Design Thinking and How to Apply It

Did you know that you probably use design thinking already without realizing it? While the name might suggest it is only for designers, design thinking is actually a human-centered, iterative problem-solving approach. 

Definition of Design Thinking

Design thinking uses empathy, collaboration, and experimentation to tackle complex problems creatively and effectively. The focus on users is for understanding their needs, questioning assumptions, and developing innovative solutions.

The business world is full of examples of startups and large companies applying design thinking, but one of the most notable is Airbnb. In its early days, the founders were puzzled by the lack of bookings despite having plenty of listings on the platform. To understand the problem, they stepped into the shoes of their users.

Looking at the platform from a customer’s perspective, they realized that many listings featured poor-quality photos, making the properties appear unappealing and unprofessional. This lack of visual appeal caused potential customers to distrust the hosts and avoid booking.

To solve this, the Airbnb founders took a hands-on approach. They personally visited hosts in New York City, took high-quality photos of their properties, and uploaded them to the platform. This process of empathizing with users, identifying problems, brainstorming solutions, and testing them exemplifies the power of design thinking.

Photo: © Pluria

What Is Design Thinking?

The design thinking process involves a creative, problem-solving approach that focuses on understanding user needs and creating innovative solutions. It is an approach or a structured, flexible methodology we can use for solving problems.

Like any methodology, it has certain core principles.

Empathy

Empathy is the foundation of design thinking; it is the main element around which the methodology is built. As in life, empathy means putting yourself in the shoes of another person and understanding their experiences, problems, and emotions. The principle of empathy ensures that the final solution is a human-centric one and successfully solves the problems encountered by users.

There are many ways to practice empathy, some of which are:

• Observing users in their natural environment. For example, if you sell physical products in a store, go incognito to a store and see how people behave when buying something.
• Conducting interviews with your users to learn more about their experiences. Companies often hold focus groups and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of users’ perceptions, experiences, and thoughts.
• Using tools like empathy maps to visualize user thoughts, feelings, and actions. Well-known visual tools like Miro can help you organize your thoughts in a simple and clear manner.

Collaboration

Design thinking is used in teamwork. To achieve better results, bring together people with different expertise and backgrounds and use their perspectives to find a solution to your problem.

• Get together cross-disciplinary teams to combine their technical and creative insights.
• Organize workshops and brainstorming sessions to encourage dialogue.
• Use the feedback you receive from various stakeholders, including your end users, to refine your ideas.

Iteration

Having an idea to solve a problem is not enough; you need to test it, learn from the feedback collected, and refine your ideas until they become (almost) perfect.

• Build prototypes quickly and test them with real people to gather fast feedback.
• Have some iteration cycles to improve the design based on what works and what doesn’t, ensuring your solution gets better over time.
• Keep in mind that the methodology is a flexible one; you can revisit earlier phases of the innovation process, such as the first one—empathy—if new insights emerge that weren’t available the first time.

Human-Centered Design

The solutions built with this methodology are supposed to be not only functional but also meaningful for users’ lives. So we need to ask ourselves:

Does this solve the user’s problem in a way that improves their life?

Keep a balance between what is desirable (user need), what is feasible (technically possible), and viable (practical for the business).

Move Quickly from Idea to Execution

In design thinking, the objective is to put more emphasis on doing rather than on planning. Avoid getting stuck in endless analysis and move fast from ideas to prototypes to see how they work in real life.

• Create low-fidelity prototypes to test ideas.
• Test them to validate your assumptions.
• Take actionable steps and don’t get stuck trying to create something perfect. 
• Your mindset should be: learn by doing.

Photo: © Pluria

History of Design Thinking

Design Thinking started in disciplines like architecture, engineering, and industrial design, emerging in the mid-20th century as a formalized methodology.

In the late 1960s, designers began challenging the linear processes of problem-solving. Herbert A. Simon introduced the concept of design as a way of thinking in his book The Sciences of the Artificial.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Stanford University’s Design Program and organizations like IDEO began formalizing the principles of design thinking. The shift toward a human-centered design approach became prominent during this period.

However, the 1990s marked the most significant developmental phase for design thinking as a methodology across industries. David Kelley and his team popularized this approach, blending disciplines like anthropology and psychology.

In the 21st century, design thinking has become a global movement, now widely used in fields like business, healthcare, education, and technology. It is especially effective for those aiming to innovate or create solutions that are both effective and meaningful.

Photo: © Pluria

Why Design Thinking Matters

Design thinking as a methodology has certain advantages compared to other approaches. Among them:

1. It Fosters Innovation

Design thinking is an excellent catalyst for innovation because it encourages you to focus on the needs, desires, and behaviors of users—not your own assumptions. 

