Design thinking is a solution-focused, problem-solving methodology with roots in industrial design. It adopts a hands-on, user-centric approach to innovation, underpinned by empathy, ideation, and experimentation. Design thinking involves five stages: empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
Empathy is the initial stage, where designers immerse themselves in the user’s experience to understand their needs and challenges. Following this, the ‘define’ stage involves synthesising the gathered insights into a clear problem statement.
In the ‘ideate’ stage, designers generate a myriad of solutions, encouraging free-thinking and creativity. The ‘prototype’ stage is about bringing ideas to life, creating physical or digital representations of the solutions. The final stage, ‘test’, is a continuous feedback loop where prototypes are refined based on user feedback.
Design thinking is used across various fields, from product and service design to social innovation. It is lauded for fostering creativity, collaboration, and user-centricity. However, it also faces criticism for its lack of rigour and overemphasis on empathy. Despite these criticisms, design thinking remains a popular approach, with many organisations integrating it into their innovation strategies.
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