Design Thinking Assignment PDF

DESIGN THINKING POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION & DESIGN THINKING [PGD-EID] SEMESTER - I [2023-24] CIEID – 104 [Design Thinking & Human-Centered Design] Submitted By: Khadijha Kubra Malik Submitte...

DESIGN THINKING POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION & DESIGN THINKING [PGD-EID] SEMESTER - I [2023-24] CIEID – 104 [Design Thinking & Human-Centered Design] Submitted By: Khadijha Kubra Malik Submitted To: Miss. Ramsa Jaan CENTRE FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA (CENTRAL UNIVERSITY) (NAAC Accredited ‘A++’ Grade) NEW DELHI - 110025  What is Design Thinking? Design thinking is a human-centric, non-linear and iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Design Thinking empowers teams to tackle complex challenges, particularly those that are ill-defined or unknown At its core, Design Thinking revolves around understanding users, questioning assumptions, redefining problems, and creating innovative solutions through a series of interconnected stages. Design thinking is an iterative, non-linear way of working that seeks to understand users and solve problems. The Five Stages of Design Thinking Design Thinking is more than a methodology; it's a philosophy that revolves around empathy, problem-solving, and constant refinement. Comprising five integral phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test — it thrives in situations where challenges are ambiguous or problems remain undiscovered. 1 I. Empathize – Research Your Users' Needs Empathize, the initial stage of the design thinking process serves as the foundation for creating thoughtfully designed products that truly resonate with users. At this stage, design teams embark on a journey to understand users deeply, leaving behind preconceived notions and biases. By observing, consulting, and immersing themselves in users' experiences, motivations, and challenges, designers aim to build a compassionate understanding of the people they are designing for. This can be done through the process of Empathy Mapping. Empathy is the ability to step outside biases and truly understand the user's needs. Empathy Mapping An empathy map is a visual representation that captures and organizes insights about a user's feelings, thoughts, behaviours, and pain points. It provides a holistic view of the user's experience, fostering empathy within the design team. It consists of four quadrants that need to be filled to empathise with the user. Steps to create an Empathy Map: 1. Fill out the Empathy Map What did the user SAY? Write down significant quotes and keywords that the user said. What did the user THINK? Dig deeper. What do you think that your user might be thinking? What are their motivations, their goals, their needs, their desires? What does this tell you about his or her beliefs? What did the user DO? Describe which actions and behaviours you noticed or insert pictures or drawings. How did the user FEEL? What emotions might your user be feeling? Take subtle cues like body language and their choice of words and tone of voice into account. 2. Synthesise NEEDS 2 Synthesise the user’s needs based on your Empathy Map. This will help you to define your design challenge. Identify the needs directly from the user traits you noted. Identify needs based on contradictions between two traits, such as a disconnection between what a user says and what the user does. 3. Synthesise INSIGHTS An “Insight” is a remarkable realization that can help you to solve the current design challenge you’re facing. Synthesise major insights, especially from contradictions between two user attributes. It can be found within one quadrant or in two different quadrants. You can also synthesise insights by asking yourself: “Why?” when you notice strange, tense, or surprising behaviour. 3 II. Define – State Your Users' Needs and Problems Building upon empathetic insights, the Define phase involves synthesizing information to articulate the core problem. Crucially, this definition remains human-centric, ensuring that the user remains at the forefront of the solution. The teams analyze and synthesize information to define the specific problems faced by the users. This involves creating problem statements and developing personas to maintain a human-centred focus. 1. Creating Problem Statements: From Empathy to Definition: After the Empathize stage, it's crucial to distil this understanding gained in the empathise stage into a clear problem statement. The problem statement should be framed in human-centric terms, reflecting the core challenges faced by users. User-Centric Language: Avoid framing the problem in terms of organizational goals or features. Instead, articulate it from the perspective of the user and their needs. For example, rather than saying "We need to increase conversion rates," frame it as "Users struggle to complete the checkout process efficiently." Narrowing Focus: Refine and narrow down the problem statement to ensure it addresses a specific user need or pain point. A well-defined problem statement guides the ideation process by providing a clear direction for generating solutions. 