What is Design Thinking?

Why do the objects we interact with look and feel the way they do? Why does a website look a certain way? Why does an app have a particular CTA? The answer is always design. We interact with design in innumerable ways daily. The relationship has deeper roots if one is working in the field of design. And as a designer, we practice what is known as design thinking too on a moment-to-moment basis.

What is design thinking? And why do designers make such a fuss about it? Moreover, how can design thinking help a brand? This quick guide by Rainmaker Infotech will answer all those questions for you.

Design thinking is an empathy-driven human-centred approach to designing. Basically, with design thinking, designers put themselves in the shoes of the end-user. Then, harnessing the power of empathy, designers try to answer what problems users currently face or might face in the future when it comes to using a product or a service. And in the case of UX, a website or an app. Post identifying problems, designers think of out-of-the-box solutions for the identified problems.

The grandmaster of Design, Don Norman, defined Design Thinking as, "Designers resist the temptation to jump immediately to a solution to the stated problem. Instead, they first spend time determining what the basic, fundamental (root) issue is that needs to be addressed. They don't try to search for a solution until they have determined the real problem, and even then, instead of solving that problem, they stop to consider a wide range of potential solutions. Only then will they finally converge upon their proposal. This process is called "Design Thinking."

There are numerous ways in which design thinking can help a brand with its solutions. These include:

1. Better understanding The very core of Design Thinking is empathy. As a result, a brand gets a chance to experience themselves and see themselves through the eyes of their customers. This can help them gain insights into their User Experience.

2. Identify key problems Design Thinking helps brands be more aware of the problems that their customers face. Once identified, these problems can be worked upon and resolved to offer customers better service.

3. Optimized performance Brands need to constantly evolve to keep up with the rising demands of their consumers. Especially when it comes to their digital presence. Through Design Thinking, brands can expertly solve a problem a customer might face before launching a product. Or a brand can better their existing products using the power of Design Thinking.

While Design Thinking is key when it comes to products and services, it proves to be of utmost use while creating user journeys for websites, apps and software. Because without a user-centric approach on these digital platforms, a business will not be able to make a sale online.

That's precisely where we come in. Experts at Rainmaker Infotech use the Design Thinking process to optimize a brand's digital presence and make it user-friendly. To know more about UX Design, click here.