Design Thinking

tags
Design User-Centered Design

User-centered design process created by IDEO, based on the 3 core activities of inspiration, ideation, and implementation (https://designthinking.ideo.com/) (IDEO Field Guide to Human-Centered Design).

In practice, the process incorporates six phases:

  1. Empathize with users to understand their needs and the context of the service
  2. Define the problem collectively from a user perspective
  3. Brainstorm potential solutions
  4. Prototype the best solutions
  5. Test the prototypes
  6. Repeat 4 and 5

The essence of this process has been broadly adopted, including by Nicole Aylwin and Margaret Hagan.

IBM uses a similar design thinking process centered around a cycle of observe/reflect/make. IBM’s main focus is on software, and their process is influenced by methodologies like Lean (well known for the, again very similar, build/measure/learn loop) and Agile. IDEO compares and contrasts their design thinking process with Agile here.

Critique

Middle Management — Real Life: "Design-as-politics is a bargaining with politics as one might do with grief. Failure to solve anything never seems to threaten the stability of this position"
“Design Thinking”: Defending Silicon Valley at the Apex of Global Labor Hierarchies: "Design" replacing STEM as a skill that the unthinking hordes of racialized labour cannot possess

Resources

https://design.thoughtbot.com/sprint-guide/