Unit – 2

Design Thinking Process

Design thinking process (empathize, analyze, idea & prototype), implementing the process in
Driving inventions, design thinking in social innovations. Tools of design thinking - person,
costumer, journey map, brainstorming, product development
Activity: Every student presents their idea in three minutes, every student can present design
Process in the form of flow diagram or flow chart etc. Every student should explain about
Product development.

Design Thinking Process

The Design Thinking process typically consists of several iterative stages, each focusing on a
different aspect of problem-solving and innovation. While the specific steps and terminology may
vary slightly depending on the source or context, the core principles remain consistent. Here’s a
generalized overview of the Design Thinking process:
1. Empathize
 The first stage involves understanding the needs, motivations, and behaviors of the
people who will use the product, service, or solution. This may include conducting
interviews, observations, surveys, and other research methods to gain empathy and
insights into users’ experiences.
2. Define
 In this stage, the insights gathered from the empathy phase are synthesized and
reframed into a problem statement or challenge that guides the rest of the design
process. The problem statement should be framed in a human-centered way, focusing
on addressing the needs and aspirations of users.
 3. Ideate
 The ideation stage involves generating a wide range of ideas and potential solutions to
address the problem defined in the previous stage. This is a brainstorming phase where
creativity is encouraged, and no idea is considered off-limits. Techniques such as
brainstorming, mind mapping, and sketching are often used to stimulate ideation.
4. Prototype
 In the prototyping stage, rough, low-fidelity representations of potential solutions are
created to quickly and cheaply explore ideas and concepts. Prototypes can take various
forms, such as sketches, wireframes, mock-ups, or physical models, depending on the
nature of the problem and the desired level of fidelity.
5. Test
 The testing stage involves gathering feedback and insights from users by presenting
them with prototypes of the proposed solutions. Testing allows designers to evaluate
the effectiveness, usability, and desirability of the solutions and identify areas for
improvement. Iterative testing and refinement are key components of the Design
Thinking process.
6. Iterate
 Based on the feedback received during testing, designers iterate on the prototypes,
refining and improving the solutions iteratively. This may involve making adjustments
to the design, adding new features, or exploring alternative approaches based on user
feedback and insights gained from testing.
7. Implement
 Once a satisfactory solution has been identified through testing and iteration, it is
implemented and brought to market or deployed in the real world. Implementation may
involve further refinement, scaling up production, and integrating the solution into
existing systems or processes.
8. Learn
 The learning stage involves reflecting on the design process, capturing lessons learned,
and identifying opportunities for future improvement. Designers analyze the successes
and challenges encountered during the project and apply these insights to inform future
projects and iterations.
Throughout the Design Thinking process, teams often cycle back and forth between stages,
iterating on ideas, gathering additional insights, and refining solutions based on feedback from
users and stakeholders. This iterative approach enables designers to continuously improve and
innovate, ultimately leading to more effective, user-centered solutions.
Implementing The Process in Driving Inventions
Example 1: Swiggy – Revolutionizing Food Delivery
1. Empathize
Goal: Understand the challenges faced by customers ordering food and restaurants managing
deliveries.
Example: Swiggy conducted surveys and interviews with customers to understand their pain
points, such as long delivery times, unreliable service, and limited restaurant options.
2. Define
Goal: Frame the core problem.
Example: Problem Statement: "Customers need a reliable, fast, and user-friendly food delivery
platform, while restaurants need an efficient way to manage and fulfill orders."
3. Ideate
Goal: Brainstorm potential solutions.
Example: Generated ideas such as real-time tracking, a vast network of delivery partners, and
optimized algorithms for faster deliveries.
4. Prototype
Goal: Build a low-fidelity version of the solution.
Example: Developed a basic app with core features like restaurant search, order placement, and
delivery tracking.
5. Test
Goal: Validate the prototype with users.
Example: Launched the app in Bangalore as a pilot project. Based on user feedback, they
improved app performance, expanded restaurant options, and added features like Swiggy Genie.

