We love to think that we’re able to see a problem from all angles and come up with a mind-blowing solution, but we’re just humans and sometimes it takes more than one to come up with an epic solution to a design problem.
Design thinking is a method that puts users first, which is what UX designers have to do every single day. We base solutions on what users want and need the most, but sometimes we feel like we have to come up with everything on our own.
Since every human thinks differently, it serves to reason that we could gain more insight if we just collaborated sometimes. Besides, it’s fun to bounce crazy ideas off each other and enjoy that feeling of accomplishment when the light bulb stops buzzing and brightens up over everyone’s heads.
Understanding Design Thinking
Design thinking might just sound like how someone would explain a UX designer’s mind, but it’s a slightly different concept that applies to any and everyone. It’s built up of four main parts that work best when performed as a team:
- Observation – Observe users interacting to better understand their needs
- Ideation – Begin the creative process through direct research
- Prototyping – Create a mockup solution to test
- Testing – Provide prototypes to users to see how they interact
Design thinking is based around human centered design. We base ideas off of observations of how users interact in their daily lives and use that to solve their problems.
Slow Down To Better Understand
Design thinking makes us slow down our thinking process. We might meet with a client and believe we understand what they’re looking for, but do we really? A case study from the client is nice, but what does it tell us about the actual user? Observing and working directly with the users makes us slow down and think deeply about how a solution affects a user in a real life.
Gain Multiple View Points
The reason design thinking works best as a team is because we need a way to view the world outside of our own minds. It’s easy to come to a conclusion based on what you see, but what about what someone else sees? For instance, two people see a person struggle to get their phone out of their purse might see two separate problems – the purse is too small and the phone is too large.
Instead of designing for one problem or the other, the two people might brainstorm and come up a phone case that makes it easier to slide out of any purse. The more view points we have during the design process, the easier it is to understand what the end user’s problem actually is.
Break Down Complex Problems
We can all agree that UX design problems are never super simple. There’s always that annoying curveball that makes us want to see how far we can throw our keyboards or on those really bad days, the entire computer.
This is where the collaborative aspect becomes our new best friend. We’re not alone. A team of five different people can break down a complex problem a piece at a time versus a single person getting stuck for hours.
Avoid Jumping To A Solution Too Soon
Once you jump, you’re stuck with your choice.
Not only does design thinking make us consider solutions more slowly, but it promotes collaborative thinking to get a clearer picture of the end user’s needs. As a result, it keeps us from jumping to what we think is the right and only solution way too soon.
That extra time spent thinking about a problem with others makes us see differing solutions and options. It might also lead to coming up with the right idea to start with versus having to drastically revise later when the client isn’t happy.
Brainstorm Together To Solve Together
The user experience is all about the user, which means design thinking is critical. It’s only when we work together that true design thinking is possible.
For your next project, gather a small team. Whether it’s two or 20, it doesn’t matter. All you need is a team to brainstorm and work through the creative process together. You’ll be amazed at the results, even if you find a few bumps in the road along the way.
Images: woodleywonderworks, Cristian Newman, Matt Heaton