5 Stages of the Design Thinking Process

Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that offers a solution-based method for taking on complex problems that may not be well defined. The Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford proposed five stages for the design thinking process. The first stage is Empathize, where designers develop an empathetic understanding of the problem. The second stage, Define, involves analyzing observations and synthesizing them to define the main problem. Ideate, stage three, is the beginning of the idea generation process, where designers look for new solutions using hundreds of ideation techniques. In the Prototype stage, designers generate cheap and scaled-down versions of possible solutions, which may be tested and either accepted, improved, or rejected. Finally, Test involves evaluating the complete product and testing solutions proposed during the Prototype stage.