Here’s a list of NN/g’s most useful introductory articles and videos about design thinking and related topics. Within each section, the resources are in recommended reading order.
For hands-on training, check out our full-day course on design thinking.
Design Thinking: An Overview
The design thinking framework is based on the philosophy that a hands-on, user-centric approach to problem solving promotes innovation; in turn, innovation can lead to differentiation and a competitive advantage. The design-thinking process is composed of 6 distinct phases:
- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
- Implement
If you’re totally new to design thinking, we recommend that you explore the following resources in order, from top to bottom.
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Number |
Link |
Format |
Description |
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1 |
Article |
What design thinking is and why it’s so popular |
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2 |
Video |
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3 |
Download |
A PDF poster with the design thinking stages |
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4 |
Video |
How and where to start using design thinking |
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5 |
Video |
The three design thinking principles: observational research, visual sense-making, and rapid prototyping |
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6 |
Article |
How design thinking can improve the way teams work together |
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7 |
Video |
How to adapt design thinking to fit your team’s needs |
Empathize and Define
The first two stages in the design-thinking process are Empathize and Define. They often involve creating visualizations (also referred to as mapping) that help the team keep track of findings and improvement opportunities.
- Empathize: Conduct research to develop knowledge about what your users do, say, think, and feel.
- Define: Combine all your research and observe your users’ needs; begin to highlight opportunities for innovation.
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Number |
Link |
Format |
Description |
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1 |
Article |
Visualize user attitudes and behaviors in this specific mapping |
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2 |
Video |
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3 |
Article |
Why sympathy and empathy aren’t the same and why you should practice empathy for your users instead of sympathy |
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4 |
Article |
How to write user need statements (also called problem statements or point-of-view statements) |
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5 |
Article |
How to choose between various types of maps: empathy maps, customer-journey maps, experience maps, and service blueprints |
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6 |
Video |
Full day courses:
- Generating Big Ideas with Design Thinking (with focus on empathy maps)
- Journey Mapping to Understand Customer Needs (with focus on experience maps and customer-journey maps)
- Service Blueprinting
Ideate
Once you’ve completed the first two stages, you’ll have identified some unmet user needs. The third phase in the design-thinking process is Ideate: generate a set of ideas to address those unmet needs.
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Number |
Link |
Format |
Description |
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1 |
Using “How Might We” Questions to Ideate on the Right Problems |
Article |
Framing design problems to help teams formulate solutions |
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2 |
Video |
Common strategy in design-thinking workshops that allows team members to ideate alone and then collaborate with others on an agreed outcome |
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3 |
Article |
The fundamentals of ideation |
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4 |
Article |
7 foundational UX-workshop activities to include in your ideation workshops |
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5 |
Article |
How to include user personas in your ideation process |
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6 |
Video |
Approachable tips for sketching design ideas, even if you aren’t an artist |
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7 |
Article |
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8 |
Video |
How to ideate, even if you’re the only UX person in your team |
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9 |
Video |
How to structure your ideation for best results if your team members are not in the same location |
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10 |
Article |
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11 |
Video |
Options for sketching together remotely |
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12 |
Troubleshooting Group Ideation: 10 Fixes for More and Better UX Ideas |
Article |
How to overcome common group-ideation problems |
Full-day course:
Effective Ideation Techniques for UX Design
Prototype, Test, and Implement
The final three stages involve evaluating design ideas with real users to see how well those solutions work.
- Prototype: Build representations for a subset of your ideas.
- Test: Evaluate the prototype by asking real users to use it.
- Implement: Put the vision into effect and ensure that it improves the lives of your users.
These stages are often iterative — you might test a prototype and realize that it doesn’t work as well as you thought and that it needs to be refined.
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Number |
Link |
Format |
Description |
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1 |
Video |
For what audiences to use prototypes or wireframes |
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2 |
Article |
Different types of prototypes and their relative pros and cons |
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3 |
Video |
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4 |
Case Study: Iterative Design and Prototype Testing of the NN/g Homepage |
Article |
An example of how we iteratively redesigned and tested our own homepage |
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5 |
Article |
A quick summary of when to use different methods to support the design process |
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6 |
Article |
How to use qualitative usability testing to assess prototypes |
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