# Design Thinking (DT)

<figure><img src="https://3653531953-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FaUGavCwJG3yTK1JeiOyH%2Fuploads%2FDddG7UeOflQZJHYJFpe2%2Fdesign-thinking.png?alt=media&#x26;token=1c41b39e-3af0-4c0f-984d-977f41cb160f" alt=""><figcaption><p>Image by <a href="https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking">Interaction Design Foundation</a></p></figcaption></figure>

Also widely known as Human-Centered Design, Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. It is most useful to tackle ill-defined or unknown problems and involves five phases: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test.

Design thinking provides a holistic framework for addressing complex problems by putting the user at the center of the design process. It complements and enhances other design approaches by fostering innovation, empathy, and a focus on human needs.

#### Design Thinking: A Human-Centered Approach

Design thinking is a creative problem-solving methodology centered around understanding user needs and developing innovative solutions. It emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and iteration. The process is typically broken down into five phases:

1. **Empathise**: Immerse yourself in the user's world to gain deep insights into their needs, motivations, and pain points.
2. **Define**: Synthesise your research findings to identify the core problem you want to solve.
3. **Ideate**: Generate a wide range of creative solutions to the problem, encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.
4. **Prototype**: Create tangible representations of your ideas, whether it's sketches, wireframes, or physical prototypes.
5. **Test**: Gather feedback on your prototypes from users to refine and improve your solutions.

#### Design Thinking vs. Other Design Approaches

Design thinking differs from other approaches in a few key ways:

* Focus on Human Needs: Design thinking places a strong emphasis on understanding and addressing user needs, whereas other approaches might focus more on technical feasibility or business requirements.
* Iterative Process: Design thinking is highly iterative, with a constant cycle of learning, creating, and testing. This allows for flexibility and adaptability throughout the design process.
* Creative Mindset: Design thinking encourages a creative and open-minded approach to problem-solving, valuing divergent thinking and unconventional ideas.
* Collaboration: Design thinking often involves collaboration between diverse teams, including designers, engineers, marketers, and even users themselves.

#### Comparing Design Thinking to Lean UX and Agile Design/UX

* Lean UX: Focuses on building minimum viable products (MVPs) to quickly test assumptions and gather user feedback. Design thinking can be integrated into Lean UX to enhance the user-centered aspect of the process.
* Agile Design/UX: Emphasises iterative development and collaboration between designers and developers. Design thinking can be used to inform the user-centered design principles within Agile frameworks.

#### Notable Articles

{% embed url="<https://www.mural.co/blog/design-thinking>" %}

{% embed url="<https://uxplanet.org/design-thinking-lean-ux-agile-%EF%B8%8F-8c65e888a9e9>" %}

{% embed url="<https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking>" %}

{% embed url="<https://ux247.com/design-thinking-in-ux-vs-user-centered-design/>" %}

{% embed url="<https://whitneyhess.com/blog/2013/02/26/empathy-is-the-core-of-design-thinking/>" %}

{% embed url="<https://uxdesign.cc/whats-the-point-of-ai-without-design-and-systems-thinking-7f9a2eb8a1c9>" %}

#### Further Reading

{% embed url="<https://raindrop.io/TonyODonohoe/design-thinking-dt-49357722>" %}
