The Design Thinking Process
The Design Thinking Process is a process used to solve problems creatively. The Design Thinking Process combines divergent thinking and convergent thinking to effectively solve the problem at hand. For those of you who don't know what those two terms mean:
Divergent Thinking- is the process of generating creative ideas by considering a wide range of possible solutions.
Convergent Thinking- is the total opposite. Covergent thinking is the process of finding one single solution.
The Design Thinking Process consists of 5 steps that are designed to guide you, the designer, to the best solution for the problem that you are addressing. The Design Thinking Process steps are :
Emphaize: Understand the experience of your target audience
How?
- Observe their daily experiences, identifying the challenges that you see.
- Interact with your target audience. (Ask questions)
- Imerse yourself into their lives in orger to understand the challenges they face
Design: Process and combine your findings from the empathy step to isolate the possible problem(s) that you want to address with your design.
Ideate: Brainstorm of the many possible solutions that will address the challenge that your target audience is facing.
Prototype: Transform your best designs into physical from so that you can actually test the design(s).
Test: Testing your design(s) by giving it to someone from your target audience to use and have them give you some feedback.
*There is one more step that I think everyone should use and that is redesign. Take the feedback that you received in the test step and apply it to your prototype so that it better suits your target audience.
