Double diamond design process

Design Thinking is a mindset and approach to problem-solving and innovation. Design thinking is different from other innovation and ideation processes in that it’s solution-based and user-centric rather than problem-based. This means it focuses on the solution to a problem instead of the problem itself. We have in the project used the model the Double Diamond. Read more about the Double Diamond

The 4 stages in the model are:

Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver

Discover – The first quarter of the Double Diamond model covers the start of the project. Designers try to look at the world in a fresh way, notice new things and gather insights. Teachers provide an inspirational trigger.

Define – The second quarter represents the definition stage, in which designers try to make sense of all the possibilities identified in the Discover phase. The goal here is to develop a clear creative vision and plan.

Develop – The third quarter marks a period of development where solutions or concepts are created, prototyped, tested and iterated. This process of trial and error helps designers to improve and refine their ideas.

Delivery – The final quarter of the double diamond model is the delivery stage, where the creative solution is finalised, produced and shared.

In all creative processes, several possible ideas are created (‘divergent thinking’) before refining and narrowing down to the best idea (‘convergent thinking’). This can be represented by a diamond shape. The Double Diamond indicates that this happens twice – once to confirm the problem definition and once to create the solution.