Why is Design Thinking important?
- User-centred: the needs of users are shown in the design process.
- encourages collaboration and creativity: through divergent thinking, the generation of creative ideas is promoted and involves multidisciplinary
- It is iterative: the process is iterative where ideas are continuously tested and improved until the best solution is found.
Phases of Design Thinking
The Design Thinking process consists of five main stages
Empathise
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, understand the user with the aim of researching and understanding the needs, behaviours and emotions of the users.
Example: A team is developing an app to prevent forest fires in Mina Clavero, Córdoba, Argentina and to empathise with the users, interviews are carried out with firefighters and residents of risk areas. Reactions in emergency situations are observed and fire-related forums and social networks are analysed.
Techniques and tools
- Interviews: Open questions to find out needs and frustrations.
- Empathy map: Organise information into:
- What does the user think and feel?
- What does the user see in their environment?
What does the user say and do? What are the user’s pains and motivations? Define We must identify the real need for which a solution will be sought by making decisions that generate value for our user with the aim of converting the
- What do they say and do?
- What are their pains and motivations?
Define
We must identify the real need for which a solution will be sought by making decisions that generate value for our user with the aim of converting the findings into a clear statement of the problem.
Example: after analysing the interviews, the team detects that:
- Fire alerts are not very accessible.
- People don’t know what to do in the event of a fire.
- There is no reliable source of real-time information.
Tools
User Personas: Creation of fictitious profiles based on real data.
Example of problem definition: ‘Residents of risk areas in Córdoba, Argentina need to receive early warnings and clear information on how to act in the event of a fire.’
Brainstorming
We are going to propose solutions according to the context of the users, we are going to generate solutions and creative ideas based on the needs of the user obtaining several possible alternatives
Example: In one session the team proposes:
- An app with real-time alerts and a fire map.
- An emergency SMS system without the need for mobile data.
- A voice assistant to guide people at risk.
- Drones that automatically detect sources of fire.
- Content in the APP for training
Techniques and tools
Brainstorming: In brainstorming, participants contribute ideas
Solution chosen: Develop an app that sends real-time alerts and guides users with emergency instructions.
Prototyping
In this stage we turn an idea for a solution into a prototype, so that we can experiment and fail as quickly as possible to understand where the points for improvement are. We create a simple version of the solution to test its viability.
Example: ‘Fire alerts’ button to notify the authorities.
- Map with active fires and evacuation routes.
- Notifications with emergency instructions.
Techniques and tools
- Prototypes in Figma or Adobe XD: Interactive versions of the app.
- Storyboarding: Visual representation of how the solution is used.
Testing
In this stage, the solution is proposed and evaluated with the user, who participates in the design in search of learning and adjustments with the aim of gathering feedback and improvement.
Example: After testing the application with 10 users, it is discovered that:
- The map is difficult to read.
- The emergency icons are not intuitive.
- Users prefer to receive SMS alerts in addition to the app.
- Adjustments made
- The visibility of the map is improved and the option to receive SMS alerts is added.
Conclusion
Design Thinking allows the development of products and services based on the real needs of users. This process not only helps to identify critical problems, but also facilitates the generation of effective solutions and their validation with real users. Through iteration, the initial prototype is improved, guaranteeing greater usability and effectiveness in the real context of use.
Furthermore, this methodology highlights the importance of e
