Design thinking is a process for understanding the real problem and creative problem-solving. Design Thinking processes can help us to learn and apply human-centered techniques to solve problems in a creative and innovative way. But it evolved from a range of different fields including-designs, businesses, engineering, also in our lives.
Design thinking is a solution-based approach to solving problems which helps you to do so in a creative and collaborative way. Design thinking is more than just a process; it opens up an entirely new way to think.
Solving the Correct Problems
Designer’s have an ability to discover the real problems. According to Don Norman “good designers never start by trying to solve the problem given to them: they start by trying to understand what the real issues are. As a result, rather than coverage upon a solution, they diverge studying people and what they are trying to accomplish, generating idea after idea after idea”
So for identify the correct problem they have developed a number of techniques, therefore take the original problem as a suggestion. Design thinking is extremely user-centric and it focuses on humans first and foremost, to understand pain points of people and come up with effective solutions to meet those needs. Design thinking has become the first approach in the modern design firm. There are main two method of the design thinking are the human-centered design and the double-diamond model of design.
The double-diamond model of design
Double Diamond is the name of a design process pattern that was first introduced in 2005 by the British Design Council. Design Council’s Double Diamond clearly conveys a design process to designers and non-designers alike. The two diamonds represent a process of exploring an issue more widely or deeply and then taking focused action. Divided into four phases — Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver — it is probably the best known and the most popular design process visualization.
Discover
The first step is to understand people, what the problem is. Such as exploring the real problem and applying field research to understand the challenge. It involves Mind Maps, Multi-Perspective Problem Framing, Brainstorming and Reverse Brainstorming etc.
Define
We understand what the customers’ pain points are and what they do. The details gathered from the discovery phase can help to define the challenges.
Develop
At this point we have decided on the problem to try and solve. So people to give different answers to the clearly defined problem, focus on generating as many ideas as possible.
Deliver
This last step involves testing out different solutions. we are focusing on what we can actually deliver and which solutions will solve the users’ needs.
The double-diamond model of the design process is quite effective at freeing designers from unnecessary restrictions to the problem and solution spaces. When we start focusing upon the problem, they do not seem to make progress, but instead develop a wide variety of ideas and thoughts, many only half formed, many clearly impractical. This repeated divergence and convergence is important in properly determining the right problem to be solved and then the best way to solve it.
The human-centered design process
Double Diamond design processes have tow phases of design – finding the right problem and finding human needs. How are these actually done? Here the human-centered design process comes into play. According to IDEO, the six phases of the HCD process are:
Observation
About understanding the nature of the problem before you design a solution to serve them. Observing how their environments work, and consulting experts on the issue to fully grasp all the challenges that need to be overcome in order to create a solution.
Ideation
Once you have enough information to solve the problem, The next step is use your creativity to think up solutions. There are many way of generating ideas: brainstorming time.
Prototyping
After brainstorming, you’ll choose the best ideas and create prototypes. Usually prototypes are low-cost estimations of what your solution will look like, and in the early stage of this process, the mock-ups can be pencil sketches, physical models, or digital prototypes.
Feedback
This is the most important process of the human centered design process. Without input from your user, you won’t know if your solution is in the right direction or not, and you have no idea about how to evolve the real design.
Iteration
Rapid prototyping and testing and integrating user feedback until you have fine-tuned your solution. Most of the time it may take a few rounds, but don’t get discouraged. With each iteration, you will get something new.
Implementation
The final phase of the process is bringing that ideal solution to market. At the core of the implementation process is prototyping, turning ideas into actual products and services that are then tested, iterated, and refined.
Human-centered design is a creative approach to problem solving not implementing solutions. And measurable changes in customer behavior that are the indicators of success and value. Therefore these six processes are iterated; that is they are repeated over and over, in each cycle we get more ideas and closer to the target solution.
