How to Use Design Thinking

Design thinking has gained fresh momentum outside the design community in the last 15 years. This innovative approach to finding solutions has applications throughout the business world, whether in software development, health care, or education. You can read further to explore the skills you’ll need to support design thinking, how to use design thinking, and ideas to help you get started.

What is design thinking?

Design thinking is an approach to generating ideas that, at its core, puts humans first. Instead of focusing on the problem, this solution-oriented method considers the user. Basing the solution on an empathetic understanding of the user’s needs and how the proposed solution might impact them shifts how you think about addressing the situation. 

Design thinking requires creative ideas. You move past what you think you know and brainstorm all the possible, better ways to get something done or make it work.

Design thinking proves particularly useful in tackling ill-defined problems (also known as wicked problems) since it encourages out-of-the-box innovation. Focusing on the user's leading priorities opens up new avenues for product development, business planning, user experience (UX) journeys, software development, and much more. 

Divergent vs. convergent thinking

Design thinking invites divergent thinking, which asks you to brainstorm expansively. A divergent thinker views all ideas as equal, pushes beyond the obvious, and generates and collects ideas outside the conventional. While divergent thinking is broad and explores spontaneous connections, convergent thinking is more focused.

Convergent thinking often follows divergent thinking. It narrows the options by taking all the ideas generated in the divergent thinkers’ brainstorming. This type of thinking is evaluative, considers constraints and feasibility, and determines the most effective solution for the problem.

Why does design thinking matter?

Design thinking matters because it asks you to shift your mindset and tackle problems differently. This can lead to innovations that fulfill customers' demands. Heavy hitters like Apple, Google, and Airbnb have all credited some of their successes to design thinking. 

Design thinking helps you or your organization think about the needs of your customers or users. At the same time, it encourages collaboration and taps into everyone’s creative potential. This way of thinking asks you to learn and iterate faster. Plus, it embraces revolutionary ideas and lowers the risk of launching new products and services.

4 stages of design thinking

When learning to use the design thinking process, you’ll typically encounter a four or five-stage model. The five-stage option introduces an earlier stage, “empathize,” encouraging you to get to know the user and their wants and objectives. Some, though, simply merge this into what is presented as the first stage or defining the problem.

1. Define the problem

Identify the question or define the problem that needs a creative solution. You might also see this labeled “clarify” or “clarification” because what you’re doing right now is making sense of the situation and determining the various aspects of the problem you are attempting to solve.

Framing and identifying the right problem can make all the difference in developing the right solution. For example, if you think the issue is that your users have difficulty navigating the instructions for installing your product. In reality, they can follow the instructions but simply think they are too lengthy, and you could solve for something that doesn’t make an impact.

2. Ideate possible solutions

Shelve your preconceptions and work to get past the obvious answers to think of breakthrough solutions. Use divergent thinking to push your mind and uncover unexpected solutions to the problem. Immerse yourself in the act of exploring new ideas. Working with others, you can harness the power of collaboration and generate a variety and volume of ideas to work with and jump off from. Open your mind and avoid criticizing others’ ideas; even the most infeasible idea could lead in another great direction.

3. Prototype and test ideas

Build rough prototypes and make ideas tangible so that you can test them out and gather feedback. Keep experimenting to move the solution forward. Try to avoid spending too long on prototyping one design so you can refrain from getting too attached to a particular idea. You always want to do this with the user in mind. In testing, seek feedback rather than giving directions and telling people how to use your solution.

4. Implement your solution

The previous steps lead to the point where you put your idea into practice. With design thinking, you typically invest the most time, effort, and funds during this process step. It tends to be the most rigorous stage because you will continue to refine your solution based on the effectiveness of each iteration until you identify the best one.

Essentially, your ultimate objective is to fully comprehend the product and the customer's needs.

How to incorporate design thinking into your career

Design thinking requires various skills, such as observing human behavior, challenging assumptions, and conducting user research. The following strategies can help you cultivate the right mindset.

Observe human behavior

Human users sit at the center of design thinking. Observing how people act, think, work, and talk can develop your empathy for their emotional needs. To innovate with the end user in mind, you need input into their struggles and feel a connection to them to provide a truly valuable solution.

Challenge assumptions

Questioning expert opinions and reimagining how things happen are critical to design thinking. Taking a fresh look at a conventional approach can lead to something entirely new and groundbreaking. 

User research

Identify new possibilities and needs by observing users, interviewing potential customers or end users, and exploring their responses to learn how they use the product or service (or what holds them back). Interacting with the user can provide you with a nuanced version of the problem, leading you to a more effective solution.

Getting started with Coursera

Design thinking allows you to think of creative, out-of-the-box solutions that solve your customer's problems and challenge assumptions about how to do things. Continue learning and prepare to take the next step in using a divergent approach to learning about design thinking by immersing yourself in various perspectives on this model.

For example, Design-Led Strategy: Design Thinking for Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship, offered by the University of Sydney, provides methods to break through conventional expectations. Another option to consider is Experiencing Design: Deepening your Design Thinking Practice, provided by the University of Virginia, which aims to help you unlock the power of this model. You might also try Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector to gain even more insight into the topic. These courses and more are available on Coursera.