Example 2: Tata Motors – Nano Car

1. Empathize
Goal: Understand the transportation needs of Indian families.
Example: Observed families using two-wheelers to transport multiple members, exposing them
to safety risks. Conducted interviews to identify affordability as the primary barrier to owning a
car.
2. Define
Goal: Frame the problem.
Example: Problem Statement: "Middle-class families need an affordable, safe, and reliable four-
wheeler as an alternative to unsafe two-wheelers."
3. Ideate
Goal: Brainstorm ideas for an affordable car.
Example: Generated concepts such as reducing manufacturing costs, using lightweight materials,
and streamlining the design to meet affordability goals.
4. Prototype
Goal: Develop a prototype of the car.
Example: Built a prototype of the Tata Nano, focusing on minimalistic design and low-cost
engineering.
5. Test
Goal: Test the car with the target audience.
Example: Conducted test drives and gathered feedback. While the Nano achieved its affordability
goal, subsequent iterations worked on improving perceived quality and features based on customer
feedback.

Example 3: Flipkart – Simplifying Online Shopping in India

1. Empathize
Goal: Understand the barriers to online shopping in India.
Example: Flipkart founders observed that Indian consumers were hesitant to shop online due to
trust issues and lack of digital payment options.
2. Define
Goal: Frame the problem.
Example: Problem Statement: "Indian customers need a trustworthy online shopping experience
with simple and secure payment options."
3. Ideate
Goal: Brainstorm solutions to build trust and accessibility.
Example: Ideas included introducing cash-on-delivery (COD), easy return policies, and offering
reliable customer support.
4. Prototype
Goal: Create a basic online shopping platform.
Example: Developed a simple e-commerce website offering books, with features like COD and
clear return policies.
5. Test
Goal: Test the platform with early adopters.
Example: Based on user feedback, Flipkart expanded product categories, enhanced website
usability, and introduced features like same-day delivery and Big Billion Days.

Example 4: Ola Cabs – Making Transport Accessible

1. Empathize
Goal: Understand urban commuters’ transportation challenges.
Example: Ola founders interviewed commuters and identified issues like lack of reliable cab
services, high prices, and poor accessibility.
2. Define
Goal: Frame the problem.
Example: Problem Statement: "Urban commuters need a reliable, affordable, and easily accessible
cab service to navigate city traffic efficiently."
3. Ideate
Goal: Brainstorm solutions for better cab services.
Example: Ideas included mobile app booking, fare estimation, ride-tracking, and driver ratings
for safety and trust.
4. Prototype
Goal: Build a basic app for cab bookings.
Example: Created an app with essential features like cab booking, fare calculation, and driver
contact details.
5. Test
Goal: Validate the prototype with users.
Example: Launched the app in Bangalore, collected feedback from drivers and customers, and
improved features like real-time tracking and ride fare transparency.

Example 5: Amul – Dairy Revolution

1. Empathize
Goal: Understand the needs of Indian dairy farmers and consumers.
Example: Observed that small-scale dairy farmers faced exploitation by middlemen, and
consumers lacked access to affordable and quality milk.
2. Define
Goal: Frame the problem.
Example: Problem Statement: "Farmers need a fair system to sell their milk, and consumers need
quality dairy products at affordable prices."
3. Ideate
Goal: Generate ideas to solve the problem.
Example: Brainstormed solutions such as a cooperative model, centralized milk collection centers,
and branded dairy products.
4. Prototype
Goal: Implement the cooperative model in a small region.
Example: Established the first cooperative in Gujarat with milk collection centers and basic
processing facilities.
5. Test
Goal: Test the solution’s viability.
Example: Expanded the cooperative model statewide, ensuring farmers received fair prices and
consumers got quality products. Feedback from both groups led to improvements in distribution
and product variety.
Design Thinking in Social Innovations

Design Thinking in Social Innovations focuses on addressing pressing social challenges by placing
humans at the center of the problem-solving process. It helps create sustainable and impactful
solutions that improve lives, foster equity, and solve systemic issues.
Importance Of Applying Design Thinking to Solve Social Problems

