Design Thinking

Human-centered design

A creative approach to solving problems that begins with understanding people and ends with solutions that fit their real needs

Empathy

The ability to put yourself in someone else's position to understand their life, experiences, and perspectives

Inspiration Phase

The stage focused on observing and learning deeply about people's needs, behaviors, and contexts

Ideation Phase

The stage where insights are synthesized into opportunities and possible concepts are developed

Implementation Phase

The stage where ideas are turned into real solutions and introduced to the world

Prototyping

Building simplified models to explore ideas, gather feedback, and improve before finalizing

Diverging and Converging

Alternating between expanding and narrowing ideas—from concrete observations to abstract thinking and back again

Learn From Failure

Treating unsuccessful attempts as experiments that provide valuable lessons

Make it

Turning abstract ideas into tangible forms to clarify thinking and test possibilities

Creative Confidence

The belief that everyone can generate ideas and take action to bring them to life

Embrace Ambiguity

Accepting uncertainty and allowing exploration without knowing the final answer

Be Optimistic

Maintaining belief that improvement and progress are always possible

Iterate, Iterate, Iterate

Continuously testing, receiving feedback, and refining ideas to reach better outcomes

Design Thinking

A method that combines user insight, creativity, and rapid experimentation to create effective and innovative outcomes

Divergent Thinking

Expanding possibilities by generating multiple ideas and perspectives before selecting the best one

Convergent Thinking

A focused process of analyzing, narrowing, and selecting the most practical or promising ideas from many possibilities to move toward a clear solution

Design Challenge

A clearly defined problem or opportunity that guides the team's creative process and sets boundaries for exploration

Beginner's Mind

An open attitude that embraces not knowing in order to notice details and possibilities others might overlook

Learn from People

Gathering insights by spending time with individuals affected by the issue and listening to their experiences

Define Your Audience

Specifying who is directly or indirectly impacted so the research focuses on relevant participants

Extremes and Mainstreams

Including both typical and edge-case users to uncover needs and inspire innovative solutions

Plan Logistics

Deciding when, where, and how interactions with participants will take place to ensure smooth research

Recruitment Tools

Strategies and networks used to identify, contact, and engage people for participation

Trusted Atmosphere

Creating comfort and rapport so participants feel safe sharing honest perspectives

Capture Quotes

Recording exact statements to preserve meaning and avoid researcher bias in interpretation

Learn from Experts

Seeking informed perspectives to gain historical, technical, or systemic context for the topic

Expert Interview

Conversations with specialists who can reveal broader patterns, insights, or recent innovations

Secondary Research

Using existing data, reports, or literature to supplement field findings and frame better questions

Immerse Yourself in Context

Observing and participating directly in the environments where people live or work to gain firsthand understanding

Customer Journey

A mapped sequence of steps showing how a person experiences a process, product, or service

Analogous Inspiration

Exploring unrelated fields or settings to find transferable ideas and patterns that spark creativity

Interview Guide

A flexible outline of questions and prompts designed to keep conversations focused yet open-ended

Conversation Starters

Simple visuals, objects, or scenarios used to encourage discussion and reactions during interviews

Establish Trust

Building respect and openness through attentive listening and empathy during fieldwork

Card Sorts

A participatory exercise where people prioritize or group items to reveal values and reasoning

Photo Essay

A visual diary created by participants to share meaningful moments or daily experiences

Personal Diary

A self-recorded reflection over time that reveals thoughts, emotions, or patterns in daily life

Concept Provocations

Visual or written depictions of early ideas used to trigger reactions and gather directional feedback

Capture Learnings

Consolidating insights and impressions immediately after research to preserve accuracy

Sound Bites

Memorable participant quotes that highlight powerful insights or emotions

Synthesis

The process of organizing and interpreting research findings to uncover key patterns, themes, and insights

Theme

A category or cluster of similar findings that represent recurring ideas or patterns across participants

Insight

A concise expression that captures a new understanding or perspective derived from research

How Might We (HMW)

An open-ended question that reframes an insight into an opportunity for idea generation

Idea

A possible solution generated during brainstorming that responds creatively to a defined opportunity

Active Listening

Paying close attention to teammates' stories to identify differences, contradictions, or emerging patterns

Theme Naming

Labeling clusters with clear and memorable titles that summarize their core meaning

Insight Statement

A short, powerful sentence that conveys a design-relevant realization or new point of view

Refine Insights

Revising the wording of statements to make them more concise, engaging, and actionable