2. Developing Personas: Understanding the User Base: Personas are fictional characters representing different segments of the user base. They embody the characteristics, behaviours, and goals of real users. Use the insights gathered during the Empathize stage to create realistic personas. Detailed Descriptions: Each persona should have a detailed description, including demographic information, behaviours, motivations, and goals. 4  Personas add a human touch to the design process, making it easier for the team to relate to and understand the diverse user base. Empathy in Decision-Making: Personas serve as a reference point throughout the design process. When making decisions, the team can ask, "How would this impact Persona A or Persona B?" It ensures that decisions are made with a deep understanding of user needs. Avoiding Stereotypes: While personas are fictional, they should be based on real user data. Avoid stereotypes and ensure that personas reflect the diversity within the actual user base. Benefits of Problem Statements and Personas: Focus on User-Centric Solutions: Problem statements and personas keep the team focused on designing solutions that directly address user needs and challenges. Alignment Across Teams: These tools help align cross-functional teams by providing a shared understanding of who the users are and what problems they face. Guidance for Ideation: During the ideation stage, problem statements guide brainstorming sessions, ensuring that creative ideas are relevant to solving the identified problems. User Validation: Personas become a reference point during the Prototype and Test stages. Prototypes can be tested with personas to validate their effectiveness in addressing user needs. Iterative Improvement: As the design process is iterative, problem statements and personas can be refined based on ongoing research and testing, ensuring that the team remains aligned with user needs. By incorporating problem statements and personas into the design thinking process, teams can foster a human-centred approach that leads to the development of solutions that genuinely resonate with and benefit the end-users. 5 III. Ideate – Challenge Assumptions and Create Ideas With a clear understanding of user needs and a well-defined problem statement, teams embark on the Ideation phase. The ideation stage encourages teams to think creatively and generate a diverse range of ideas. Techniques such as brainstorming foster innovation and alternative perspectives. Ideation Techniques 1. Brainstorming: Conduct collaborative brainstorming sessions where team members freely share ideas without criticism. Encourage wild ideas and build on each other's contributions. 2. SCAMPER Technique: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse. Use these prompts to creatively explore existing ideas and generate new ones. 3. Mind Mapping: Create visual representations of ideas and their relationships. This can help identify potential connections and innovative solutions. 4. Worst Possible Idea: Temporarily shift perspectives by exploring the worst possible ideas. This unconventional approach often sparks creativity and novel solutions. 5. Role Storming: Have team members adopt different personas and brainstorm from those perspectives. This fosters fresh viewpoints and diverse ideas. The ideation process is a creative and collaborative phase within the design thinking framework. It involves generating a multitude of ideas to address a defined problem or challenge. Here are some key characteristics of the ideation process: The process of ideation should have some key characteristics: Divergent Thinking: Definition: Ideation encourages divergent thinking, where participants explore a wide range of ideas without initially focusing on their feasibility or practicality. 6  Purpose: Divergent thinking allows for the exploration of various possibilities, fostering creativity and innovative solutions. Open and Inclusive: Inclusivity: The ideation process welcomes contributions from diverse team members, each bringing their unique perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Openness: A culture of openness and acceptance is crucial, allowing even unconventional or seemingly impractical ideas to be shared without judgment. Creative Techniques: Diverse Tools: Various creative techniques and tools, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, SCAMPER, and random stimulus, are employed to stimulate creative thinking. Experimental Approaches: Teams may experiment with unconventional methods, like role-playing or worst-case scenario ideation, to break traditional thought patterns. Encouragement of Wild Ideas: Wild Ideation: Participants are encouraged to think outside the box and propose wild or outlandish ideas. Even seemingly impractical ideas can spark creative thinking and lead to unforeseen breakthroughs. Human-Centered Solutions Ideation is grounded in a clear understanding of user needs and a well-defined problem statement. The goal is to generate ideas that directly address user pain points and provide meaningful solutions. Iterative Nature: Ideation is an iterative process, allowing teams to refine and evolve ideas based on feedback, testing, and ongoing insights. 