What is Design Thinking? A Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide

It’s something we see more often than we’d like to admit: Product teams move fast—brainstorming, designing, testing, and launching within days. The UI looks slick, the experience feels modern, and the team celebrates the launch. But then, users get confused. They drop off. They don’t feel understood.

It’s a sign that something important was missed long before the product went live — a true understanding of the user.

This is where Design Thinking steps in. It offers a structured, user-centered approach that helps teams reframe problems, align around real user needs, and build solutions that actually make an impact.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Design Thinking definition, including where it comes from, why it matters, and how each stage helps you design better digital products.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. It emphasizes deep empathy with users, enabling teams to uncover latent needs that are often overlooked by traditional problem-solving methods. 

Instead of beginning with technical constraints or predefined solutions, Design Thinking starts with people – how they think, feel, and behave in context.

History of Design Thinking

The term “Design Thinking” was officially introduced in the 1990s by David Kelley and Tim Brown, Founder and CEO of IDEO, along with Roger Martin, then Dean of the Rotman School of Management. They pulled together ideas that had been used for years (such as user observation, rapid prototyping, and iterative development), and shaped them into one simple, powerful concept — a foundation for understanding what is the design thinking approach that many teams apply today.

However, long before the term “Design Thinking” was coined, influential designers were already applying its core principles. Their work reflected deep empathy, careful observation, and an iterative mindset focused on real user experiences:

• Charles and Ray Eames (early 1900s): This iconic duo embraced a philosophy of “learning by doing.” Before designing their famous Eames chairs, they explored user needs, material constraints, and production methods. Their designs balanced function, comfort, and aesthetic value—an enduring design thinking example of user-centered design.
• Jean Muir (1960s): A pioneer in fashion design, Muir prioritized how clothing felt on the body as much as how it looked. Her sensitivity to the wearer’s experience showcased an intuitive understanding of usability, comfort, and emotional connection.

3 Fundamental Criteria of Design Thinking

At the heart of the design thinking methodology lies the balance between desirability, feasibility, and viability. These three criteria help guide teams toward solutions that are not only innovative but also sustainable and impactful in the real world.

1. Desirability – What do people desire?
   Every design process should begin with a deep understanding of the users. Desirability focuses on the human side of the solution: What are people’s needs, emotions, motivations, and pain points? A solution must resonate with users’ lives to succeed.
2. Feasibility – Is it technically possible?
   Once the user’s need is clear, the next consideration is whether the solution can be built using current technology, resources, and time. Feasibility ensures that ideas are grounded in what is technically achievable, without stifling creativity too early in the process.
3. Viability – Can the solution be sustainable for the business?
   A solution may be desirable and feasible, but it also needs to make sense from a business perspective. Viability looks at whether the solution can support long-term goals, generate value, and align with the company’s strategy and resources.

Why is Design Thinking so Important?

1. Tackle ill-defined/unknown problems

Among the core design thinking principles is the ability to address problems that are not clearly defined. Design Thinking is especially powerful when you’re facing problems that aren’t clearly defined or when you’re not even sure what the real problem is yet. Instead of rushing to a solution, it encourages teams to pause, ask better questions, and challenge their assumptions about what users actually need.

When designers take time to explore the user’s world, teams often uncover root causes that weren’t obvious at first. These insights can reveal entirely new opportunities, whether it’s improving a product, streamlining a process, or rethinking a business model. 

2. Make smarter design decisions 

Product development can be fraught with obstacles. Your team might rely on outdated data that says little about what users need today, or make risky choices based on gut feelings rather than real insight. Either way, the result can be a product that misses the mark and opportunities left on the table.

A design thinking approach offers a way forward. It brings attention to real user behavior and unmet needs, helping teams cut through assumptions and uncover what truly matters. With this level of empathy, you’re better equipped to make informed decisions, design with intention, and build products that people genuinely want to use—and keep coming back to. 

3. Fosters creativity and innovation

​​Design Thinking also helps teams move beyond surface-level problems and facilitate innovation. It encourages a mindset of curiosity and opens up space for new ideas to emerge, especially in areas that feel stuck or too complex.

When design teams truly understand what users experience, what confuses them, and what they actually need, they can come up with ideas that are both innovative and relevant. This approach is especially powerful in product development, where creativity must go hand in hand with real-world value.

4. Reduce costs and maximize ROI

A thoughtful design process not only leads to better products but also helps teams work more efficiently. When you take time to understand users and test ideas early, you can reduce the risk of costly changes later in development. Design Thinking encourages teams to focus on what matters most, saving time, energy, and resources.

Many organizations have seen real impact. Teams at IBM, for example, reported up to 300% return on investment after applying Design Thinking practices. With clearer direction and fewer missteps, businesses can bring valuable products to market faster and with greater confidence.

5 Stages of Design Thinking Process

Stage 1: Empathize

Empathy is at the heart of human-centered design. In this first stage of the design thinking framework, you aim to step outside of your own perspective and see the world through someone else’s eyes. 

• What challenges do they face? 
• What expectations or frustrations shape their experience? 

