nature of the solution.
Test:
-
Prototypes are tested with actual users to gather feedback and insights.
-
The goal is to understand what works well, what needs improvement, and to iterate on the design accordingly.