A Critical Analysis of the Double Diamond Framework
In recent times, interactions between humans and their environment have become progressively more complex due to technological innovation and societal evolution. This has led to the proliferation of systems that humans must regularly navigate in order to carry out most important daily functions. It is therefore important for these systems to be designed so as to afford seamless user interaction in order for their utility to be maximized. Due to the complexities of these systems and their real-world contexts, the design of these systems typically entails solving problems that involve multiple stakeholders, are often ill-formulated, and tend to be confusing to tackle. These are called wicked problems, and the process of solving them, known as the design process, typically commences with a design brief, which summarizes the problem context and key elements. The design process can involve a variety of methodological approaches, and a widely recognized approach in user experience (UX) design is Design Thinking (DT) due to its emphasis on the needs and capacities of the end user as well as its ability for adaptation to a variety of design problems.
What is Design Thinking?
Most scholars describe DT as a ‘human-centered, iterative, and collaborative approach to innovation and problem-solving’. It can be described as a methodology, a culture, and a philosophy. In essence, DT is characterized by a human-centered approach, an iterative process, interdisciplinary teamwork, holistic problem understanding, and an optimistic yet realistic mindset toward problem-solving. Academics have been interested in exploring the way designers think for decades. Even before the term ‘Design Thinking’ existed, there was extensive discourse surrounding the way in which designers think. More recently, DT was made popular by IDEO’s Tim Brown, who highlighted the application of DT to solve wicked problems and drive innovation forward in various fields. Initially, DT became a frequently used term in prominent design corporations, but later found widespread adoption in various fields, such as IT, management, and education. DT is closely linked to the field of UX design. UX design is a specific discipline that focuses on enhancing the overall experience users have with a product, service, or system. As it involves considering the entire user journey, from the initial interaction to the final use of a product or service, DT is often applied as a foundational philosophy. By applying DT principles, designers can better understand user perspectives, identify pain points, and create solutions that genuinely meet user needs. Due to its adaptable nature, DT can be used in a variety of contexts and applied through various frameworks when addressing a design brief. The following section of this essay will discuss some of the more effective frameworks used to apply DT.
Human-Centred Design
IDEO, a renowned design and innovation firm, has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of DT. Notably, their human-centered design (HCD) framework is often used to apply DT. IDEO states that human-centered design is not linear, but generally unfolds in three distinct phases: the inspiration phase (observation and cultivation of empathy with the users), the ideation phase (synthesis of gathered data, generation ideas, and testing and refining solutions), and the implementation phase (bringing the chosen solution to life). The framework’s holistic and empathy-driven nature aligns with the underlying philosophy of DT, making it an effective framework for its application.
Design Thinking Phases by d.school
Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford Institute, now known as d.school, developed a framework such that students and faculty from various departments could collaborate on problem-solving. The goal was to break down silos and encourage a more holistic, human-centered approach to problem-solving. This framework is meant to guide DT and comprises five steps: Empathize (“know your user”), Define (“frame the right problem”), Ideate (“generate a range of possibilities”), Prototype (“build the solution”), Test (“test the solution on users”). As this framework was developed with DT principles in mind, it is often naturally used in conjunction with DT.
The Double Diamond Framework (DDF)
The DDF is a popular framework through which DT is applied. The DDF and DT can usually go hand-in-hand, as they have certain principles in common such as user-centricity, flexibility, and iteration in design. Moreover, the DDF can be used as a platform for DT during the design process, as it provides structure to complement the fluid nature of DT. Apart from this, the DDF is also used to map and plan the progress of a design process and facilitate communication of the design process between team members and stakeholders.
As it makes the design process visible, it enables designers and non-designers to work efficiently with one another, which they often need to do while working on complex or wicked problems. While the DDF is claimed by designers, it is also used in other fields, such as engineering, management, and education. The field of UX design and the DDF rose to prominence around the same time, and UX designers often claim the DDF to be their de facto design framework. Both the DDF and UX design share a strong commitment to a user-centric approach. The emphasis on understanding, empathising, and designing for users is a common thread that runs through both methodologies. The simple, intuitive, and flexible nature of the DDF potentially offers an accessible means for first-time service designers to effectively explore the application of DT in tackling complex problems in UX design.
A Short History of the Double Diamond Framework
With the goal of leveraging the positive impact of strategic approaches to design, the British Design Council developed the DDF in 2003–2004 to address the question of how a design process should be described.
The Design Council integrated key elements of several previously existing conceptualisations of design into the DDF. One such conceptualisation was offered by Bánáthy (1996) who, drawing inspiration from psychology, proposed a kite-shaped model for ‘divergent and convergent thinking’ in the creative process.
