At a high level, the steps involved in the design thinking process are simple: first, fully understand the problem; second, explore a wide range of possible solutions; third, iterate extensively through prototyping and testing; and finally, implement through the customary deployment mechanisms.

Design thinking is an extension of innovation that allows you to design solutions for end users with a single problem statement in mind. It not only imparts valuable skills but can help advance your career.

Design thinking refers to the set of cognitive, strategic and practical procedures used by designers in the process of designing, and to the body of knowledge that has been developed about how people reason when engaging with design problems. [1][2][3]

Design thinking is a core way of starting the journey and arriving at the right destination at the right time. Simply put, “design thinking is a methodology that we use to solve complex problems, and it’s a way of using systemic reasoning and intuition to explore ideal future states,” says McKinsey partner Jennifer Kilian. Design thinking ...

Design thinking helps companies understand users better and develop innovative ideas. Learn how to apply design thinking with Figma.

Design thinking is a nonlinear, solution-based innovation framework that puts users first. It is based on two key concepts of innovation: 1) as a business model, innovation must be novel and useful; and 2) innovation in is a continuous iterative process, as there is always a better solution to a problem.

Design thinking is an approach used for practical and creative problem-solving. It is based heavily on the methods and processes that designers use (hence the name), but it has actually evolved from a range of different fields—including architecture, engineering and business.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what design thinking is and why it’s important, including the five stages of design thinking. Then we’ll present a couple of design thinking case studies and wrap up with a primer on how to apply design thinking.

Design thinking process 101: Definitions and approaches. The design thinking process puts customers’ and users’ needs at the center and aims to solve challenges from their perspective. Design thinking typically follows five distinct stages: Empathize; Define; Ideate; Prototype; Test; Empathize stage