Design Thinking

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Design Thinking tasks - Working on design thinking methodology for human-centered innovation. covers the 5-phase ideo/stanford d.school approach (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) with workshop facilitation and exercise templates

• Planning or design - Need guidance on Design Thinking approaches

• Best practices - Want to follow established patterns and standards

Overview

A human-centered approach to innovation that integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a problem-solving methodology developed by IDEO and taught at Stanford d.school. It emphasizes understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems, and creating innovative solutions through iterative prototyping and testing.

Core Principles

Principle Description

Human-Centered Start with people, not technology or process

Embrace Ambiguity Comfortable with uncertainty early on

Bias to Action Learn by doing, not just thinking

Radical Collaboration Cross-functional, diverse perspectives

Iterate Rapidly Fail fast, learn fast, improve fast

The 5 Phases

┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │EMPATHIZE│→│ DEFINE │→│ IDEATE │→│PROTOTYPE│→│ TEST │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │Understand│ │Frame the│ │Generate │ │Build to │ │Learn & │ │the user │ │problem │ │ideas │ │learn │ │refine │ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ ▲ │ └────────────────── Iterate ─────────────────────────┘

Phase Characteristics

Phase Mode Key Question Output

Empathize Diverge What is the user experiencing? Insights, observations

Define Converge What is the core problem? POV statement

Ideate Diverge What are possible solutions? Ideas, concepts

Prototype Converge How can we make it tangible? Prototypes

Test Learn What works and what doesn't? Validated learning

Phase 1: Empathize

Build deep understanding of users and their experiences.

Empathy Methods

Method Duration Participants Best For

User Interviews 30-60 min 1:1 Deep individual insight

Observation Hours-days Field work Natural behavior

Empathy Mapping 15-30 min Workshop Synthesizing research

Journey Mapping 1-2 hours Workshop Experience visualization

Shadowing Half-day Field work Workflow understanding

Empathy Map Template

Empathy Map: [User/Persona Name]

Says

[Direct quotes from interviews/observation]

• "[Quote 1]"
• "[Quote 2]"

Thinks

[What might they be thinking? Hopes/fears?]

• [Thought 1]
• [Thought 2]

Does

[Actions and behaviors observed]

• [Behavior 1]
• [Behavior 2]

Feels

[Emotional state, what worries/excites them]

• [Emotion 1]
• [Emotion 2]

Pains

[Frustrations, obstacles, risks]

• [Pain 1]
• [Pain 2]

Gains

[Wants, needs, measures of success]

• [Gain 1]
• [Gain 2]

Interview Guide Structure

User Interview Guide

Duration: 45-60 minutes Objective: [What we want to learn]

Opening (5 min)

• Introduce yourself and purpose
• Explain confidentiality, recording consent
• "There are no right or wrong answers"

Context (10 min)

• Tell me about your role/day-to-day
• How long have you been doing [X]?
• Walk me through a typical [scenario]

Deep Dive (25 min)

• Tell me about a time when [specific experience]
• What was the most challenging part?
• What did you try? What happened?
• How did that make you feel?

Needs & Desires (10 min)

• If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?
• What would that enable you to do?
• What does success look like for you?

Closing (5 min)

• Is there anything else you'd like to share?
• Can we follow up if we have questions?

Phase 2: Define

Synthesize observations and frame the right problem.

Point of View (POV) Statement

POV Statement

User: [Specific user type/persona]

Need: [Verb - what they need to do]

Insight: [Because - surprising insight about why]

Full Statement: [User] needs to [need] because [insight].

Example: A busy working parent needs to quickly prepare healthy meals because they want to model good eating habits for their children but feel guilty about the time-cost tradeoff.

How Might We (HMW) Questions

Transform POV into actionable opportunity statements:

How Might We Questions

POV: [Your POV statement]

HMW Brainstorm

Generate HMW questions by asking:

Selected HMW Questions

1. HMW [question 1]?
2. HMW [question 2]?
3. HMW [question 3]?

Priority HMW: [The one to ideate on]

Phase 3: Ideate

Generate a wide range of creative solutions.

Ideation Rules

Rule Description

Defer judgment No criticism during brainstorming

Go for quantity More ideas = better ideas

Build on others' ideas "Yes, and..."

Encourage wild ideas Think big, no constraints

Be visual Sketch, don't just talk

One conversation Listen, build, riff

Stay focused Keep the HMW visible

Brainstorming Session Template

Ideation Session

HMW: [The How Might We question] Duration: 30-45 minutes Participants: [Names]

Warm-Up (5 min)

[Quick creative exercise to loosen up]

Silent Brainstorm (10 min)

• Write one idea per sticky note
• Work individually
• Aim for 10+ ideas each

Share & Build (15 min)

• Share ideas one by one
• Build on others' ideas
• No criticism, only "Yes, and..."

Cluster & Theme (10 min)

• Group similar ideas
• Name each cluster
• Identify promising directions

Ideas Generated

Top Ideas to Prototype

1. [Idea 1]
2. [Idea 2]
3. [Idea 3]

Ideation Techniques

Technique Description When to Use

Classic Brainstorm Free association Starting point

Brainwriting Silent written ideas Quiet/remote groups

SCAMPER Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other use, Eliminate, Reverse Improving existing

Analogies How would X solve this? Breaking mental models

Worst Idea Intentionally bad ideas When stuck

Mash-up Combine unrelated concepts Radical innovation

Phase 4: Prototype

Build quick, cheap representations to learn.

