design thinking
User-centered problem-solving
Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes understanding users' needs, challenging assumptions, and iterating through prototypes.
The method typically moves through stages—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test—though practitioners rarely follow them rigidly.
Originally associated with product design, the framework has spread to business strategy, education, and social innovation: We used design thinking to reimagine the patient intake process.
Critics note the term sometimes gets applied loosely to any collaborative brainstorming.
Generating many ideas freely
- ideationForming mental concepts
- conceptualizationMental creation of ideas
- sketchingMaking rough drawings
- visualizationForming mental or graphical images
prototyping · iteration · experimentation · blue-sky · what-if · reframing · synthesis · convergence
Systematic study of peoples
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- listeningAttending to sound
- personaAssumed public identity
empathize · human-centered · insight · perspective · shadowing · immersion · stakeholder · qualitative
Ease of interaction quality
- accessibilityEase of approach
- interactionReciprocal action between parties
- interfaceShared connection point
- affordancePerceived usability property
journey · touchpoint · scenario · use-case · testing · feedback · satisfaction · desirability
First functional specimen
- iterationRepeated procedural pass
- testingExamining to evaluate
- feedbackReturned response data
- mockupPreliminary design representation
wireframe · proof-of-concept · experimentation · refinement · pivot · tangible · cardboard · role-play
Changing interpretive context
- root-causeFundamental origin of problem
- constraintLimiting condition or rule
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- complexityState of being complicated
definition · scope · challenge · opportunity · assumptions · bias · synthesis · sensemaking
Desire to learn
- optimismTendency to expect good
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- interdisciplinaryCombining distinct fields
- cross-functionalSpanning multiple areas
openness · resilience · playfulness · trust · non-judgment · generative · possibility · team-based
brainstorming
Generating many ideas freely
- ideationForming mental concepts
- conceptualizationMental creation of ideas
- sketchingMaking rough drawings
visualization · prototyping · iteration · experimentation · blue-sky · what-if · reframing · synthesis · convergence · storyboarding
ethnography
Systematic study of peoples
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- interviewsFormal evaluative conversations
- listeningAttending to sound
persona · empathize · human-centered · insight · perspective · shadowing · immersion · stakeholder · qualitative · storytelling
usability
Ease of interaction quality
- accessibilityEase of approach
- interactionReciprocal action between parties
- interfaceShared connection point
affordance · journey · touchpoint · scenario · use-case · testing · feedback · satisfaction · desirability · feasibility
prototype
First functional specimen
mockup · wireframe · proof-of-concept · experimentation · refinement · pivot · tangible · cardboard · role-play · simulation
reframing
Changing interpretive context
- root-causeFundamental origin of problem
- constraintLimiting condition or rule
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
complexity · definition · scope · challenge · opportunity · assumptions · bias · synthesis · sensemaking · paradox
curiosity
Desire to learn
- optimismTendency to expect good
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- interdisciplinaryCombining distinct fields
cross-functional · openness · resilience · playfulness · trust · non-judgment · generative · possibility · team-based · participatory
- problem-solvingproblem solving, puzzles, riddles, logic, solutions
- cognitionreasoning, thought, cognition, remembering, memory retrieval
- designfunctionality, emphasis, unity, typography, logos
- innovationinnovation, invention, innovative, innovate, breakthrough
- teaching methodspresentation, lecturing, discussion, modeling, hands-on learning
- design worldcreative directors, Bauhaus, RISD, Pratt, Pentagram
design, thinking, designer, designing, designed, redesign, designers, redesigning, redesigned