The 5 Design Thinking ProcessFor UX Design

Hey there Designers, guess who’s back with some new content for helping our design skills? (Drum rollssss) Me!! Today I am going to help with your knowledge of “Design Think Processes” which could help you pass that interview process and help you design more user-centric designs. I know for a fact that when you schedule for interviews with a client or a recruiting agent, one common question that comes us is “What is your Design Thinking Process.”

Please before you let off that steam, why don’t we just go through it together, so it can help make you a better designer. Please, thanks.

Design thinking is a process for solving problems through design by prioritizing the consumer’s needs above all else. There are 5 steps that are required in this process.

1. Empathize

The first step in the design-thinking process is to empathize. To understand the demands of their users personally, design teams do research. They let go of preconceived notions in order to observe and speak with users in order to gain insights into their environment. They are more able to comprehend the challenges, motives, and experiences of users.

A couple tools uses here are:

1. Surveys
2. Interviews
3. Focus groups

2. Define

The Define phase is the second step in a standard Design Thinking process. To describe the design problems and challenges, data from the observation stage — the first stage known as empathise — is compiled. The definition of a pertinent and actionable problem statement, which the design thinker will concentrate on solving, is a crucial step in the Design Thinking process.

A couple tools uses here are:

1. Problem Statements
2. Personas
3. Journey Maps

3. Ideate

In the creative process known as “ideation,” designers produce ideas throughout sessions (e.g., brainstorming, worst possible idea). The Design Thinking process’ third stage is this one. In a guided, judgment-free setting, participants get together with open minds to generate as many ideas as they can to address a problem statement. Its all about ideas, ideas, ideas. Therefore in the beginning of the ideation process no idea is really a bad idea, although later you’ll to sieve out which is possible and which isn’t.

A couple tools uses here are:

1. Brainstorming
2. Crazy 8’s
3. SCAMPER

4. Prototype

This to me is the cooloest part of the Design Process. Everything you have done in the previous processes are now about to come alive. A prototype is a straightforward experimental model of a suggested solution that can be used to quickly and inexpensively test or validate ideas, design hypotheses, and other aspects of its conceptualization. This allows the designer or designers involved to make the necessary adjustments or potential changes in direction.

A couple tools uses here are:

1. Figma (My favourite)
2. Adobe XD
3. Protopie
4. Invision
5. Sketch
6. Axure

Here is a video showing my one of my prototype processes:

5. Testing

Just like the name implies, Testing is one of the most crucial steps in the Design Thinking process is Test, where you determine whether your concept (or concepts) addresses the issue that you identified during the Empathise stage.

A couple tools uses here are:

1. Usability Testing Sessions

Here is a quick recap on what we have done today:

1. Empathize
2. Define
3. Ideate
4. Prototype
5. Test

Now with this knowledge I want you to go and smash that interview (NB: Design Thinking Process isn’t all recruiters ask about, so you’ll should still learn some more information about the UX Industry).

To know more about me and my works, please visit my portfolio.