Learn About Design Thinking

While several techniques or names are used in the workplace, the most common point of confusion is between the terms “design thinking” and “UX design”.

Because these are two terms that we hear quite often, and they’re easily confused. And it’s easy to understand why!

"UX designer" is also a job title, whereas we rarely see job ads for a "design thinker"!

That's because design thinking is a methodology—a way of doing things. UX design uses this foundation but applies it to a specific area. Broadly speaking, UX design mostly concerns itself with the digital, mobile/web, and graphical interfaces that we come across on a daily basis.

Think of design thinking like an ecosystem. Just like a universe, we can observe it on a macro level, then zoom in: there are galaxies, stars, planets, moons, etc.

Tapping Into Different Techniques

The practices of design thinking, lean UX, and the agile method all align with the same philosophy, but it is true that the steps or time needed to effectively carry them out will differ depending on the techniques chosen.

The Five-step Method Popularized by IDEO

This method was first on the scene, so it's the most well-known!

The Californian innovation agency IDEO developed this technique for their own designers and then shared it with the general public:

The Four-Step Double Diamond Technique

Here is another way to approach design thinking, this time in four steps.

This method is not fundamentally different from the previous one, in that:

• Explore corresponds to the IDEO method's Empathize step.

• Define is the same in both.

• Deliver corresponds to the Test step.

But where did the IDEO method's ideation (brainstorming) step go?

It is integrated into the Explore and Develop steps. This means brainstorming happens both in the initial research and prototype development phases.

The Three-Step Lean Start-up Technique

Here is an even more optimized approach, which is very popular in the world of start-ups:

• Learn corresponds to an upstream research phase.

• It is followed by the development phase of an MVP.

• Measure corresponds to the test phase. It allows us to go back to the Learn phase and use the lessons learned to improve the MVP.

This is why this technique is visually represented as a loop.

The Five-Day Design Sprint Technique

The design sprint technique is ideal when working on a project for a seminar or a hackathon. As its name suggests, its goal is to provide results quickly!

This technique is usually used when a product or service needs to be created within a week or so.

Obviously, the result is not intended to be perfect or even successful because the MVP principle is in effect once more. The goal is to develop a prototype that can then be improved upon.

The Lean UX Hybrid Technique

This technique is also represented as a loop, allowing you to develop an initial MVP with the aim of progressively improving it.

This loop consists of the following steps:

1. Doing research (empathize).

2. Defining hypotheses (define + brainstorm).

3. Developing an MVP (prototype).

4. Testing it (test).

5. We would then go back to the beginning of the loop to analyze the feedback, to do additional research to better reformulate the hypotheses to improve the MVP, and so on.

The loop is then closed.

Understanding the Basic Principle

The diagrams presented above have different visual representations, but on closer inspection, we can see that they all follow the same basic principle.

Actually, there are three! The approach needs to:

1. be human-centered.

2. be anchored in an iterative process (loop).

3. alternate phases of diverging and converging.

1. A Human-centered Approach

It is for this very reason that the first step of the IDEO method is to empathize! It highlights how important it is to:

1. understand the needs and problems of others.

2. and avoid getting bogged down in preconceived notions and losing sight of the project's purpose.

Therefore, it’s crucial to listen to and observe people in order to address the challenges they face. These potential users are even usually invited to test the product to make sure that it still corresponds to their needs. It can be revised, modified, edited, augmented, improved if necessary. For example:

If you’re redesigning your résumé, you're usually applying for a specific position, whether directly to the company or via a recruiter.

If you’re working on the implementation of an onboarding process, you target newcomers to the company, and their specific needs,  to facilitate their integration into the company from their very first day.

If you’re designing a healthcare clinic, you take into account the patients who will visit and perhaps even the medical professionals who will work there.

2. Iterative Improvement

Iteration is at the very heart of the design thinking approach!

This helps improve the concept with every cycle.

3. A Multi-step Method

To define the design thinking method simply, it is a succession of postures (or attitudes) of:

• openness and closure.

• divergence and convergence.

• decentering and recentering.

This is why it is important to proceed step by step, in the established order.

Follow the Five-step IDEO Method

You can apply whatever technique you think is the most suitable to your project, but in this course, we’ll be using IDEO’s five-step method, as it’s the most widely used one.

The five steps of the IDEO method are as follows:

1. Empathize (openness) = decentering yourself to understand a need or problem that is not inherently your own and putting yourself in the shoes of those who are experiencing it.

2. Define (closure) = summarizing to clearly define the problem to be solved—in other words, formulating the problem in one sentence.

3. Ideation (openness) = exploring in order to generate a large number of ideas (brainstorming) that could address the problem.

4. Prototype (closure) = focusing on the best idea to develop a prototype (draft/model/plan, etc.)

5. Test (openness) = opening up to others once more to user test the prototype and take any feedback into account.

Over to You! Adapting the Five Steps to Your Project

Pick a project that you want to work on while taking this course, or that you have planned to start afterwards.

Here are two examples:

1. Redesigning your CV

2. Designing a digital product

1. Take on a Small Project, Like Redesigning Your Résumé

In this case, your approach will look more like this:

1. Empathize: Research the position(s) and the companies you are targeting, company culture, qualities they are looking for, in-demand skills in your particular job market, etc

2. Define: Describe in one sentence the ideal résumé that will land you a job interview for the companies and position(s) you are targeting.

3. Brainstorm: Create a visual mood board of the colors, designs, and content layouts that you find the most creative and relevant to your field, brainstorm ideas that will make you stand out from the crowd (in a good way!).

4. Prototype: Make a rough draft or sketch of your résumé on paper (using a pencil) to visualize how the different sections will look in relation to each other.

5. Test: If possible, show your résumé draft to people in your targeted industry and ask them for their honest feedback.

6. Iterate: Improve your draft by taking the feedback you receive into account, then create an initial version of your résumé using a word processor (Word or OpenOffice) or graphic design tool like Canva. Test this new version with your network to refine it, and add any final details. You're now ready to apply for the job of your dreams using your new and improved résumé!

2. Or a Larger-scale Project, Like Designing a Digital Product

In this case, your approach will look more like this:

1. Empathize: Do research on the product's potential users, their expectations and challenges, conducting user interviews about their experiences with the topic.

2. Define: Formulate in one sentence the need that this product will meet or the solution it will provide.

3. Brainstorm: Generate a large number of ideas to see what solutions and types of functionalities could be implemented, what types of graphical interfaces could be a source of inspiration, etc..

4. Prototype: Sketch out the different screens on a sheet of paper to visualize the content layout and the navigation path from page to page.

5. Test: Show this prototype to the people you interviewed in step 1, let them try it out, and write down anything they particularly liked or disliked.

6. Iterate: Fill in the gaps, but, above all, simplify your tool to make it more accessible. Then, use graphic design software to add color and interactivity. Test the graphical version to progressively improve and enhance it until it is fully functional.

What if your project doesn't fit into one of these categories?

Even better! Sit down and try to see what each step of the method could look like when applied to your project!

Let’s Recap!

• Design thinking is a methodology that was originally conceived by and for designers but can be applied to any project.

• Regardless of the number of steps or the title of the method used, the fundamentals revolve around three issues: focusing on people, moving forward through iteration, and alternating between convergence and divergence.

• Applying design thinking is working by following steps in a set order, according to a cycle diagram—working in a loop.

• In the IDEO method, there are five steps: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test. The last two steps work as a pair.

In the next part of the course, we will discover, step by step, what the design process consists of, and how you can apply it to your project!