Prototype Philosophy

"If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a prototype is worth 1,000 meetings." — IDEO

Prototype Types

Type Fidelity Time Best For

Paper Sketch Very Low Minutes Earliest exploration

Storyboard Low 30 min User journey, scenarios

Paper Prototype Low 1-2 hours Screen flows, UI

Role Play Low 30 min Service experiences

Wizard of Oz Medium Hours Complex interactions

Clickable Mockup Medium Days Digital products

Physical Model Varies Varies Tangible products

Prototype Planning Template

Prototype Plan

Concept: [What we're prototyping] Goal: [What we want to learn] Audience: [Who will test it]

What to Prototype

• Include: [Essential elements to test]
• Exclude: [What we won't build yet]

Prototype Type

Type: [Paper/Digital/Physical/Role-play] Fidelity: [Low/Medium/High] Time to Build: [Duration]

Materials Needed

• [Material 1]
• [Material 2]

Key Questions to Answer

1. [Question 1]
2. [Question 2]
3. [Question 3]

Success Criteria

• [How we'll know it worked]

Storyboard Template

Storyboard: [Concept Name]

Scene 1: [Setup]

[Sketch/Description] What's happening: [Action] User says/thinks: "[Quote]"

Scene 2: [Trigger]

[Sketch/Description] What's happening: [Action] User says/thinks: "[Quote]"

Scene 3: [Interaction]

[Sketch/Description] What's happening: [Action] User says/thinks: "[Quote]"

Scene 4: [Resolution]

[Sketch/Description] What's happening: [Action] User says/thinks: "[Quote]"

Phase 5: Test

Learn what works, what doesn't, and iterate.

Testing Principles

Principle Description

Show, don't tell Let the prototype speak

Create experiences Have users interact, not just look

Ask "why?" Dig into reactions

Embrace failure Every test teaches something

Iterate Build-test-learn cycles

Test Session Template

Test Session

Prototype: [Name/Version] Participant: [Code or name] Date: [ISO date]

Introduction

"We're testing a concept, not you. There are no wrong answers. Please think out loud as you interact with this."

Scenario

[Context to set up the test]

Observations

Key Learnings

1. [Learning 1]
2. [Learning 2]
3. [Learning 3]

What to Keep

• [Element that worked]

What to Change

• [Element to modify]

Questions Raised

• [New question to explore]

Iteration Framework

Iteration Review

Prototype Version: [N] Tests Conducted: [Number]

Synthesis

Next Iteration

Priority Changes:

1. [Change 1]
2. [Change 2]

Hypothesis to Test: If we [change], then [expected outcome] because [reason].

Workshop Agenda Templates

Half-Day Workshop (4 hours)

Design Thinking Workshop

Duration: 4 hours Participants: 6-12 people

Agenda

0:00 - 0:15 Welcome & Icebreaker

• Introductions
• Creative warm-up

0:15 - 0:45 Empathy Share (30 min)

• Share research/interviews
• Empathy mapping exercise

0:45 - 1:15 Define (30 min)

• Synthesize insights
• Create POV statements
• Generate HMW questions

1:15 - 1:30 Break (15 min)

1:30 - 2:15 Ideate (45 min)

• Brainstorming
• Clustering
• Voting

2:15 - 3:15 Prototype (60 min)

• Teams build low-fi prototypes
• Prepare to present

3:15 - 3:45 Share & Feedback (30 min)

• Each team presents
• Group feedback

3:45 - 4:00 Wrap-up (15 min)

• Key decisions
• Next steps

Full-Day Sprint (8 hours)

Design Sprint (1-Day)

Duration: 8 hours (condensed from 5-day sprint) Participants: 5-8 people cross-functional

Morning: Understand & Define

9:00 - 9:30 Set the stage

• Sprint goal
• Challenge statement

9:30 - 10:30 Expert interviews / Lightning talks

• Stakeholder perspectives
• User insights

10:30 - 11:00 How Might We

• Generate HMW from insights
• Vote on priority

11:00 - 12:00 Sketch solutions

• Individual crazy 8s
• Solution sketches

Afternoon: Build & Test

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 1:30 Decide

• Critique sketches
• Vote
• Decide what to prototype

1:30 - 4:00 Prototype

• Build testable prototype
• Prepare test script

4:00 - 5:00 Test

• 3-5 user tests
• Capture feedback

5:00 - 5:30 Debrief

• What we learned
• Next steps

Integration with Other Methods

Upstream

• User Research - Feeds into Empathize phase

• Stakeholder Analysis - Identifies who to interview

• Strategic Analysis - Business context for innovation

Downstream

• Lean Startup - Build-Measure-Learn loops

• Agile Development - Iterative implementation

• Business Model Canvas - Modeling the solution

.NET/C# Context

When applying Design Thinking to software products:

// Example: Tracking Design Thinking sessions public class DesignThinkingSession { public Guid Id { get; init; } public required string ChallengeName { get; init; } public required DesignPhase CurrentPhase { get; init; } public required string HowMightWe { get; init; } public DateTimeOffset Created { get; init; }

public List<EmpathyInsight> Insights { get; } = [];
public PointOfView? Pov { get; set; }
public List<Idea> Ideas { get; } = [];
public List<Prototype> Prototypes { get; } = [];
public List<TestResult> Tests { get; } = [];

}

public enum DesignPhase { Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test }

public record EmpathyInsight( string Observation, string UserQuote, string Interpretation );

public record PointOfView( string User, string Need, string Insight );

public record Idea( string Title, string Description, int Votes, string Cluster );

Related Skills

• stakeholder-analysis

• Identifying interview subjects

• journey-mapping

• Empathize phase visualization

• business-model-canvas

• Modeling solutions

• prioritization

• Selecting which ideas to prototype

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release