Can you think that following a design thinking process with five steps turns you into a creative innovator?! Believe me, it isn’t and never has been this way. The spread of the term design thinking is aligned with a significant amount of misleading criticism. The doubts about the effectiveness of design thinking are influenced by […]
Using the MPPF Method in the Double Diamond Design Process
We explored the design thinking process and introduced various models, including the Double Diamond Design process, which reflected several characteristics of design thinking, although it still shows some linearity in its flow through the four stages: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. As you may notice when looking at the Double Diamond model, the centricity around […]
Design Thinking Examples of Driving Creativity
For many, design thinking reflects several outcomes of the design value, and creativity and innovation are among them. When we dig deeper into design thinking examples, we see the applications of design characteristics in solving different problems creatively and innovatively. We face increasingly challenging obstacles like climate change, pollution, poverty, lack of resources and other […]
SCAMPER Technique Examples and Applications
The SCAMPER technique is one of the brainstorming tools that allows us to explore solutions to problems by altering the current product through seven different approaches: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put in Another Use, Eliminate, and Rearrange. My previous article, A Guide to the SCAMPER Technique for Creative Thinking, explored these seven approaches and the questions […]
How to Create a Professional Creative Brief?
Through my years of working as a designer, I understood two factors: the most crucial document that paves the way through the design process is the creative brief, and there is no single agreement on what should be included in the creative brief. You agree with me as each project has its creative brief, and […]
What are Design Research Types and Applications?
Let’s think of the design practice and how design research contributes to the development of different design solutions, products, services, and systems. Both design and research are human activities, and in his book, Craftsmanship, Richard Sennett describes design as a craftsman practice that involves using different materials and elements to provide a final design solution. […]
Minimum Viable Product Examples and Applications
When we have a new product idea, it is always surrounded by uncertainty regarding its future success and market acceptability. During the design processes, such as the Double Diamond Design Thinking, we could collect user feedback and use it to iterate our product prototype. Still, this limited cycle doesn't give us the chance to have […]
The Affinity Diagram: A Practical Case Study
During the design process, several parameters bubble during the research and ideation sessions that you need to organise, analyse and prioritise, such as application features, project tasks or organise application menus to improve user experience. Having a large amount of data collected during the research phase makes it hard for a design team to build […]
How to Conduct Online Brainstorming
Brainstorming allows teams to explore ideas and analyse information creatively and collaboratively during the design thinking process. During the pandemic lockdown, online brainstorming solved the problem that teams had to work remotely and think creatively simultaneously. The traditional meetings are usually boring and don’t encourage team members to believe in creativity or explore new perspectives […]
How to Use Task Analysis Grid in Service Design
As a designer, I usually find it challenging to communicate with all the stakeholders in the project, especially in service design, where the product is intangible in contrast to product design. What increases the complexity of this conversation is the nature of how we, as designers, develop our problem-solving mindset while we think visually through […]
Creative Thinking: Inspired Lessons from Leonardo Da Vinci's
Leonardo Da Vinci was not only a master of art and science but also a great creative thinker with an extraordinary ability to look at the world from a creative perspective. His creative thinking skills enabled him to achieve inventions and find new solutions in different fields, including art, architecture, music, mathematics, and engineering. What […]
Measuring Design Thinking Impact
The term design thinking has been widely used to describe the application of the design process's characteristics and distinguish it from other development processes, such as the focus of user needs. These characteristics have been framed into different design process models such as the Double Diamond, IDEO model, and IBM Design Thinking. In my previous […]
How Inclusive Design Reshaped Microsoft Products
Twenty years ago, I used to be a Windows operating system user and always asked myself; why is it so complicated? The screen is full of functions with minimum consideration for the user experience. In 2012, Microsoft released their Windows 8 with dramatic changes that can be easily spotted–I guess you noticed that too. Microsoft […]
Customer Journey Mapping: A Complete Guide for Designers
According to the Digital Trend 2015 Report, customer experience is crucial to stand out from competitors. Suppose there is a single type of data to identify the success of the design outcome. In that case, I will choose the customer experience, it is the crucial element behind the design of any product or service to […]
What is Thematic Analysis? And How to Apply in Design Thinking
Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method used to identify, analyse, and interpret patterns or themes within a dataset, such as interview transcripts, survey responses, or written texts. It involves systematically organising and examining the data to uncover underlying meanings, ideas, and concepts. Qualitative data presents one of the crucial elements that we seek to […]
How to Apply 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis
The root cause analysis aims to dig deep into a particular problem to identify its primary cause. One of the most significant challenges we face when trying to solve a problem is that what we perceive as the real cause is the effort or the symptoms. It is an outcome effect of one or more root problems. […]
How to Use Decision Trees in the Decision-Making Process
Every day, designers face decision-making challenges on different levels of their careers. In many situations, uncertainty dominates the choices, especially when evaluating new ideas or introducing a new innovating product such as the Double-Diamond Design Thinking and the Stage-Gate Process. Think of the time you needed to determine the importance of project resources, find alternative […]
How to Use Lego Serious Play in the Design Thinking Process?
The design thinking process is essential for companies who would like to lead the market through creativity and innovation, and proper tools need to be used to achieve this goal. This is where I got introduced to Lego Serious Play (LSP). While many tools can be used in the design thinking process, such as storytelling, card sorting, SCAMPER and […]
How to Use TRIZ in the Problem-Solving Process
As we attempt to solve the problems and find creative solutions for them, we take different routes throughout the problem-solving process, such as applying the Double Diamond design thinking, brainstorming sessions, root cause analysis, and other models that help us to observe, build insight, and evaluate the situation from different perspectives giving the advantages and […]
What is Strategic Thinking? And How to Improve It
The ability to take strategic decisions can lead the organisation to achieve business success, as firms can't preserve their existence without a strategy that maintains their long-term growth. Having the ability to take such decisions is one of the most favourable skills in almost all types of business, including the design business. Even for employees […]