Are your user’s preconceptions of themselves or outside expectations keeping them and their thinking “inside the box.” The design thinking mindset requires a deep sense of empathy to co-create “a better way,” alongside our users. Let’s explore two elements of the design thinking mindset to guide you in developing user-specific and results-driven solutions.
Two Key Phases in the Design Thinking Process:
Discovery — The Key to Understanding
To design a product or service that resonates with your intended user, you must first engage in the discovery process. This process is centered on being able to (1) observe without judgment and (2) practice empathy for your user.
The following list includes some of the key questions to discuss to understand your target audience:
- What triggers their actions?
- What workarounds do they employ to get the job done?
- Look for contradictions between what people say and what they do.
“You cannot personalize something for everyone”. Discovery often uncovers differences within the same group. Individuals often express disparate needs and it’s important that you simplify this experience and ensure that despite these differences, each individual is provided a specific, unique experience. Ask them to take a moment and reflect in order to guide their experience and seek to understand what it is they wish to learn.
Through discovery, you will understand the journey of your user, enabling you to also take that same journey yourself and rethink the process.
Insight Process — Identifying the Why
You can design a program or solution, but without first understanding “the why behind the what,” you present a variety of problems. Most importantly, you present a solution with no user or audience, prioritizing feasibility over desirability.
Tools for finding Insights:
- Ask “why” five times
- Explore the first principles of science
- Find the unmet user need, then imagine their “wish, want, or change.”
Therefore, before rushing into the planning and specifics, it’s vital that you first understand the “why”. This process is known as the insight process.
Final Thoughts
This process does not come without its own challenges. In one of your latest Clubhouse discussions, it was stated that the “… biggest challenge is building upon a vision, the future, and creating … the program that meets the new habits and needs [of users]…”. Once the vision is discovered and understood, the hard work lies in recreating the anticipated experience and ensuring it meets the needs of all the various stakeholders. These needs are likely to differ even within the same group.
We challenge you to look deeper into your program and see if your design aligns with your unique target audience. Think bigger than you and your team. Think like your user and embrace adaptation and change.
