Framework
Innovation

Design Thinking

Empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test

Best for
solving human-centered problems
Time
half-day workshop
Difficulty
Intermediate

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Design Thinking diagramSchematic of the Design Thinking framework: Empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test.EmpathizeDefineIdeatePrototypeTest
The Design Thinking diagram — Empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test.
Example

Designing a self-service expense tool for non-finance employees

Five phases applied
  1. Empathize — shadow 8 employees through their last 3 expense reports
  2. Define — "Busy travelers need a way to file expenses without learning rules"
  3. Ideate — 30 ideas, voted to 5: receipt scan, auto-categorize, default approvers
  4. Prototype — 1-screen Figma flow tested with 6 employees
  5. Test — 5/6 finished in under 90 seconds; iterate on approval routing

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