For example, Apple managed to create revolutionary products like the iPhone and iPad by using insights about how people interact with technology and solving pain points that had not been addressed until then.

2. It Aligns Teams Around User Needs

The strength of this methodology lies in its ability to unite different teams around a common goal: creating solutions that serve the user. It starts with empathy and ends with solving a shared problem. 

Design thinking encourages cross-functional collaboration and breaks down silos that often hinder innovation. For example, IBM used it in software development, leading to improved customer satisfaction and internal efficiency.

3. It Delivers Better Products and Services

The iterative nature of design thinking leads to products and services that are both innovative and highly refined. While traditional problem-solving methods rely on a linear process, design thinking recognizes that real-world problems are ambiguous and multifaceted.

For example, Google’s success with tools like Google Maps and Google Workspace demonstrates that this iterative approach—with constant refinement—creates solutions that are both user-friendly and efficient.

4. You Stay Competitive

Companies like Apple, Google, and IBM show that design thinking helps organizations stay ahead in competitive markets.

Photo: © Pluria

The Phases of Design Thinking

Ok, so you want to use design thinking to solve a problem you are facing. What do you have to do?

Empathize: Understanding the User

Remember, empathy is the most important step in this methodology! Focus on deeply understanding the user’s experiences, emotions, and challenges. This is equal to putting yourself in the user’s shoes to gain insights that go beyond the common assumptions we usually make.

You can use anything from interviews to observations in this phase, as well as tools like empathy mapping. For example, one-on-one interviews can help you uncover personal experiences and unique perspectives. If you want to see how a user is interacting with your product, use direct observations.

Define: Framing the Problem

Once you have a better understanding of the user, your next step is to articulate the problem you are actually facing. You can start by asking questions like “how can we…” like in the example: “what is the best way to simplify the user interface to make it more accessible for non-technical people?

Defining the problem correctly will help you find the best solution.

Ideate: Generating Creative Solutions

In this phase, you will begin brainstorming possible solutions. Creativity thrives here, and you can use techniques like SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) or mind mapping to spark new ideas.

The secret in this phase is to generate ideas without judging them. Encourage your team to verbalize any unconventional ideas and allow them to think outside the box without the fear of making a mistake.

Prototype: Bringing Ideas to Life

Now is the time to create your prototype and turn your ideas into tangible, low-cost models. Prototypes can be anything from paper sketches to digital mockups or simple physical models. Your goal here is not perfection, but to create something that can be tested and evaluated.

By building a prototype, your team can identify flaws and refine the concept before you invest more resources into it.

Test: Learning Through Feedback

You have the prototype; it is time to test it! The objective of this phase is to gather feedback from the user and make sure your solution aligns with their needs and expectations.

Photo: © Pluria

Tools and Techniques for Design Thinking

There are many tools you can use in your design thinking process. Here is a breakdown of some of the best tools and resources most commonly used.

Empathy Maps: Understanding the User’s Perspective

Empathy maps are visual tools that can help you synthesize what you have learned about the user’s needs. You will need to categorize what users say, think, feel, or do to create a holistic view of their experience.

Customer Journey Maps: Mapping the User Experience

Create a customer journey map to outline the step-by-step experience a user has with your product or service. Visualize each touchpoint from discovery to post-use, and identify pain points, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.

Brainstorming Tips: Generating Creative Ideas

Brainstorming is important in the ideation phase. To maximize creativity, focus more on quantity over quality in this phase. Encourage your team to surface any wild ideas, no matter how impractical they seem, because any of them can spark an unexpected and innovative solution.

Teach your team to practice “Yes, and…” thinking so they can build on others’ suggestions rather than dismiss them immediately. Techniques like mind mapping or SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) can be helpful in this phase.

Collaborative Software: Enhancing Teamwork

Design thinking relies on digital tools today to enable collaboration, especially in remote or distributed teams. Use Software like Miro, MURAL, and Figma to provide virtual whiteboards where teams can brainstorm, map customer journeys, and prototype in real time.

Applying Design Thinking in Real Life

Design thinking is not only for complex problems; it’s a methodology that can help you solve real-life problems, both in professional and personal contexts. It can be used by teams but also at an individual level to tackle everyday challenges.

Professional Context: Solving Workplace Challenges

The methodology is widely adopted in professional settings across industries like product development, marketing, and human resources.

• Product Development: Design thinking is a great tool to discover customer pain points, define user needs, and brainstorm new ideas. It helps turn solutions into feasible prototypes and iterate based on the feedback received. For example, if you’re developing a mobile app, you can use a user journey map to understand how users are interacting with similar apps and make improvements to yours.
• Marketing: In marketing, design thinking can help teams create campaigns that resonate with their audience. Empathy maps can guide messaging to reflect users’ aspirations, while prototyping ensures campaigns are refined before launch.
• HR: Human resources teams can apply design thinking to improve employee experiences. For example, you can use the methodology during the onboarding process to identify and address frustrations faced by new hires.

