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What is Design Thinking and why is it important?
Why Design Thinking is critical to UX
Defining Design Thinking
Design Thinking is simply a method for creative problem solving. According the Interaction Design Foundation (IDF),
“Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems in an attempt to identify alternative strategies and solutions…”
The key ingredient is that it’s a human-centered process. As a UX Designer, it’s vital that the user is at the forefront, which means you need to be able to empathize. Design Thinking creates a breeding ground for empathy. It’s easy to recognize a product that has the users’ needs in mind versus one that doesn’t. That’s not to say that business goals aren’t equally as important, but UX is all about finding a balance between a user’s needs and the business’s needs. Incorporating the principles of Design Thinking will provide a foundation for finding the common ground between the two.
The 5 Steps
There are 5 distinct phases of Design Thinking:
- Empathize — with users
- Define — users’ needs, their problem, and your insights
- Ideate — challenge assumptions and produce ideas for innovative solutions
- Prototype — begin creating solutions
- Test — solutions
It’s important to recognize that these steps are non-linear. They can occur in parallel and are often repeated. However, “empathize” is typically the first step.
Building Empathy For Your Users
Empathy is not only applicable to UX. It’s an important life-skill to have and one that will be beneficial in the workplace and beyond. However, even if you consider yourself an empathetic person, it can be easy to lose sight of how to connect with the user…
