Research template · 4–6 weeks
Design Thinking
Empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test, in the classic five modes.
Takes 4–6 weeks. The part only real people can do: interviews and usability sessions.
Phases
Empathize
Understand people’s experience first-hand.
Done when: Have you seen or heard the problem from the people who have it?
Methods that fit: Write a project brief, Write an interview script, Run an interview, Map empathy
Define
Frame the problem from their point of view.
Done when: Is there a point of view backed by what you heard?
Methods that fit: Affinity mapping, Synthesize insights, Build a persona, Map empathy, Map a journey
Ideate
Go wide on ideas, then choose.
Done when: Have you compared several ideas and picked one to prototype?
Methods that fit: Write how-might-we statements, Ideate concepts, Vary the concept, Score concepts
Prototype
Make the idea real enough to test.
Done when: Can someone try it without you explaining it?
Methods that fit: Build a prototype, Write a usability test script
Test
Learn from people trying it.
Done when: Do you know what to keep, change or drop?
Methods that fit: Run usability tests, Write a readout
The usual steps
- Write a project brief (Empathize)
- Write an interview script (Empathize)
- Run an interview (Empathize)
- Run an interview (Empathize)
- Synthesize insights (Define)
- Build a persona (Define)
- Write how-might-we statements (Ideate)
- Ideate concepts (Ideate)
- Build a prototype (Prototype)
- Write a usability test script (Prototype)
- Run usability tests (Test)
- Write a readout (Test)