Design Thinking

Design Thinking Skill

Overview

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation and problem-solving. It integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

The Five Phases

1. Empathize

Purpose: Understand the people you're designing for.

Key Activities:

• User interviews
• Observation
• Immersive experiences
• Empathy mapping

Outputs:

• User insights
• Empathy maps
• User journey maps
• Pain points and gains

Key Questions:

• Who is the user?
• What do they need?
• What frustrates them?
• What delights them?
• What are their goals?

2. Define

Purpose: Synthesize findings into a clear problem statement.

Key Activities:

• Insight synthesis
• Problem framing
• Point of View (POV) statements
• "How Might We" questions

Outputs:

• Problem statement
• POV statement
• HMW questions
• Design challenge

Frameworks:

POV Statement:

[USER] needs [NEED] because [INSIGHT]

How Might We (HMW):

How might we [action] for [user] so that [outcome]?

3. Ideate

Purpose: Generate a wide range of potential solutions.

Key Activities:

• Brainstorming
• Mind mapping
• Sketching
• SCAMPER technique
• Worst possible idea

Outputs:

• Idea bank
• Concept sketches
• Clustered themes
• Selected concepts for prototyping

Rules for Ideation: 1. Defer judgment 2. Encourage wild ideas 3. Build on others' ideas 4. Stay focused on topic 5. One conversation at a time 6. Be visual 7. Go for quantity

4. Prototype

Purpose: Create representations of solutions to explore.

Key Activities:

• Sketching
• Storyboarding
• Role-playing
• Paper prototypes
• Digital mockups

Outputs:

• Prototypes (any fidelity)
• Storyboards
• Scenarios
• Physical or digital models

Prototype Principles:

• Start rough, refine later
• Build to think
• Fail fast, learn faster
• Prototype to learn, not to prove

5. Test

Purpose: Gather feedback and refine solutions.

Key Activities:

• User testing
• Feedback sessions
• Observation
• Iteration

Outputs:

• Feedback synthesis
• Refined prototypes
• Iteration plans
• Validated concepts

Feedback Framework:

• What I like...
• What I wish...
• What I wonder...
• What if...

Design Thinking Mindsets

1. Human-Centered

Always start with people and their needs.

2. Bias Toward Action

Build to think. Don't just talk about ideas.

3. Radical Collaboration

Diverse perspectives lead to better solutions.

4. Culture of Prototyping

Make ideas tangible early and often.

5. Show, Don't Tell

Use visuals, stories, and prototypes.

6. Mindful of Process

Know where you are in the process.

7. Embrace Ambiguity

Stay open even when unclear.

Workshop Timing Guide

90-Minute Sprint

Half-Day Workshop (3 hours)

Full-Day Workshop (6+ hours)

Extended exploration of each phase with breaks and team exercises.

Common Techniques

Empathy Map

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     SAYS                          │
│                 (quotes, phrases)                 │
├───────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┤
│       THINKS          │         FEELS             │
│  (beliefs, thoughts)  │   (emotions, reactions)   │
├───────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│        DOES           │                           │
│  (actions, behaviors) │                           │
├───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┤
│    PAINS              │         GAINS             │
│ (frustrations, fears) │   (wants, needs, goals)   │
└───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘

User Journey Map

PHASE:    Awareness → Consideration → Decision → Use → Loyalty
ACTIONS:  [What user does at each stage]
THOUGHTS: [What user thinks]
EMOTIONS: [How user feels - graph line]
PAIN PTS: [Friction points]
OPPTYS:   [Opportunities to improve]

2x2 Matrix for Prioritization

                HIGH IMPACT
                    │
    ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
    │    DO LATER   │   DO NOW      │
HIGH│               │               │LOW
EFFORT              │              EFFORT
    │   DON'T DO    │   FILL-IN     │
    └───────────────┼───────────────┘
                    │
                LOW IMPACT

When to Use Design Thinking

Best For:

• Complex, ill-defined problems
• Human-centered challenges
• Innovation and new product development
• Experience design
• Service design

Less Suitable For:

• Well-defined technical problems
• Urgent decisions with no time for exploration
• Problems with clear, known solutions

See activities.md for detailed activity guides.

Design Thinking Activities

Detailed guides for common design thinking activities.

Empathize Phase Activities

Activity: Empathy Interview

Duration: 15-30 minutes per interview

Purpose: Gather deep insights about user experiences, needs, and motivations.

Setup:

• Prepare open-ended questions
• Create comfortable environment
• Have note-taking method ready

Process: 1. Opening (2 min)

• Introduce yourself
• Explain purpose
• Get permission to take notes

2. Warm-up (3 min)

• Easy, non-threatening questions
• Build rapport

3. Deep Dive (15-20 min)

• Follow the conversation
• Ask "why" 5 times
• Listen for emotions
• Probe for stories

4. Closing (2 min)

• Thank participant
• Ask if anything else to add
• Leave door open for follow-up

Key Questions:

• "Tell me about the last time you..."
• "What was that experience like?"
• "Why do you think that happened?"
• "How did that make you feel?"
• "What do you wish was different?"

