I really dig these phases as a more “hey these are the brain places you have to go when design thinking” as a rad compliment to more process oriented design thinking processes. Mary Cantwell’s DEEPdt is my personal DT of choice for myself and my students.

Here’s a how might we: how might we find a place for empathy within your four phases? Or might there need be a fifth phase? I reckon empathy and need finding/resolving separate design thinking from the rest of the problem solving herd.

Empathy transformed my classroom for the better and I’ve no doubt it would do the same for any problem solving enterprise, much as design thinking would energize any solution hunting venture.