c h r i s t i n a ! ! !

Like many processes, there are always specific and experimental steps that are key to the success of a final end product. This is no different with Design Thinking. Many can argue that there is no one certain way of what the design process steps should consist of. While this is also true, the process of design thinking is intended to create a type of thinking ideology to guide ideas in the right direction. Many designers will have their own process to which a concept is created, but these are the steps that help guide designers to a flourishing project.

The beginning step includes the understanding of why you are trying to solve a problem and who it will affect and why. In this step observation is conducted of users that will be a part of this idea that is being developed. In order to get a better understanding of what an audience needs they must be able to empathize with the user’s experiences, wants, needs, and concerns. This research is very critical so that in the end a problem is solved because the issues were addressed in the beginning and now the process of problem solving can begin. I believe many interviews should be conducted so that a wide-ranging amount of information is received. This should be done in a non-judgmental way that doesn’t interfere with the opinions of users.

The process of defining and outlining the problem can now be determined by the information gathered from the first step. Once this information is taken in, the problems areas can now be assessed and the decisions that need to be made are evaluated according to where the user’s problems lie. Once the main problem is established, the challenges are solved, and ideas will begin to generate. In the step of ideation, all ideas are worthy and should be divulged to the entire team so that all aspects of the problem are covered and thought through. The prioritization of relevant ideas and the most likely to succeed should be determined so that a selective process narrows down the most promising ideas. The more ideas that are generated, the larger the scope of creativity and problem solving becomes thus leading to a greater success rate. This is best said in An Introduction to Design Thinking Process Guide, that all ideas must be generated in order to “uncover unexpected areas of exploration.”

Once multiple ideas are generated narrowed down to the most promising, the next step of creating physical prototypes begins. These prototypes should be not to scale and created with the intent of exploring all aspects and features of the project thoroughly. It is important to keep it simple at this stage so that many prototypes are created in a short amount of time so that the best end product is delivered. As stated in Design Thinking Comes of Age, models created “add a fluid dimension to the exploration of complexity, allowing for nonlinear thought when tackling nonlinear problems.”The testing stage is where a close to finished product is returned to users for feedback so that all and any changes or edits may be implemented before the final result is released. This is the step where notes should be extra carefully taken of what works and what doesn’t. Once this is recognized and refined, a product can be released without any issues.

I believe it is important to be mindful that design thinking is a non-linear process despite the model of design thinking being listed in ordered steps. These five stages are not always sequential and at times designers find it necessary to go back and forth through the design process however they see fit and the most beneficial to producing a successful design. This idea of design thinking “should not be concrete and inflexible approach to design” according to the 5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process.”

Works Cited:

“An Introduction to Design Thinking Process Guide”

https://dschoolold.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/attachments/74b3d/ModeGuideBOOTCAMP2010L.pdf

“Design Thinking Comes of Age”

https://hbr.org/2015/09/design-thinking-comes-of-age

“5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process”

Design thinking is not just thinking outside of the box or solving a design problem, it’s more of asking questions in different ways to be able to generate solutions that’s meaningful and functional. This way of thinking, together with being able to empathize and experiment, is what will help designers make decisions that would be based on what the clients want. There are 3 essential aspects of design thinking: empathy, ideation, and experimentation.

The first step to any problem is to determine the problem. If you don’t know what needs to be solved, then finding a solution is impossible. This question must be “a driving question that inspires others to search for creative solutions” in order for the designers to move forward. Empathy, or putting yourself in others’ shoes, is important when finding a problem. Designers have to ask themselves what’ important to others and how one can learn from the people around them. However, just like in a game of scrabble, putting all your effort in a single question is a difficult way to find solutions. Shuffling and re-framing it should be the next step. After the problem is determined, asking it in different ways can help generate ideas.  

A lot of people think finding a design solution is just waiting for an idea to pop out. Waiting without doing anything is not useless, but it’s not the best way when generating solutions. Finding inspiration doesn’t mean you wait until you think of it; inspiration is searching and putting work into generating ideas. Ideation is the next step in design thinking. Generating ideas and brainstorming can help someone reach to a conclusion. Holding on to the first good idea you think of means you might miss out on other solutions and possibly a solution better than the first idea you have. On the other hand, generating thousands of solutions that aren’t good ideas would just be a waste of time. Quality and quantity should both be taken into consideration.  Comparing ideas is important to choose which one is the best for a design problem.  

Experimentation is important when finding the best solution to a design problem. Design thinking doesn’t mean that it’s all about questions and ideas. Making roughs, thumbnails, or prototypes is a crucial step. Designers have to test out solutions to determine if it’s really the best of the best. Getting feedback is also part of experimentation. If you want to move forward, you have to refine and improve your work by testing out different versions.  

These 3 aspects of design thinking could be seen as steps. Determining a problem through empathy, generating ideas, and then experimenting with those ideas seems like a good way to find structure with a design problem. However, design thinking is not a linear way of thinking. Design thinking is a loop, integrating each step in every step. While experimenting, you could generate new ideas and go back to the problem and then experiment with a new solution. There’s no concrete structure to design thinking. Designers should keep in mind these 3 aspects of design thinking in order to be successful with problems and to reach the best solution possible.  

Sources:

Design Thinking. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking

What is Design Thinking? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/what-is-design-thinking