2. Personal Context: Everyday Problem-Solving

At a personal level, design thinking can help you address challenges and solve problems with creativity and empathy.

• Organizing a Community Event: Empathize with your attendees to understand their needs, then test your plans by gathering feedback from a small group before the event.
• Planning a Family Vacation: Consider the preferences of each family member (e.g., relaxation vs. adventure). Brainstorm destinations and activities that balance these needs, and create a prototype itinerary based on input received from everyone.

3. Case Study: Tackling Water Scarcity with Design Thinking

An example of design thinking in action is a non-profit organization addressing water scarcity in rural communities:

• Empathize: The team conducted several interviews with local residents to understand how the lack of clean water impacted their daily lives. They observed women and children walking long distances to fetch water, often from unsafe sources.
• Define: The team reframed the challenge as: “How can we create a sustainable solution to provide clean water locally?”
• Ideate: During brainstorming sessions, the team generated ideas such as solar-powered water pumps, rainwater harvesting systems, and mobile water purification units.
• Prototype: They built a low-cost prototype of a rainwater collection system and tested it in one village.
• Test: After receiving feedback, the team refined the system to make it more durable and easier to maintain. The project scaled up and improved access to clean water for thousands of residents.

Photo: © Pluria

Common Misconceptions About Design Thinking

Design thinking has gained popularity across industries, but misconceptions still persist. These myths often deter people from fully embracing the methodology or understanding its potential. Below are some of these myths:

Myth: It’s Only for Designers

The word “design” in its name is likely the guilty party here, but rest assured, design thinking is not only for designers. In reality, it is a universal problem-solving framework that can be applied in any field.

For example:

• In business, design thinking can help teams innovate better or improve customer experiences (empathy is at its core, remember?).
• Healthcare professionals can use it to redesign patient care processes and create more efficient hospital layouts.
• In education, it can be used to create engaging curriculums tailored to students’ needs.

Myth: It’s Too Abstract

Another misconception is that design thinking is too abstract or theoretical, and not suitable for real-world problems. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Design thinking has very actionable phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test—each with clear steps to follow.

For instance, a non-profit addressing food insecurity might:

• Empathize with communities to understand their struggles.
• Define specific challenges, like access to fresh produce.
• Brainstorm solutions, such as community gardens.
• Prototype these solutions on a small scale.
• Test their effectiveness and refine as needed.

The structured nature of the process ensures tangible outcomes, countering the notion that design thinking is vague or unstructured.

Myth: It Guarantees Success

Some people believe design thinking is a surefire way to achieve success. While it is a powerful methodology, it deals with complex real-world challenges. It is also iterative, meaning success often requires multiple attempts, adjustments, and refinements.

Design thinking is not about guaranteeing immediate success but about fostering creativity, empathy, and collaboration to find effective solutions through continuous learning and improvement.

Photo: © Pluria

How to Build a Design Thinking Culture

Design thinking is a powerful methodology, but don’t just use it once—build an organizational culture around it to unlock its full potential.

1. Encourage Creativity

The foundation of a design thinking culture is creativity. Create a safe space for your team to share ideas without fear of being judged. Encourage them to brainstorm freely, embrace unconventional ideas, and challenge assumptions.

2. Let Collaboration Flourish

Collaboration is a cornerstone of design thinking. To innovate, you need cross-disciplinary teams that can truly collaborate, regardless of their location. Encourage them to meet in person, whether in coworking spaces or unconventional environments that inspire creativity.

Workshops in unique locations, as well as collaborative software tools like Miro or Figma, can help teams build stronger connections and work more effectively together.

3. Be a Leader

Leadership plays a vital role in building a design thinking culture. Lead by example by asking open-ended questions and challenging assumptions. Celebrate experimentation, even when it doesn’t lead to immediate success.

For example, praise a team for testing a bold idea—even if it doesn’t work out—and reinforce the value of learning and continuous improvement. A culture of encouragement and curiosity starts at the top.

Conclusion

Design thinking is a human-centered, creative approach to solving problems, especially in uncertain or complex contexts. To begin using it, start small—choose a minor challenge, apply the process, and observe the impact.

Embracing a more empathetic, user-focused mindset enables us to create not only better outcomes but also stronger connections and positive change in the way we approach challenges.

Additional Resources

• Books: Change by Design by Tim Brown, Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley.
• Courses: Free design thinking courses on platforms like IDEO U or Coursera.
• Articles: Explore in-depth guides, blogs, or toolkits for getting started.