Brainstorming

A collaborative activity aimed at producing many ideas without judgment or limitation

Co-Creation

The process of designing solutions directly with the people who will use them

Gamification

Applying elements of play or competition to increase engagement and motivation

User Engagement

The degree to which participants actively interact with and find value in a solution

Ideation Phase Prototyping

The stage where early ideas are turned into tangible forms to test, gather feedback, and refine toward a real-world solution

Prototype

A quick, simplified version of an idea made to explore, learn, and improve through testing and feedback

Feedback

Input from users or participants that helps improve and evolve designs based on real reactions

Iteration

The repeated process of refining ideas and prototypes based on feedback and new insights

Diverse Team

A group of participants with different backgrounds and perspectives that enriches idea generation

Facilitator

The person responsible for guiding brainstorming sessions and ensuring rules and focus are maintained

Brainstorm Rules

Guidelines that encourage creativity, openness, and respect during idea generation sessions

Defer Judgment

Suspending evaluation of ideas during brainstorming to allow freedom of expression and creativity

Encourage Wild Ideas

Inviting unconventional thoughts that may lead to breakthrough concepts

Build on the Ideas of Others

Expanding or combining teammates' thoughts to create stronger, more innovative outcomes

Stay Focused on Topic

Maintaining alignment with the problem statement or key question to ensure productive discussion

Be Visual

Using sketches and drawings to express ideas more clearly and stimulate creativity

Go for Quantity

Generating as many ideas as possible to increase the chance of finding effective solutions

Bundle Ideas

Grouping similar concepts together to identify patterns and areas of overlap

Voting for Ideas

A team activity where members select ideas that feel most promising or exciting

User Experience Breakdown

Dividing a service or product journey into smaller steps to analyze how users interact with each stage

Experience Map

A visual representation showing how a person engages with a product or service over time

Core Assumption

A belief about how something will work that needs to be tested through experimentation

Model

A three-dimensional representation that shows structure or layout without requiring fine detail

Mock-Up

A paper or digital draft used to simulate the look and function of an app, website, or interface

Role Play

Acting out scenarios to experience how users might interact with a product or service

Diagram

A visual structure that shows relationships, processes, or systems in a concept

Storytelling

Communicating a future vision or experience through narrative or written format

Advertisement Prototype

A test version of promotional content used to see what features attract attention or appeal to audiences

Rapid Prototyping

Quickly building and testing low-fidelity versions to gain fast feedback with minimal cost

Implementation Phase

The stage focused on bringing ideas into the real world through planning, partnerships, piloting, and scaling

Understand Your Target

The process of analyzing who will carry out and benefit from the solution to ensure it is achievable and relevant

Innovation 2x2 Matrix

A visual tool that categorizes ideas by novelty (existing vs. new offerings) and audience (current vs. new users) to assess their scope

Incremental Innovation

Small, gradual improvements made to an existing product or service

Evolutionary Innovation

A significant improvement or adaptation that modifies existing offerings or audiences

Revolutionary Innovation

A breakthrough concept that creates a completely new market, system, or experience

Action Plan

A structured outline of tasks, responsibilities, and milestones needed to move a concept toward implementation

Roadmap

A visual timeline that plots key events, deliverables, and dependencies for project execution

Staffing Plan

A plan identifying the specific people, roles, and expertise needed to deliver the project effectively

Build Partnerships

Establishing collaborations with organizations or individuals who can contribute resources, expertise, or funding

Funding Strategy

A short-term financial plan designed to secure initial resources for launching a project

Pitch

A concise and persuasive presentation communicating the value, impact, and needs of a proposed idea

Launch Your Solution

The act of testing a concept in a real-world setting to see how it performs under actual market conditions

Live Prototype

A real-environment test that simulates how a concept would function when interacting with users and market forces

Pilot

A larger-scale test that operates as a functioning system to evaluate feasibility, desirability, and viability over time

Pricing Strategy

The approach used to determine how much customers will pay for a product or service

Customer Experience

The complete journey of interaction between a user and a product or service across touchpoints

Rapid Prototype

A low-fidelity version created quickly to test a small part of a concept and gather early insights

Feedback Loop

The ongoing process of gathering, interpreting, and applying user input to improve a solution

Iteration Process

The repeated cycle of refining an idea or prototype based on new feedback and learnings

Key Stakeholders

Individuals or groups who influence or are impacted by the success of a project

Scale Towards Impact

Expanding the reach of a solution while maintaining quality and effectiveness