Timothy Wayne

Design Thinking | 5 Phases

In this article, we will discuss the five phases of Design Thinking, highlighting them at a high level to provide an overview of what they entail, why they are essential to use, and how they can be employed to address product problems.

Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that centers around the needs and experiences of users. At the core of this approach is User-Centered Research, which is used to gain empathy and understanding of the problem at hand. By conducting research with real end users, Design Thinking practitioners can gain a deep understanding of users’ needs, motivations, pain points, and needs which can then be used to create more effective solutions. This research can take many forms, including interviews, surveys, and observational studies. By engaging in this research, Design Thinkers can gain a more holistic understanding of the user and the problem they are trying to solve.

The Design Thinking Process is a versatile problem-solving approach that can be applied to projects of varying durations and scopes. It can be used for a one-week workshop or a long-term User Experience Research project.

One organization that has gained a reputation for teaching and applying Design Thinking is The Interaction Design Foundation. They follow the five phases outlined in the Design Thinking Methodology proposed by Hasso Plattner of the Institute of Design at Stanford, which is recognized as a world-renowned framework for Design Thinking.

The Design Thinking Process, with its five phases - Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test - is a valuable approach for problem-solving. While it can be a linear approach, it may also be introduced in a non-linear manner. These phases help Design Thinkers gain a comprehensive understanding of the user's needs, define the problem, generate ideas, create prototypes, and test the solution with users. The framework's flexibility and structure allow it to be applied to various projects and situations, making it an effective tool for solving a wide range of problems.

According to the school the 5 phases of design thinking

1. Empathize | Research Your Users Needs.
2. Define | State
3. Ideate | Challenge assumptions and create ideas
4. Prototype | Draft solutions
5. Test | Validation our solutions

We will step through each phase here.

1. Empathize

The first phase of the Design Thinking Process is Empathize, and it's all about gaining an understanding of the problem we're trying to solve. In this phase, we focus on user research to gain empathy and understanding of the people we're designing for.

Through user research, we gain real insights into users - their needs, pain points, and motivations. This research can take many forms, including interviews, surveys, and observational studies. The goal is to understand users' perspectives and experiences so that we can design solutions that truly meet their needs.

Empathy is key to this phase. By putting ourselves in the users' shoes and gaining a deeper understanding of their experiences, we can better empathize with them and create solutions that are truly user-centered. We can uncover insights that we may have otherwise overlooked, and generate ideas that are more likely to resonate with users.

Overall, the Empathize phase is a critical first step in the Design Thinking Process.

Methods

• Stakeholder vision, business goals
• Discovery workshop
• User Journey Mapping
• Personas (Jobs to be done insights)

Participants

• Aim to keep it 7 or less people
• Stakeholder
• Product Owner
• User(s)
• Facilitator
• Project Manager (note taker)

2. Define

Once we've gained an empathetic understanding of our users, we move on to the Define phase. In this phase, we use our research insights to define our users' needs and problems.


To define our users' needs and problems, we document our observations and analyze them to identify patterns and themes. We synthesize this information to create a problem statement that captures the core issues we've identified. The problem statement serves as a guide throughout the rest of the Design Thinking Process, helping us stay focused on our users' needs and priorities.


The Define phase of the Design Thinking Process is critical for creating a shared understanding of the problem and ensuring everyone involved in the project is aligned towards the same goals. It is an essential step that involves analyzing observations, synthesizing them into a problem statement, and focusing on the right problem to develop truly user-centered solutions. By clearly defining the problem, misunderstandings and miscommunications can be avoided, leading to more effective solutions.

Methods
Distill the phase 1 feedback
Problem Statement Session

Artifacts
Create Personas
Document User Journey Maps
User Heat Maps
Problem statement

3. Ideate

In the third phase of the Design Thinking Process, Ideate, we focus on generating ideas and identifying innovative solutions to the problem statement we've defined in the Define phase. This is the time to challenge assumptions and "think outside the box.”

To generate ideas, we use a variety of brainstorming techniques and ideation methods. We encourage creativity and encourage all ideas, no matter how wild or unconventional they may seem. This phase is about exploring different ways to view the problem and identifying new solutions that may not have been considered before.

Overall, the Ideate phase is about being creative and exploring new possibilities. By generating a wide range of ideas, we can increase the chances of finding a solution that truly meets users' needs and solves the problem we've identified.

Methods
Worse Possible Idea

Artifacts
Wireframe designs

4. Prototype

In the fourth phase of the Design Thinking Process, Prototype, we focus on creating scaled-down versions of possible solutions to the problem statement we've defined. The design team produces inexpensive prototypes that focus on specific features, which can be shared and tested with small teams.

This is an experimental phase where we aim to investigate the ideas we've generated in the Ideate phase. By creating prototypes, we can quickly test and iterate on different solutions, which can help us identify the best possible solution to the problem.

Paper prototyping and lo-fi methods are particularly useful during this phase because they allow us to create quick, low-cost prototypes that can be tested and refined rapidly. This approach can help us avoid investing significant time and resources into a solution that may not work.

Through prototyping and testing, we can gain valuable feedback from users and stakeholders, which can help us refine and improve our solutions. This feedback can also help us identify potential issues and challenges that may have been overlooked in earlier phases of the Design Thinking Process.

Overall, the Prototype phase is about testing and validating our ideas. By creating inexpensive prototypes and testing them with small teams, we can identify the best possible solution to the problem we're trying to solve.

5. Test

In the fifth phase of the Design Thinking Process, Test, we focus on testing the solutions we've developed to validate with real users. This phase is critical because it allows us to see how our solutions perform in the real world and whether they meet users' needs.

Testing often leads to new insights and may even reveal additional problems that need to be addressed. As a result, it's common to return to a previous phase in the Design Thinking Process to make further iterations and refinements to our solutions.

The goal of testing is to rule in or rule out solutions. By testing our solutions with real users and stakeholders, we can get valuable feedback that can help us refine and improve our solutions.

Testing can take many forms, including usability testing, A/B testing. The methods we choose will depend on the specific problem we're trying to solve and the solutions we've developed.

Ultimately, the Test phase is about validating our solutions and ensuring that they meet the needs of our users. By gaining a deep understanding of the product and its users, we can create solutions that are more likely to be successful and effective in the long run.

Bonus: Insights into action

After completing the five phases of the Design Thinking Process, we can use our insights to write up Epics, Features, and Stories for the product planning phase.

Epics are high-level user stories that capture a broad goal or objective for the product. They help us define the overall scope of the product and ensure that we're focused on delivering value to our users.

Features are more specific than Epics and describe the functionality that will be included in the product. They help us break down the Epics into smaller, more manageable pieces of work that can be tackled by the development team.

Stories are even more specific than Features and describe a particular user need or requirement. They help us ensure that we're building the right functionality and that it meets the needs of our users.

By writing up Epics, Features, and Stories, we can ensure that we have a clear understanding of what we're building and why. This can help us prioritize our work, ensure that we're delivering value to our users, and make sure that everyone on the team is aligned and working towards a common goal.

Overall, the insights we've gained from the Design Thinking Process can help us create a more effective product plan that is focused on delivering value to our users and meeting their needs.

Sources
IDF Design Thinking