Is Design Thinking Really a One-Size-Fits-All Solution?

Every designer must have heard about Design Thinking, one of the basic approaches to designing a solution. Even a new designer who starts to learn about design must have crossed a path with design thinking courses or seminars. But, if you are new and surprisingly haven't heard about design thinking, well now you have.

I'm going to start with a disclaimer that this writing is purely my opinion based on observing people, colleagues, and teammates who use the design thinking method as their approach to finding and crafting a solution to a problem.

Design thinking is probably the most used approach in a design process. Is it effective? Is it applicable to every situation or problem? Why is it often used as a design approach? Well, before we dive into that deep ocean, first let's take a walk on the surface.

Exactly What Is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that focuses first and foremost on understanding user needs, then challenging assumptions and redefining problems, and finally creating innovative solutions. It is non-linear, and it involves an iterative process that has these five key stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

Design thinking is often used to develop new products and services, but it can also be used to improve the existing ones. It is used to solve problems of all kinds, from small everyday challenges like designing a ketchup bottle, to more complex global issues like connecting people around the world in a virtual metaverse. 

But no, we're not going to talk about the metaverse today. We are here to talk about design thinking that starts with:

Phase 1: Empathize

As mentioned before, Design Thinking is a human-centered approach. This means that we as designers should focus on the human, or in a more technical way, the users. We should put our feet in their shoes, we need to understand what they're going through.

The goal of this phase is to gain a better understanding and see the problem in a much bigger picture. In practice, designers often do user research to learn about your users' needs, goals, and pain points. Another method designers often use is Contextual Inquiry, where designers observe users in their natural environment, such as at home, work, or school. This allows us to see how users use a product or service in the real world, and then we can identify areas that need improvement.

Whatever method designers use to gather insights from users, by the end of this phase, designers should have a statement. A problem statement that is clear and concise, describing the problem the designer is trying to solve. This is where we become an empath.

Phase 2: Define

At this point you may find a lot of problem reports from different users. The problems may seem a lot, and they all seem so important. "So which problems should you solve first?" might be a false question to ask.

Let's play a game for a second. Imagine you're a detective on a case, investigating a crime. Now you have a lot of evidence, puzzle pieces scattered all over the place. You know exactly the answer is already there. To figure out what it all means, you have to put the pieces together and see if it fits into the bigger picture.

Similarly, when trying to define a problem, you need to look at all the evidence you have, such as user research, customer feedback, and data analysis. Then you need to synthesize this information to identify the root cause of the problem. 

There are techniques you can use to find the answer. One example is affinity diagramming, which you can use to identify patterns and relationships in data. You can also use the problem tree technique to get a visual representation of the problem and its root causes.

There are many ways to find the root cause; you can use techniques in any combination that works best for you and your CSI team. The important thing is to use them to gather and synthesize information about the problem you are trying to solve. By doing so, you can develop a deep understanding of the problem and identify the best way to solve it.

Phase 3: Ideate

In this phase, designers will start to fire up their creative brains and cook up ideas. This is a time to think outside the box and come up with as many ideas as possible, no matter how crazy they may seem.

You were a detective in the previous phase, now you're a cook. When you cook, you start by gathering the ingredients you need. Then use your creativity to come up with a recipe. You can experiment with different ingredients and flavours to create something new and delicious. 

The goal of cooking is to create a delicious and satisfying meal. The goal of the ideation phase is to generate creative solutions to the problem you are trying to solve. In both cases, the key is to experiment and try different things.

Brainstorming is a classic ideation technique that you can use to generate ideas. Another technique you can use is mind mapping, which can help you visualize your ideas and see how they relate. Or, if you and your team want to have some fun, try a role-playing technique to look at the problem from different angles and come up with new and innovative solutions.

Phase 4: Prototyping

Simply put, this is the stage where you design. Anyone can create designs, but not everyone can be a designer, that is what I believe. Quick reminder, we are living in an advanced world where we are planning to send people to Mars, we have a virtual world called Metaverse, and robots helper that can help a UI/UX designer write this article.

Yes, I'm using AI to help me write this article, and that's proof that I can generate writing, but I'm not a writer. Same with design, today there are millions of ways to generate design, either using AI or reusing an old design template and pattern and just embellishing the look.

In my opinion, a lot of people these days just skip the ideate phase and go straight to prototyping instead. People decided to go to Figma and modify some rectangles, change the colors of a component, or replace old fonts with new ones. 

This is not wrong, but there are ways to be more creative and come up with a top-notch reason. Don't just be a rectangle mover, be a designer. Come up with a design that presents the solution in a new way, engages users in a way they don't get from other products, be creative, be different!

Phase 5: Test

This is the moment when you will find out if the design you have created really solves users' problems. Test the prototypes with users to get feedback and make improvements.

There are many ways to test your prototypes. One common approach is to perform usability testing. Usability testing involves having users interact with your prototype and observing their reactions. This can help you identify areas where the prototype is confusing or difficult to use.

Another common approach is to perform A/B testing. A/B testing involves showing users two different versions of your prototype and seeing which one they prefer. This can help you determine which design elements are most effective.

No matter which testing method you choose, it is important to get feedback from a variety of users. This will help you get a more well-rounded perspective on your prototype and identify potential problems.

Design Thinking is not a linear process. Yes, I put numbers on it because I think it makes it cooler, like Marvel with their MCU phases. Anyway, design thinking is an iterative process that allows you to learn from your mistakes and make improvements along the way. This helps you create solutions that are more effective and easier to use.

What if you skip one or two steps/phases in Design Thinking? Well, I wouldn't recommend it because it won't be perfect. It's possible, just not perfect. Design thinking is an integrated process that works best when all of the stages are completed. Each stage builds on the previous stage. Each stage has a vital role in the design process. Skipping a stage comes with a risk.