Human-Centered Solutions
 Design thinking puts people at the heart of the problem-solving process. By empathizing
with the individuals affected by social problems, designers gain deep insights into their
needs, aspirations, and challenges. This understanding allows for the development of
solutions that are truly tailored to address the underlying causes and improve people’s lives.
Design thinking ensures that the solutions created are not just band-aid fixes but
transformative and sustainable changes.
Creative Problem-Solving
 Social problems are often complex and multifaceted, requiring innovative approaches.
Design thinking encourages thinking outside the box and fosters a culture of creativity. By
approaching problems from new angles and combining diverse perspectives, design
thinkers can generate novel and unconventional solutions. It breaks free from the
constraints of traditional problem-solving methods and enables fresh ideas to emerge,
leading to breakthrough innovations.
Iterative and Agile Approach
 Design thinking is an iterative process that encourages continuous learning and
improvement. By prototyping and testing solutions early on, designers can gather feedback
and refine their ideas based on real-world insights. This agile approach allows for rapid
experimentation and course correction, ensuring that solutions are adaptive and responsive
to evolving needs. It minimizes the risks associated with implementing large-scale
interventions without real-world validation.
Collaboration and Co-Creation
 Social problems are often complex and require a multidisciplinary approach. Design
thinking fosters collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including experts, community
members, policymakers, and organizations. This collaborative environment promotes
collective intelligence and leverages the expertise and perspectives of various stakeholders.
By involving those affected by the problem in the design process, it empowers
communities and ensures that solutions are inclusive, contextually relevant, and sustainable.
Scalability and Impact
 Design thinking not only aims to solve immediate social problems but also focuses on
scalability and long-term impact. By testing and refining solutions iteratively, designers
can identify the most effective approaches and develop strategies for scaling them up. The
emphasis on measuring impact and continuous evaluation ensures that solutions are
 evidence-based and outcomes-driven. Design thinking enables social interventions to have
a broader reach and create lasting change in communities and societies.

Stages of Applying Design Thinking to Social Problems

Let’s apply all 5 stages of design thinking to solve social problems and see how this work

Identifying and Understanding Social Problems

 In order to effectively address social problems using design thinking, it is crucial to begin
by identifying and understanding the issues at hand. This stage sets the foundation for the
entire problem-solving process and ensures that solutions are rooted in a deep
understanding of the problem’s context and complexity.
 Here are key steps involved in identifying and understanding social problems through a
design thinking lens:
1. Researching and Gathering Insights
2. Engaging with Stakeholders and Affected Communities
3. Empathizing with the Target Audience
4. Defining the Problem

Empathizing with The Target Audience

 Empathy is a cornerstone of design thinking, and it plays a pivotal role in the process of
solving social problems. To effectively address the needs and challenges faced by the target
audience, designers must develop a deep sense of empathy.
 Here are key steps involved in empathizing with the target audience:
1. Active Listening
2. Immersion and Observation:
3. Building Trust and Relationships
4. Practicing Empathy Tools and Techniques: storytelling, role-playing, journey mapping,
or creating empathy maps.
5. Avoiding Assumptions and Biases

Defining the Problem

 Once designers have empathized with the target audience and gained insights into the social
problem, the next step in the design thinking process is to define the problem. This stage
involves distilling the gathered information and observations into a clear and actionable
problem statement.
 Here’s how designers define the problem:
1. Synthesizing Insights
2. Identifying Root Causes
3. Framing the Problem Statement
4. Applying the “How Might We” Technique
5. Refining and Iterating
Ideation and Prototyping
 After empathizing with the target audience and defining the problem, the design thinking
process moves into the ideation and prototyping stage. This stage is all about generating a
wide range of creative ideas and exploring different possibilities.
 Here are key aspects of ideation and prototyping in design thinking:
1. Generating a Wide Range of Creative Ideas
2. Brainstorming Techniques and Ideation Exercises: Brainstorming sessions can be
facilitated using various methods, such as mind mapping, random word associations,
or the SCAMPER technique (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use,
Eliminate, Reverse).
3. Encouraging Diverse Perspectives and Collaboration
4. Rapid Prototyping

Prioritizing and Selecting the Most Promising Ideas

 Once a multitude of ideas has been generated through the ideation and prototyping stage,
the next step in the design thinking process is to prioritize and select the most promising
ideas to move forward with.
 Here’s how designers make informed decisions in selecting ideas:
1. Evaluation Criteria: Common evaluation criteria may include alignment with user
needs, potential impact, technical feasibility, resource requirements, and sustainability.
2. User-Centered Approach
3. Iterative Feedback
4. Impact and Feasibility Analysis
5. Prioritization Techniques: Various prioritization techniques, such as the prioritization
matrix or the impact-effort matrix, can be employed to rank and compare ideas
systematically
6. Iterative Refinement

