Design Thinking Process
Work through the full design thinking process—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test.
Instructions
Move through each phase, building on insights from the previous one. The process is iterative—expect to loop back based on what you learn.
Output Format
Challenge: [What we're trying to solve] Users: [Who we're designing for]
1. EMPATHIZE
Understand the user and their context
User Profile
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Who are they? | [Demographics, role] |
| What's their context? | [Environment, circumstances] |
| What are they trying to do? | [Goals, tasks] |
User Pain Points
| Pain Point | Severity | Current Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| [pain] | High/Med/Low | [how they cope] |
Empathy Map
| Quadrant | Observations |
|---|---|
| Say | [Quotes, statements] |
| Think | [Beliefs, concerns] |
| Do | [Actions, behaviors] |
| Feel | [Emotions, reactions] |
2. DEFINE
Frame the problem worth solving
Point of View Statement
[User] needs [need] because [insight].
How Might We Questions
- How might we [opportunity 1]?
- How might we [opportunity 2]?
Problem Statement
The Challenge: [Specific, actionable problem to solve]
3. IDEATE
Generate many possible solutions
Ideas Generated
| # | Idea | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | [idea] | Safe / Moderate / Wild |
| 2 | [idea] | Safe / Moderate / Wild |
| 3 | [idea] | Safe / Moderate / Wild |
Top Ideas to Prototype
| Idea | Why This One? | Feasibility |
|---|---|---|
| [idea] | [rationale] | High/Med/Low |
4. PROTOTYPE
Make ideas tangible quickly
Idea to prototype: [Which idea]
Prototype type: Paper mockup / Wireframe / Physical model / Storyboard
What we're testing:
- [Assumption/question 1]
- [Assumption/question 2]
5. TEST
Learn from real users
Who to test with: [User profile]
Questions to answer:
- [Question]?
- [Question]?
Success indicators: [What would indicate this works]
Failure indicators: [What would indicate this fails]
Next Iteration
Based on what we learn, we'll likely need to revisit:
- Empathize / [ ] Define / [ ] Ideate / [ ] Prototype / [ ] Test
Guidelines
- Empathy is research, not assumption—talk to real users
- "How might we" keeps problems open and generative
- Prototype to think, not just to test
- Test early, test often, test cheaply
$ARGUMENTS