Design Thinking Frameworks: Principles, Tools, and Real-World Examples

Key takeaways 

A design thinking framework supports innovation in a human-centered way by following a process that takes you from idea to conception. Here are some important things to know:

• The design thinking market could reach $13.4 billion by 2035, driven by the growing demand for user-focused solutions [1]. 

• A design thinking framework involves five key phases of innovation: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

• You can apply design thinking in any industry requiring user-centric solutions, from marketing to health care and software development.

Explore the key principles underlying design thinking frameworks, and learn more about the phases in implementing design thinking. If you’re ready to learn more, enroll in the Google UX Design Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to gain experience with the design process, user-centered design, and other foundational concepts in user experience. 

What are the 5 P's of design thinking?

The 5 P’s of design thinking refer to the five pillars or phases outlined by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, a leading authority in design thinking. You can think of these as five steps:

• Empathize

• Define

• Ideate

• Prototype

• Test

What are the key principles of design thinking frameworks?

Design thinking frameworks are tools for innovating products and solving complex problems. A design thinking framework encourages you to think deeply about a problem from a user perspective, really understanding the intricacies and how it relates to a particular audience in a creative but flexible way. Whatever your goal, a design framework comes from a human perspective while taking into account what is realistically possible and economically viable. The growing demand for user-centered product development is fueling the growth of the design thinking market, which could reach $13.4 billion by 2035 [1].

Design thinking is a popular concept, and a framework allows organizations to develop their own versions that align with their working patterns and processes while following a standard set of steps or principles.

• Asking questions: Design thinking frameworks rely on people’s experience, rather than abstract theories. Therefore, they emphasize asking questions to gain a human perspective that aligns with solutions that benefit the user. 

• Collaboration: Design thinking focuses highly on collaboration, as it is user-centric and takes into account the perspectives of a wide range of people. The framework focuses on solving a problem that is usually more than just design-led and is more holistic, looking at costs, technology, and resources. This involves a wider scope of people, across teams and specialisms.

• An ongoing process: Problems don’t necessarily stop with an initial solution. Often, a solution invites another problem that needs solving, or an even better solution can emerge over time. You can think of this as a loop or reinvention. Design thinking allows for this continuous innovation. 

Why teams use design thinking frameworks

Design frameworks are popular with many well-known brands, such as Netflix, IBM, Apple, Google, GE Healthcare, and Uber Eats, but you can apply them to any organization or business with a problem that needs solving. The framework focuses on innovation as a result, rather than on the problem as a theme, and so, a design thinking framework is versatile, and you can use it across a range of sectors and subjects.

Other benefits include the development of empathy across teams. By putting yourself in someone else's position to solve a problem, you can see from an alternative perspective and truly understand what it’ll take to meet a person's needs. The process also supports collaboration and good communication. 

Design thinking framework steps: An overview of the 5 phases

The five phases or pillars of design thinking, also known as the core elements of design thinking, were first developed by Stanford University’s d.school. They refer to the stages an organization or person goes through when implementing design thinking. Organizations adapt the steps to their own needs and the teams that use them. Therefore, the names can change, but effectively, they have the same meaning. The five phases generally look like the following.

1. Empathy

The first phase is about understanding the user and thinking about how to get to the crux of what they need. User demographics play a part, but the empathy stage is more than that. It’s the process of getting to know a user and their pain points.

You’ll find multiple ways of doing this, depending on the problem you are trying to solve. To really understand a user, asking them for input is extremely valuable. Surveys and interviews help you understand why a problem exists and why it is important to them. Another technique is observation. Immerse yourself in a user experience by spending time with them while they engage with a product or service.

To collate what you find, use techniques such as mapping a user journey and empathy maps to note down user feelings about their experience.

2. Clarify

The second design thinking stage is about clarification of the problem you plan to work on, as discovered in stage one. Think of it as a statement or question to inform the rest of the process, called a problem statement. Try not to be too broad when defining your problem. A problem statement or question should be achievable while also inspiring solutions, which is why reframing it as a question works so well. An example of a problem statement might be:

“How might we engage customers through LinkedIn messaging?”

3. Ideate

The third phase of design thinking is ideate, or the debate step. This is where you take the knowledge and data you’ve gathered and use them to brainstorm ideas, come up with new suggestions, and let your creativity flow to find new approaches and answers. You might try mind mapping, vision boarding, or anything that allows you to think beyond the norm to access your best ideas and solutions.

4. Prototype

Phase four is about developing the ideas and visions from stage three to create a prototype. Sometimes you’ll see it called the “develop” stage, and it’s where you put everything into something concrete that you can experiment with and improve on. Your prototype could be a simple version of your product, such as a drawing or wireframe, or something more complex, like a mini version or an interactive wireframe. 

5. Implement and test 

The final stage is the implementation and testing phase. Here, you take your prototype through a series of tests and scenarios to test its validity and to gather feedback. This might include A/B testing and usability testing, followed by a feedback session with users.

Based on your testing, you may find that you need to go back to previous stages to make adjustments to your ideas and prototype in order to create an end product that meets user needs and solves the problem from the start. 

Design thinking framework examples

Design thinking frameworks may vary depending on how people interpret design thinking and make it relevant to their company or organization. You might adopt the following frameworks, or take them and tailor them to your needs:

• Deepdive: IDEO took the well-known five phases of design thinking and created their own version: understand, observe, visualize, evaluate, and implement. 

• The Head, Heart, and Hand framework: American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) works on the principle that to solve a problem, designers use their head to think, their hearts to emphasize, and their hands to create a solution.

• Double Diamond: This framework from the British Design Council emphasizes the convergent and divergent thinking styles relevant to a design process. They propose a four-stage model: discover, define, design, and deliver.

How to use design thinking for your career 

You’ll largely associate design thinking frameworks with product development, but actually, you can use them for any problem. You can even use them to help you navigate your career. Consider how you might apply the five phases outlined above to questions you have about your career:

• Empathy: Look at your own goals or career dilemma that you need help with. What exactly are you aiming for?

• Define: Reframe your problem by turning it into an action that you can work toward.

• Ideate: Brainstorm ideas to come up with some actions to take, no matter how unrealistic they seem to you. This might be looking for a mentor, going freelance, or a collaboration, for example.

• Prototype and test: Try out some options on a small scale. An example might be taking on some freelance work while still working in your current job.

To support your career goals, consider how design thinking works in a workplace context, like the examples below:

• Marketing teams: Creating campaigns that speak to a target audience.

• Teachers and education specialists: Developing learning materials that meet the needs of learners and actively engage them.

• Health care providers: Developing products that encourage ease of use, resulting in more sustainable action.

• Entertainment industry: Listening to customer needs and creating products that maximize convenience and increase customer experience. 

• Software developers: Creating intuitive products that are easy to use and engage with.

Read more: How to Use Design Thinking

Explore design thinking frameworks with our free resources

To stay up-to-date with job roles that allow you to use your design thinking skills, subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat! Or if you want to keep learning more about careers and concepts related to design thinking, check out the following resources:

• Take the quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Watch on YouTube: AI-Driven Product Design with Jeff Hollan 

• Bookmark for later: Glossary of UX Terms and Definitions

Accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.

Build job-ready skills with Coursera Plus

Start 7-day free trial

• 
• 
• 
• 

Start 7-day free trial