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reliably under various conditions, reducing the likelihood of The Design Thinking Process
failure.
While there are various models and frameworks for design
thinking, most approaches follow a similar process that
Enhanced Aesthetics: typically includes the following stages:
Giving a design's aesthetic and sensory appeal top priority.
This involves considering the form, texture, color, and other Empathize: Understanding the people for whom the solution
aesthetic factors that add to the overall user experience and is being built in great detail is the initial step in the design
satisfaction. thinking process. In order to build empathy and identify
unmet requirements or pain spots, this entails performing
Arnold's ideas laid the groundwork for modern design user research, watching how they behave, and becoming
thinking, emphasizing creativity and interdisciplinary fully immersed in their experiences.
approaches to solving complex problems.
Define: The next phase is to precisely characterize the issue
Herbert A. Simon's ‘The Sciences of the Artificial’ and Robert or challenge that needs to be resolved based on the
McKim's ‘Experiences in Visual Thinking’ illustrate how this knowledge acquired during the previous stage. This includes
methodology evolved into a unique "mode of thinking" combining research results, finding patterns and critical
across both science and design engineering. In recent times, insights, and framing the issue in a human-centric way.
the term has witnessed a significant rise in prominence.
Ideate: The ideation stage promotes expansive thinking and
However, it's not just a sudden trend—design thinking the creation of a large number of potential solutions when
originated in the 1940s and ’50s, gradually evolving before a clear problem statement is available. This is often done
gaining momentum in the mid-1970s. The 1980s saw the through brainstorming sessions, where team members build
rise of human-centered design, and the 1990s brought upon each other's ideas and explore unconventional
further momentum with the founding of design consultancy approaches without judging or evaluating them
IDEO. Since the beginning of the 21st century, business prematurely.
circles have accepted design thinking.
Prototype: Prototype creation follows the generation of
Innovating through Empathy and Insight promising ideas for testing and evaluation. Prototypes may
Design thinking is a mindset and a process that encourages vary from basic sketches or paper mockups to advanced
collaboration, creativity, and empathy, with the goal of digital or physical models, depending on the complexity of
developing solutions that are desirable, viable, and feasible. the solution and the design process phase.

At its core, design thinking is about understanding the needs, Test: Testing is a crucial stage in the design thinking process,
behaviors, and motivations of the end-users through as it provides invaluable feedback and insights from real
immersive research and empathy-building exercises. Design
thinking provides a hands-on method to prevent typical
mistakes. Its principles focus on deliberately observing and
analyzing how people use, interact with, and perceive
products and services, rather than relying on assumptions
made by designers or businesses. In its ideal form, design
thinking requires developers to observe real user behavior
and use those insights to refine and enhance the product or
service until it provides the best possible experience. This
"iterative" approach enables rapid prototyping, testing, and
refinement, leading to faster time-to-market. Business
leaders can also apply design thinking to rethink their
operating models, infuse greater innovation into customer
experience strategies, and broaden their market reach.

18 | 2025 | JANAURY | BANKING FINANCE