Activity: Empathy Mapping

Duration: 20-30 minutes

Purpose: Synthesize observations into user understanding.

Process: 1. Draw the empathy map template 2. Fill in each quadrant based on research:

• Says: Direct quotes
• Thinks: Beliefs and attitudes
• Does: Observable behaviors
• Feels: Emotions

3. Identify Pains and Gains 4. Look for inconsistencies (say vs do)

Activity: User Journey Mapping

Duration: 30-60 minutes

Purpose: Visualize the user's experience over time.

Process: 1. Define the scope (start/end points) 2. List the phases/stages 3. For each stage, capture:

• Actions
• Thoughts
• Emotions (plot as graph)
• Touchpoints
• Pain points
• Opportunities

4. Identify moments of truth

Define Phase Activities

Activity: Point of View Madlib

Duration: 15-20 minutes

Purpose: Create actionable problem statements.

Template:

[USER] needs [NEED] because [INSIGHT]

Process: 1. List user characteristics 2. Identify their core needs (verbs, not nouns) 3. Connect to surprising insights 4. Write 3-5 variations 5. Select the most compelling

Examples:

• "Working parents need efficient meal solutions because they value quality family time over cooking."
• "New graduates need professional confidence because they have expertise but lack experience signals."

Activity: How Might We (HMW)

Duration: 15-20 minutes

Purpose: Transform problems into opportunities.

Process: 1. Start with POV statement 2. Reframe as HMW questions 3. Generate multiple HMWs from different angles:

• Amplify the positive
• Explore the opposite
• Question assumptions
• Change context
• Break it into pieces

Rules:

• Not too broad (overwhelming)
• Not too narrow (limiting)
• Does not suggest solution

Example Progression:

• POV: "Busy commuters need quick healthy meals because they have no time to cook."
• Too Broad: "How might we solve hunger?"
• Too Narrow: "How might we make microwaveable salads?"
• Just Right: "How might we help busy commuters eat healthy without preparation time?"

Ideate Phase Activities

Activity: Classic Brainstorm

Duration: 15-30 minutes

Setup:

• Clear HMW question visible
• Sticky notes and markers
• Timer

Process: 1. Review rules (defer judgment, build, quantity) 2. Silent ideation (3-5 min) 3. Round robin sharing 4. Building phase (respond with "Yes, and...") 5. Wild ideas push 6. Cluster similar ideas

Activity: Worst Possible Idea

Duration: 10-15 minutes

Purpose: Lower barriers, uncover assumptions.

Process: 1. Ask: "What's the worst possible solution?" 2. Generate terrible ideas enthusiastically 3. Examine what makes them terrible 4. Flip the terrible elements 5. Use flipped elements as inspiration

Activity: SCAMPER

Duration: 20-30 minutes

Purpose: Systematic exploration of modifications.

Apply each lens to existing ideas/products:

Prototype Phase Activities

Activity: Rapid Sketching

Duration: 10-15 minutes

Purpose: Quickly visualize ideas.

Process: 1. Fold paper into 6-8 frames 2. Set timer for 1-2 minutes per frame 3. Sketch variations of the idea 4. No erasing allowed 5. Label key features 6. Share and discuss

Activity: Storyboarding

Duration: 20-30 minutes

Purpose: Show the user experience over time.

Process: 1. Define the scenario 2. Create 6-8 frames showing:

• Frame 1: Context/setup
• Frames 2-6: Key interactions
• Frame 7-8: Outcome/resolution

3. Include:

• User actions
• System responses
• Emotional states

4. Add captions

Activity: Role Play

Duration: 15-20 minutes

Purpose: Embody the experience.

Process: 1. Assign roles (user, service provider, system) 2. Set the scene 3. Act out the scenario 4. Pause to note observations 5. Try variations 6. Debrief

Test Phase Activities

Activity: I Like, I Wish, What If

Duration: 15-20 minutes

Purpose: Structured feedback collection.

Process: 1. Present prototype 2. Observers write feedback on stickies:

• Green: "I like..." (positive)
• Pink: "I wish..." (improvements)
• Blue: "What if..." (new ideas)

3. Share and cluster feedback 4. Identify patterns 5. Prioritize changes

Activity: Think Aloud Testing

Duration: 20-30 minutes per test

Purpose: Understand user mental models.

Process: 1. Give user a task 2. Ask them to verbalize thoughts while doing it 3. Don't help or guide 4. Note:

• Where they struggle
• What they misunderstand
• What delights them

5. Ask follow-up questions

Activity: Feedback Capture Grid

Duration: 15-20 minutes

Template:

┌─────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│       LIKES (+)         │     CRITICISMS (-)      │
│                         │                         │
│ What worked well?       │ What didn't work?       │
│                         │                         │
├─────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│     QUESTIONS (?)       │       IDEAS (!)         │
│                         │                         │
│ What needs clarity?     │ New ideas sparked?      │
│                         │                         │
└─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