He described divergent thinking as the broadening of perspectives where a variety of ideas are explored and convergent thinking as the narrowing of perspectives to focus on a single problem. He suggested that while these two thinking processes may appear separate, it is the interplay between them that fosters creativity. Designers either broaden or narrow their perspectives at different stages of design, resulting in a balanced approach to the design process. The DDF was also inspired by Osborn (1953), who introduced his understanding of the creative process as a diamond. The model went from top to bottom, with the top half and bottom half respectively representing the divergent and convergent stages of problem-solving. Osborn refined this model with Parnes, and in 1967 they developed the “Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving Process”, a five-stage model consisting of five diamonds. The Design Council recognised the importance of this ethos and incorporated it into the structure of the DDF.
To deconstruct the process of solving design problems, Dorst and Cross identified the “problem space” and “solution space” and advanced the concept of their co-evolution. In simple terms, the problem space is concerned with “finding the right problem”, and the solution space is concerned with “solving the problem right”, and these two spaces co-evolve during design due to the exchange of information between them. The Design Council, recognising the importance of these two spaces, designed one diamond to represent each space. Aside from integrating the above concepts, the Design and Innovation team at The Design Council analysed and deconstructed their previous projects to map a common design process. This ended with the development of four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. As of recently, the Design Council has also gone on to incorporate the DDF in two new frameworks: The Framework for Innovation and The Systemic Design Framework, both of which can be used to tackle wicked and systemic challenges.
Characteristics of the Double Diamond Framework
In line with Dorst & Cross (2001) and Bánáthy (1996), the two diamonds respectively embody the problem space and solution space, and each diamond is made up of divergent and convergent thinking.
The Problem Space and The Solution Space
The DDF explicitly separates the problem space and solution space by representing them as two diamonds that are arranged side by side and share a common vertex. The first diamond, also referred to as the “Research” diamond, represents the problem space, where the problem is explored, synthesised, and defined. Correspondingly, the second ‘Implementation’ diamond represents the solution space, wherein the solution is visualised, experimented with, iterates upon, and ultimately implemented.
Divergent and Convergent Thinking
The DDF is visualised in two-dimensions, with the horizontal direction representing the timeframe of the design process, and the vertical representing the breadth of exploration of the respective space. The left-most vertex of the Research diamond represents the beginning of the design process, where the designer is generally presented with a design brief. The central common vertex represents a ‘defined problem statement’. The right-most vertex of the Implementation diamond represents the culmination of the design process, which in service design is generally a ‘service blueprint’ that thoroughly details the workings of the service. Through the positioning of the two diamonds, the DDF structures the design process as alternating phases of divergent and convergent thinking. As one progresses through the design process, the broadening and narrowing of the line segments making up each diamond represent divergent and convergent thinking respectively. In line with this, the broadening of each diamond represents an expansion and exploration of different perspectives. For the Research diamond this involves gathering information and insights from various sources for a comprehensive understanding of the problem. For the Implementation diamond, this involves generating a variety of solutions and exploring their potential. The closing of each diamond represents a narrowing of possibilities. For the Research diamond, this means eliminating potential problem areas to arrive at a single problem statement. For the Implementation diamond, this means eliminating potential solutions to focus and refine one final solution. Hence, each space is initiated with a phase of divergent thinking and concluded with a phase of convergent thinking, yielding a total of four phases during the entire design process, which are detailed next.
The Four Phases
Discover
The goal of the Discover phase is to understand the problem, context, and user needs. To effectively tackle a wicked problem in the form of a design brief, a designer first needs to develop a comprehensive understanding of the contextual factors underpinning it before designing a solution. Therefore, a designer needs to broaden their perspective on the problem and its context, which usually involves thorough research and observation. The exploration is thus divergent in nature. Relevant methods may include secondary research, conducting surveys, and user observation. By the end of this phase, the designer has a comprehensive set of findings to inform the design process.
Define
The goal of the Define phase is to synthesise the findings from the previous phase and establish a clear problem statement that is user-centred. After gathering a broad range of information from the Discover phase, the designer needs to narrow down their focus to define a specific problem that aligns with the user needs. As such, this narrowing down requires a convergence of thought. Relevant methods may include generating key insights and How-Might-We questions. The outcome of this phase is a well-defined problem statement that guides the subsequent phases of the design process.
Develop
The goal of the Develop phase is to generate potential solutions to the defined problem statement. A designer uses a variety of ideation and brainstorming tools to generate a multitude of potential solutions to address the identified problem statement. This typically requires them to expand their viewpoint and think creatively. This expansion therefore requires a divergence of thought. This phase typically involves brainstorming sessions, and prototyping. The outcome of the Develop phase is a set of potential solutions that will undergo further refinement in the subsequent phase.
Deliver
The goal of the Deliver phase is to test, refine and ultimately deploy the final solution in its intended use-scenario. Through evaluating the set of potential solutions, the sub-optimal ones are discarded, and the promising ones are progressively refined. This phase is therefore convergent in nature, as it involves homing in on a final solution. Typically, the methods employed are usability testing, evaluation matrix, and focus groups, all of which play a crucial role in refining the solution further. Once the solution has been sufficiently refined and evaluated, the outcome can then be released into its intended market or handed over to the concerned department for further development.
