There are multiple methodologies and techniques to plan out a design project for a stakeholder. However, Design Thinking 101 (DT101) seems to be the least regarded. DT101 was purely invented for such a thing. To imagine, design and develop a product for a user. Let’s dive a bit deeper.
What is Design Thinking 101?
DT101 is an efficient way to orientate your product around the stakeholder’s needs into separate phases and sub-phases. This differs from traditional project management methods which are based around the solution and getting there efficiently.
The Process
Understand
- Empathise: This is to understand the user’s needs and difficulties
- Define: Combine empathy research and observations into a matrix
Explore
- Ideate: Create a plethora of ideas through brainstorming
- Prototype: Draw, design and prototype low-fidelity or high-fidelity representations of the product.
Materialise
- Test: Demonstrate the prototype to the stakeholders and get constructive feedback to improve.
- Implement: Put the prototype into effect to create the final product
Applying Design Thinking 101
DT101 is designed to be agile. It allows for multiple iterations of a product for maximum flexibility, as shown in the image above, the method allows you to jump from the end to the beginning again.
Conclusion
DT101 allows you to meet user requirements by channelling their needs and feelings about a project. It gives you ultimate flexibility to amend hinderences to perfect the product. This makes you able to not just make a most viable product but to create a perfect product for stakeholders.
