Design Thinking

Test

Protoype

Ideate

Define

Empathize

Design Thinking

The five stages of the Design Thinking process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Click on the text button to reveal a detailed description of that step, along with examples and tips for applying it.Explore in Any Order: Feel free to explore the phases in any order. Each one provides essential information that builds your understanding of how Design Thinking works.

Understanding the UserThe first step is to develop a deep understanding of the users you are designing for. Empathy is the core of Design Thinking because it requires immersing yourself in the user's experience to understand their needs, challenges, and motivations.

• Example: In the healthcare industry, a team working on a new patient communication app may interview patients to learn about their frustrations and challenges in accessing information during hospital visits.

Design Thinking

Empathize

Framing the ProblemOnce you’ve gathered user insights, the next step is to synthesize that information and define a clear problem statement. This step is about translating what you’ve learned into a concise and actionable problem.

• Example: For the patient communication app, the problem statement might be: "Patients struggle to access real-time updates about their treatment and often feel anxious due to a lack of information."

Design Thinking

Define

Getting User FeedbackTesting is about getting feedback from users and improving your design based on what you learn. It’s an iterative process that continues until the solution is refined to meet the user’s needs effectively. Testing helps identify flaws and areas for improvement.

• Example: The team conducts usability testing with patients to gather feedback on the wireframe, learning that users want simpler navigation and more personalized notifications.

Design thinking

Test

Building to LearnPrototyping involves creating scaled-down versions of a product or specific features. These can be simple paper models or digital mock-ups that help visualize how the solution will function. Prototypes are used to test ideas quickly and iteratively.

• Example: The team might create a clickable wireframe of the patient communication app that allows users to navigate through different screens to see how it would function.

Design Thinking

Prototype

Generating SolutionsWith the problem clearly defined, it's time to generate a range of ideas for possible solutions. In this stage, creativity and open-mindedness are key. Teams often use brainstorming or other creative techniques to come up with many ideas before narrowing them down.

• Example: A team may ideate several solutions, including a mobile app that provides real-time updates, a chatbot for answering common patient questions, or a wearable device that notifies patients of treatment progress.

Design Thinking

Ideate