Design thinking
Design thinking is an iterative approach to problem-solving that centers human needs and uses prototyping and testing to develop solutions.
Empathy: Understanding another person’s experience, needs, and perspective. Research begins by understanding the people affected by the problem.
Human-centered design: An approach to designing systems and products around the needs, abilities, and contexts of the people who use them. Design thinking is one practical approach within the broader family of human-centered design.
Service design: The design of coordinated interactions, processes, and systems that shape a service experience. Design thinking can improve services by examining the whole experience across people and touchpoints.
Lean startup: An approach to entrepreneurship that tests business hypotheses through rapid experiments and validated learning. Both approaches test ideas early, but lean startup centers business hypotheses while design thinking foregrounds human needs.
IDEO: A global design and innovation consultancy known for popularizing human-centered design methods. IDEO helped bring design-thinking practices into business, education, and public problem-solving.
Problem framing: Defining a problem in a way that guides inquiry and possible solutions. A carefully framed need keeps the process focused on people rather than premature solutions.
Ethnography: The systematic study of people and cultures through observation and engagement in everyday settings. Field research can uncover needs that people may not express in interviews or surveys.
Design sprint: A time-boxed process for mapping a problem, prototyping a solution, and testing it with users. A sprint compresses several design-thinking activities into a short, structured project.
Systems engineering: An interdisciplinary approach to designing and managing complex systems across their life cycles. Systems engineering emphasizes requirements and technical integration, complementing design thinking’s exploratory focus on people.
Stanford d.school: Stanford University’s Institute of Design, which teaches interdisciplinary design methods and creative problem-solving. Its courses and frameworks helped establish design thinking as a widely taught practice.