During the empathize phase, you observe and engage with users through interviews, field research, or usability walkthroughs. You pay attention to what they say and how they behave, especially during moments of hesitation, frustration, or delight. 

By the end of this stage, you will uncover expectations, challenges, and goals from the user’s point of view in specific situations. These insights will help you define the right problem to solve and move forward with clarity.

Stage 2: Define

Once you’ve developed empathy for your users, the next step is to define the problem you’re trying to solve. This stage is about making sense of everything you’ve learned—turning observations into focus. The goal is to identify a meaningful design challenge that reflects your users’ real needs.

You start by reviewing all the insights gathered during the empathize phase. Look for recurring themes, frustrations, and motivations. What issues consistently showed up across different users? What needs remain unmet? From here, you’ll craft a problem statement that frames the challenge from the user’s perspective, not the organization’s. 

As part of the design thinking step by step approach, once the problem statement is finalized, the design team moves forward with a set of foundational deliverables to deepen understanding and guide the next design thinking steps​. 

• Empathy maps, user personas, and user journey maps: Visualize user behavior, needs, and pain points with greater clarity
• Competitive analysis: An evaluation of existing solutions to identify gaps or opportunities in the market
• Design audits: a review of the current product experience to uncover areas for improvement

Together, these deliverables create a well-rounded view of the challenge, laying the groundwork for more focused and user-centered ideation.

Stage 3: Ideate

Ideate is the stage where you shift from identifying problems to exploring potential solutions. It’s about going wide, generating as many ideas as possible without filtering or judging them too soon. 

At this point, your team explores a wide range of ideas through design thinking methods like brainstorming, mind mapping, “How Might We” questions, bodystorming, or quick sketching. You can also use early prototyping as a form of ideation, allowing ideas to emerge naturally as you build. 

Note: A key principle during this stage is to defer judgment. Instead of evaluating whether an idea is good or bad, you let creativity flow freely and encourage team members to build on each other’s suggestions. 

By the end of the Ideate stage, your team should have a wide range of possible solutions that align with the problem statement. These ideas will later be narrowed down and translated into prototypes for testing.

Stage 4: Prototype

Prototype is the stage where you begin to build quick, low-fidelity representations of your ideas to explore how they might work in practice. This allows you to test a design concept in a simple, low-risk way before moving into full development.

Prototyping begins with selecting a few ideas that show potential and turning them into simple models that are easy to build and change. These can be paper sketches, clickable wireframes, or basic physical models — anything that is fast and easy for the team to build. The goal is to create something tangible that users can interact with, even in a rough form.

Once you have a prototype, make sure each one is designed to answer a specific question. For example, will users understand this flow? Does this layout support the task they’re trying to complete? Focusing on one variable at a time helps keep feedback targeted and actionable, making it easier to learn what works and what doesn’t.

By the end of the Prototype stage, your team should have a set of low-fidelity models that bring key ideas to life. These prototypes will reveal early user reactions and guide what to improve or move forward with in the next stage.

Stage 5: Test

Test is the stage where you bring your ideas back to the users. The goal is to validate whether your solution truly meets their needs, uncover usability issues, and improve before moving into final development.

To begin, choose the prototypes you want to test and define what you aim to learn from each one. Once your goals are clear, invite real users or people who closely represent your target audience to interact with your prototypes in realistic scenarios. 

As the sessions unfold, observe carefully how users engage with your design. Pay attention to where they pause, what confuses or frustrates them, and which elements spark curiosity or satisfaction. These behaviors often reveal needs or problems that may not surface through words alone.

In addition to observation, you should ask open-ended questions to better understand how users feel throughout the experience. This helps uncover emotional responses that are just as valuable as functional feedback.

At the end of the testing phase, you will have concrete insights into how your solution performs in real contexts. This includes both what works well and what needs refinement. These findings help you improve your design and move forward with greater confidence and clarity.

Conclusion 

Design Thinking acknowledges that the journey to creating meaningful solutions is rarely a straight path. Its non-linear nature requires teams to revisit ideas, refine directions and stay grounded in what users truly need. This flexibility creates space for empathy, creativity, and continuous learning to thrive throughout the process. 

If you’re looking to elevate your UI/UX design and craft emotionally compelling user experiences, consider partnering with Lollypop, a leading UI/UX design agency. Our experienced team can help bring your ideas to life through designs that genuinely connect with your audience. Contact us today to begin your journey toward outstanding, emotionally-driven UX/UI design.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who is Design Thinking for?

Design Thinking is for anyone involved in solving problems that affect people. While it’s widely used in product and UX design, it’s equally valuable for marketers, designers, developers and business teams looking to create solutions grounded in user needs.

Is Design Thinking a Linear Process?

No. Design Thinking is an iterative, non-linear process. It requires teams to move between stages, revisit earlier steps, and repeat activities as new insights emerge. This flexibility allows for continuous learning and refinement throughout the process.

Can Design Thinking work with Lean UX and Agile UX?

Yes. Design Thinking complements both Lean UX and Agile UX. While Lean UX focuses on rapid experimentation and Agile emphasizes fast delivery, Design Thinking ensures that teams stay anchored in user needs. Together, they support collaboration, iteration, and user-driven outcomes.