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The design thinking process
“The main tenet of design thinking is empathy for the people you're trying to design for.”
Design thinking is often taught as a series of phases, but in practice, it’s a flexible way of working that helps teams move from uncertainty to insight, and from ideas to outcomes that make a real difference.
Creating choices & making choices
At the heart of the design thinking process is a simple rhythm: creating choices and making choices.
When you’re creating choices, you’re going wide to find new ideas and inspiration.
This could look like running user interviews, taking part in analogous experiences, or meeting with subject-matter experts.
This kind of exploration helps teams discover unmet needs and unexpected opportunities.
Since we can't pursue every possibility, design thinking also requires making choices—narrowing your focus, prioritizing what matters most, and deciding what to test or build next.
We often describe this movement as divergent and convergent thinking. It’s a rhythm that repeats as we move closer to a solution.
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It’s not linear
We break the design thinking process into phases because it makes the approach easier to learn, practice, and share with others. But in reality, it’s not a straight line.
Think of the phases like ingredients in a recipe: They give you structure at the start, but experience helps you improvise and trust your instincts.
Over time, you’ll learn to move between them naturally, using design thinking as a creative practice, not a checklist.
The 7 phases of design thinking
These phases offer a shared language for how teams explore challenges, generate ideas, and bring new solutions to life.
1. Frame the question
What it looks like: Rather than jumping straight to solutions, you define the challenge you’re trying to address, often using “How might we…?” to open up possibilities.
Why it’s important: Helps you identify the right problem to solve for.
2. Gather inspiration
What it looks like: You observe, interview, and immerse yourself in real experiences to learn what matters most to the people you’re designing for.
Why it’s important: Deep understanding of people and context fuels insight.
3. Synthesize for action
What it looks like: You sort, cluster, and connect research insights to identify themes that will guide your next moves.
Why it’s important: Making sense of what you learned helps uncover real opportunities.
4. Generate ideas
What it looks like: With insights in hand, you brainstorm broadly, imagine many directions, and then begin narrowing toward promising concepts.
Why it’s important: Creative exploration expands the range of possible solutions.
5. Make ideas tangible
What it looks like: You build early prototypes—sketches, models, or rough mockups—so you can see how ideas play out and invite feedback.
Why it’s important: You learn fastest when an idea takes shape in the world.
6. Test to learn
What it looks like: You share prototypes with real people, observe their reactions, and use what you learn to improve your concepts.
Why it’s important: Testing reveals what works, what doesn’t, and what needs refinement.
7. Share the story
What it looks like: You articulate the human need, your process, and the value of the solution in ways that inspire alignment and action.
Why it’s important: A clear narrative helps others understand and adopt your work.
What is design thinking?
Understand the core principles behind design thinking, where it came from, and why it’s become a foundation for navigating complexity and change.
Design thinking resources
Discover curated books, tools, articles, and videos to help you deepen your understanding and practice of design thinking.
FAQs
See answers to common questions about how design thinking works, how teams use it day to day, and why it helps organizations move from ambiguity to clarity.