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tomfoolery
Design thinking is a process, mindset, and approach to solving complex problems. Also known as Human-Centered Design, it is based on a philosophy that empowers an individual or team to design products, services, systems, and experiences that address the core needs of those who experience a problem. So in other words, keeping the focus on people.
My Preferred Tools of the Trade:
Everything from sketching out concepts on a note pad, to wireframing, high-fidelity prototyping and building out front end interfaces. See below:
Sketching
Good old fashioned pencil and paper (field notes).
Wireframing
Balsamic and Sketch App for low-fidelity wireframing.
Prototyping
inVision Studio and Zeplin for developer handoff.
Developing
Visual Studio Code, Submlime Text 3 or Brackets.
I like using the Design Thinking Process:
Design Thinking is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.
This first step is gaining an empathic understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. This involves consulting experts to find out more about the area of concern through observing, engaging and empathizing with people to understand their experiences and motivations, as well as immersing yourself in the physical environment so you can gain a deeper personal understanding of the issues involved.
During the Define stage, you put together the information you have created and gathered during the Empathise stage. This is where you will analyse your observations and synthesise them in order to define the core problems that you and your team have identified up to this point.
During the third stage of the Design Thinking process, designers are ready to start generating ideas. To "think outside the box" to identify new solutions to the problem statement you’ve created, and you can start to look for alternative ways of viewing the problem.
The design team will now produce a number of inexpensive, scaled down versions of the product or specific features found within the product, so they can investigate the problem solutions generated in the previous stage. Prototypes can be shared and tested within the team itself, in other departments, or on a small group of people outside the design team.
Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product using the best solutions identified during the prototyping phase. This is the final stage of the 5 stage-model, but in an iterative process, the results generated during the testing phase are often used to redefine one or more problems and inform the understanding of the users, the conditions of use, how people think, behave, and feel, and to empathise.
Match between system and the real world.
Pro-tip: Designers should endeavor to mirror the language and concepts users would find in the real world based on who their target users are. Presenting information in logical order and piggybacking on user’s expectations derived from their real-world experiences will reduce cognitive strain and make systems easier to use.