Design Thinking for Business: The Double Diamond Framework
Despite countless attempts to dethrone and dishevel the Double Diamond, this framework for design thinking has withstood the test of time. This article is an introduction to the framework that unlocks Design Thinking.
What is the Double Diamond?
The Double Diamond is a visual framework for understanding the 4 stages of Design Thinking. The ‘diamond’ shape is used to convey whether a stage requires a divergent (open, exploratory) or convergent (narrowing, decisive) approach. The 4 stages form 2 pairs of divergent and convergent thinking, with each pair creating a diamond shape, thus the Double Diamond.
Each design challenge begins with a catalyst. This catalyst may come from user feedback, the business, regulators, competitors, suppliers or other sources.
The Double Diamond Framework helps us avoid a reactionary response to the catalyst and reframes our thinking to create solutions that serve their users.
Following the catalyst, we embark on the Discover stage of the process. We engage divergent (open, exploratory) thinking to create hypothesis and research the challenge. Depending on the nature of the challenge, we may need to identify user-problem fit, conduct interviews, survey users, review secondary sources or other…