7 IV. Prototype – Start to Create Solutions The Prototype stage is experimental, involving the creation of scaled-down versions of the product or specific features. This phase allows teams to explore and test potential solutions cost-effectively, often employing techniques like paper prototyping. Rigorous testing and iteration during this phase refine solutions, providing valuable insights into user needs. Prototyping plays a crucial role in the design thinking process, contributing to the overall success of creating innovative and user-centred solutions. TYPES Prototyping methods are generally divided into two separate categories: low- and high-fidelity prototyping. 1. Low-Fidelity Prototyping: Low-fidelity prototyping involves creating basic and simplified representations of a product or system. These prototypes are not detailed or intricate, focusing on conveying fundamental aspects rather than intricate design elements. Characteristics: Simplicity: Low-fidelity prototypes are intentionally basic, capturing only essential features and functionality. Quick Creation: They are quick and easy to produce, allowing for rapid exploration and testing of ideas. Inexpensive Materials: Often constructed with inexpensive materials like paper, cardboard, or simple digital tools. Disposable: These prototypes are typically disposable, encouraging iteration without significant attachment. Ease of Modification: Changes and modifications can be made swiftly, facilitating an iterative design process. Overall Concepts: Used to communicate overall concepts and test broad ideas rather than specific details. 8  User-Focused Testing: Ideal for early-stage user testing and gathering high-level feedback. Examples: Sketches and Drawings: Simple hand-drawn representations of screens or interfaces. Paper Prototypes: Physical models made from paper to simulate the user interface. Wireframes: Basic digital representations outlining the structure and layout of a design. Card Sorting: Physical or digital cards representing content or features for user evaluation. Storyboards: Sequential visualizations depicting the user journey and interactions Pros of Low-Infedility Prototyping: Cons of Low-Infedility Prototyping: Speed: Quick and efficient to Lack of Realism: They may lack create. realism, impacting the validity of Cost-Effective: Requires test results. minimal resources and materials. Limited Detail: Not suitable for Iterative: Supports rapid iteration testing detailed interactions or and exploration. fine-grained design elements. Accessibility: Suitable for all team members, regardless of expertise. Conceptual Testing: Useful for testing high-level concepts with users. 9  2. High-Fidelity Prototyping: High-fidelity prototyping involves creating detailed and refined representations of a product that closely resemble the final design. These prototypes aim to capture intricate design elements and simulate a realistic user experience. Characteristics: Detailed Design Elements: Includes realistic and detailed design elements such as colours, fonts, and images. Closeness to Final Product: Closer resemblance to the final product in terms of look and functionality. Interactive: Often includes interactive elements, allowing users to engage with the prototype as they would with the actual product. Realistic Simulations: Simulates the user experience with a higher degree of realism. Advanced Tools: Created using advanced design tools and software that support intricate details. User-Testable: Suitable for user testing involving realistic interactions and feedback. Stakeholder Presentations: Used for engaging stakeholders by providing a tangible representation of the final product. Examples: Interactive Prototypes: Digital prototypes with interactive elements and functionality. High-Fidelity Wireframes: Detailed digital representations with realistic design elements. Functional Prototypes: Prototypes that mimic the actual functionality of the product. Pixel-Perfect Mockups: Designs with precise details, matching the pixel dimensions of the final product. 