Creating Prototypes to Bring Ideas to Life

 Once the most promising ideas have been selected, the design thinking process moves into
the stage of creating prototypes. Prototyping is a crucial step that allows designers to bring
their ideas to life and test them in a tangible form.
 Here’s how designers create prototypes and iterate on their development:
1. Rapid Prototyping Techniques: Some common rapid prototyping techniques include:
 FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling): A popular method that builds objects layer by layer
using a filament material, often considered the most accessible 3D printing technology.
FDM being the most widely used due to its affordability and ease of use.
 SLA (Stereolithography): Uses a UV laser to solidify a liquid resin layer by layer,
producing high-resolution prototypes with smooth surfaces.
 SLS (Selective Laser Sintering): A powder bed technology where a laser selectively fuses
powder particles to create a solid object.
  Binder Jetting: A powder bed method where a liquid binder is selectively deposited to
bond powder particles together.
 DLP (Digital Light Processing): Similar to SLA but uses a projected light source to cure
a photopolymer resin.
 DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering): Uses a laser to fuse metal powder particles,
allowing for the creation of functional metal prototypes.
2. Iterative Development and Refinement

Testing and Iteration

 The testing and iteration stage are a vital part of the design thinking process. It involves
conducting user testing, collecting feedback, and using that feedback to improve prototypes.
This iterative approach ensures that the final design is user-centered and meets the needs
of the target audience.
 Here’s how designers test, incorporate feedback, and refine their designs:
1. Define Testing Objectives
2. Create Testing Scenarios: The scenarios should resemble real-life situations as closely
as possible.
3. Facilitate User Testing Sessions
4. Collect Feedback

Tools of Design Thinking - Person, Costumer, Journey Map, Brainstorming,

Product Development
Design thinking involves various tools that help in understanding user needs, ideating solutions,
and refining prototypes. Here are some essential tools used in design thinking along with examples:

1. Persona
A persona is a fictional representation of a user based on real data and insights. It helps teams
design products that meet the needs of a specific user group.
Key Elements of a Persona:
 Name, age, and demographic details
 Goals, motivations, and needs
 Pain points and frustrations
 Behavior patterns and preferences
Example:
A travel app team creates a persona named Amit, a 28-year-old corporate employee who frequently
travels for work. His pain points include difficulty booking last-minute flights and finding
affordable accommodations. The app developers use this persona to create features like real-time
flight alerts and corporate discounts.
2. Customer
Customers are at the core of Design Thinking. To create effective solutions, it is essential to
understand their pain points, desires, and expectations.
Types of Customer Segmentation in Design Thinking:
 Demographic Segmentation – Age, gender, income, education
 Behavioural Segmentation – Buying patterns, product usage
 Psychographic Segmentation – Lifestyle, values, interests
 Geographic Segmentation – Location-based preferences
Example:
An e-commerce company notices that Gen Z customers prefer video-based product descriptions,
while older customers prefer text-based details. They introduce both formats to improve user
experience.

3. Customer Journey Map

A Customer Journey Map visualizes the customer's experience across different touchpoints with
a product or service. It helps in identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Key Stages in a Customer Journey Map:
1. Awareness – How the customer discovers the product
2. Consideration – Evaluating options before purchase
3. Purchase – The buying process and experience
4. Usage – How they interact with the product
5. Support – After-sales services and customer satisfaction
Example:
A restaurant chain maps the customer journey from searching for restaurants online → reading
reviews → booking a table → dining experience → leaving feedback. If they notice delays in
booking confirmations, they introduce an automated booking system to improve user experience.

4. Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a creative problem-solving technique where teams generate a large number of
ideas without criticism. It encourages innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.
Steps in Brainstorming:
 Define the problem clearly
 Set a time limit for idea generation
 Encourage wild ideas without judgment
 Categorize and refine ideas into feasible solutions
Example:
A car manufacturing company brainstorms ways to improve fuel efficiency. The team comes up
with ideas like:
 Lightweight materials to reduce fuel consumption
 Hybrid and electric vehicle models
 AI-based driving assistance for fuel optimization
5. Product Development
Product development involves transforming an idea into a tangible product by following an
iterative process. It includes prototyping, testing, and refining until a market-ready version is
achieved.
Stages of Product Development:
1. Idea Generation – Identify a market need
2. Concept Development – Create sketches, wireframes, or initial models
3. Prototype – Build a working version of the product
4. Testing & Feedback – Conduct trials and gather user feedback
5. Launch – Release the final product with improvements
Example:
Apple developed the iPhone through continuous iterations. The first prototype focused on
touchscreen functionality. After extensive testing, features like multi-touch gestures, App Store,
and advanced camera systems were added based on customer feedback.