• You may not understand your users very well. The empathize and define stages of design thinking are important for understanding what your users need, want, and what their pain points are. If you don’t go through these stages, you risk creating a solution that doesn’t meet your users’ needs.
• You might not be coming up with enough ideas. That's where the ideate stage comes in. Design thinking is all about coming up with a variety of ideas, so if you skip this stage, you're more likely to run out of ideas and end up not coming up with the best one.
• You may not be able to get user feedback in a timely manner. The prototype and test stages of design thinking are crucial for early and frequent user feedback. User feedback can help you refine your solution and ensure that it meets your users’ needs. If you skip these stages, you risk creating a solution that users don’t want or need.

If you're thinking about skipping stages in your design thinking process, it's important to think about the pros and cons. If you can really get to know your users, come up with creative solutions, and get user feedback quickly without skipping stages, then you should stick to the whole design thinking process.

Why Design Thinking Is So Popular?

The premise. Wherever you look for information about Design Thinking, 99% of the time the phrase "human-centered" will come up. We are people trying to understand other people, we're trying to find a solution to a problem that a person is dealing with and design thinking provides a perfect premise for finding innovative solutions. 

It is so versatile that it is believed it can be used to solve a wide range of problems. Also, as mentioned, it is a fluid and iterative process that allows designers to experiment and learn as they go.

When a designer starts a design project, they will most likely use design thinking instead of some other problem-solving approach. How could they not? It's versatile, it's effective, and most importantly, it's human-centered. But is it a panacea for all problems? Although it is often seen as a one-size-fits-all solution, design thinking has some questionable flaws.

Design thinking practitioners are sometimes led to believe that design thinking can be used to solve any problem, regardless of its complexity or scope. This can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment when design thinking fails to deliver the desired results. It focuses too much on creativity and doesn't pay enough attention to practical considerations such as cost and feasibility.

Am I saying that it is bad to use design thinking as a method in your design process? No. Despite these shortcomings, design thinking remains a valuable problem-solving tool. When used effectively, design thinking can help organizations develop innovative and user-centered solutions to complex challenges.

As designers, our job now is to make quick and reliable decisions about the design process. We need to consider various aspects that affect the business and ultimately the users. We need to be strongly objective in the design process, not just chase that butterfly when we start new projects with new everything, be designers who are decisive about their decision, and have an objective-reasonable reason behind every design we create, no matter what method we use.

Design Thinking IS BENEFICIAL

It's true, of course. Either way, it's not often used in the design process, is it?! Here are some of the advantages of Design Thinking:

• Human-centered approach: Design thinking focuses on understanding the needs of the users. This ensures that the solutions developed actually meet the needs of the people they are trying to help.
• Creative process: Design thinking encourages people to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative solutions. This is important in today's rapidly changing world, where new challenges are constantly emerging.
• Iterative process: Design thinking is an iterative process. This means that it allows people to learn from their mistakes and make improvements along the way. This is helpful because it helps ensure that the solutions that are developed are effective and user-friendly.
• Collaborative process: Design thinking is a collaborative process. This means that it encourages people to work together to solve problems. This is important because complex problems often require the input and expertise of many people.
• Versatility: Design thinking is believed can be used to solve a wide range of problems, from small everyday challenges to complex global issues. This makes it a valuable tool for people in all industries and sectors.

While design thinking has many potential benefits, it is important to be aware of its limitations. One of the biggest limitations of design thinking is that it can be difficult to implement in large organizations. 

It focuses too much on creativity and often encourages designers to come up with the most creative and innovative solutions possible, even if those solutions are not feasible or affordable to implement. This can result in a lot of wasted time and resources, especially in agile teams which are focused on delivering realistic and achievable solutions.

In reality, companies don’t follow every stage of the agile design thinking process. Some companies skip some stages, or they combine some stages. The stages a company follows will vary depending on the company’s culture, project requirements, and resources. And while it isn’t perfect, that’s what we’re seeing across companies today.

And all of this got me thinking: is design thinking just a trendy buzzword, or is it a truly transformative methodology? I've been thinking about this for a while. Design thinking is certainly popular, but is it really effective? Or is it just a fad that will eventually go out of style?

Wrap-up

"Enough with the basics and fundamental talks, so is it a one-size-fits-all solution or not?" Well, that is the question, isn't it?

But before we settle on the decision, let's take another look at the implementation of design thinking, now with real cases.

In 2009, Airbnb almost went bankrupt. Their weekly revenue was barely $200. That's bad for business, obviously. However, the founders and some other stakeholders examined their work and looked for the problem. 

What they found was a bad experience from the customer's point of view, where they see similarity in the pictures shown by the owner of the accommodation. It was taken with a smartphone and it didn't reflect a good quality. This made people uninterested in booking from the app.

The Airbnb story is an example of the first and second phase of design thinking, empathize and define. Then, as expected, they come up with a creative solution and save their company from a crisis. What an inspiring story, right? There is no doubt that design thinking played a role in saving the Airbnb company by improving its user experience.

But, can any organization use the same way as Airbnb to approach their problem and find an innovative solution to it? In their quest to become more innovative, many organizations fall into the trap of oversimplification. They focus too much on finding an innovative solution instead of creating a real impact.

The process of finding a solution is just the beginning, the real solution is when the user can feel real change from your design. In conclusion, no, I don't think design thinking is a one-size-fits-all solution, it's a viable tool to use in the design process for sure, but it's not an answer to find solutions for ALL problems.

I think that's the challenge for us as designers these days, how to be innovative, creative and make a real impact at the same time. It's very hard to do, but with practice and dedication, I'm sure we can be if not good, a great designer.