10  Usability Testing Prototypes: Prototypes used for in-depth usability testing with realistic scenarios. Pros of High-Infidelity Prototyping: Cons of High-Infidelity Prototyping: Realism: Provides a realistic Time-Consuming: Takes longer representation of the final to produce compared to product. low-fidelity prototypes. Effective User Testing: Allows Cost: This can be more for more accurate user testing expensive, especially in terms of and feedback. time invested. Stakeholder Engagement: Resistance to Changes: Engages stakeholders by Designers may be reluctant to presenting a tangible and make changes due to the effort polished representation. invested. Fine-grained details: Suitable Software Limitations: Software for testing intricate design details prototypes may not fully capture and interactions. the nuances of the final product. In summary, the choice between low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototyping depends on the specific goals, stage of the design process, and the level of detail required for testing and feedback. Both types play crucial roles in the iterative design and user testing process. RELEVANCE Here are key reasons why prototyping is relevant in the design thinking process: 1. Visualization of Ideas: Prototyping allows designers to transform abstract ideas into tangible representations. Visualizing concepts in a tangible form makes it easier for both the design team and stakeholders to understand and evaluate potential solutions. 2. User Feedback and Validation: Prototypes serve as a means to gather early feedback from users. Users can interact with and provide insights on the proposed solutions, helping designers validate assumptions and refine concepts based on real user experiences. 11  3. Identification of Design Flaws: Prototyping helps identify design flaws and potential usability issues. By testing a prototype, designers can uncover problems early in the process, allowing for iterative improvements before reaching the final product. 4. Iterative Development: Prototyping supports an iterative design approach. Designers can quickly iterate on and refine prototypes based on user feedback, changing requirements, or evolving insights, ensuring continuous improvement throughout the design process. 5. Time and Cost Efficiency: Prototyping helps save time and costs associated with later-stage revisions. Identifying and addressing design issues early reduces the need for extensive modifications in later phases, minimizing overall project costs and timelines. 6. User-Centred Design Focus: Prototyping keeps the design process centered on user needs and experiences. By involving users in the evaluation of prototypes, designers ensure that the final product resonates with the intended audience and meets their expectations. 12 V. Stage 5: Test – Try Your Solutions Out In the final phase, rigorous testing using prototypes guides the refinement of the product. As a testament to Design Thinking's iterative nature, this phase is not the endpoint; it often prompts a revisit to earlier stages for further refinement and problem-solving. Guidelines for Conducting a Test 1. Let your users experience the prototype Introduce yourself without revealing you are the designer, ensuring honest feedback. Clearly explain the session duration, expectations, and user tasks. Let users explore the prototype without excessive guidance. 2. Ask Participants to Talk Through Their Experience Instruct participants to vocalize their thoughts and expectations while interacting with the prototype. Remind participants during the test session to share their thoughts. 3. Observe Your Participants Be neutral and resist correcting participants; mistakes provide valuable insights. We are testing the prototype and not the participant's abilities. 4. Ask Follow-Up Questions Ask participants to elaborate on their statements or clarify their feedback. Inquire about emotions, expectations, and reasoning behind actions. 5. Negative Feedback is Your Way to Learn and Improve Understand that negative feedback is crucial for identifying and addressing problems. View negative feedback as an opportunity to uncover issues and improve the design. 13  The End Goal: Desirable, Feasible, and Viable Solutions The design thinking process, while not strictly linear, aims for solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable: Key Points: The design thinking process doesn’t follow a fixed sequence of steps, but it has an ideal endpoint. The end goal of every design thinking project is a solution that is desirable, feasible and viable. 1. Desirability: It focuses on people. It’s what puts the “human” in human-centred design. Your solution is desirable if it appeals to the needs, emotions and behaviours of the people you target. Desirable solutions cater to human needs and emotions. 2. Feasibility: It is about technology. Is your design solution technically possible or does it depend on a technology that’s yet to be invented (or good enough for regular use)? Feasible solutions align with existing or achievable technology. 3. Viability: is about whether your design solution works as a business. Is there an appropriate business model behind your solution, or would it collapse after a few years without investor or donor contributions? Design thinking is not about making a profit, but good design solutions should be self-sustaining. That way, you can continue to support and improve your solution way beyond the project deadline. Viable solutions ensure long-term sustainability without constant external support. 14