Work like a professional – an introduction to design thinking
Image created using Dall-E 3
It is impossible to create effective work as designers and content creators if we just sit down a work with no planning. We have to make sure that we are going through the proper process in order to ensure the work we create is the best it possibly can be.
“Design thinking” is a modern term that encapsulates all of the practices that designers go through. It is a human-centered process, meaning that designers must consider how people are going to interact with it. Design thinking forces designers to exhaust all of the options for a particular project, allowing them to find the best solution.
The process beings with empathy. The work we create is made to be seen by other people. For our work to be effective, we need to empathize with the feelings and emotions of our viewers. This goes beyond simply creating work that clients ask for to a tee. As stated by Robin Linda in her book, Graphic Design Solutions, “Knowing the audience and the brand helps you find an insight that could jumpstart ideas.”
The next step would be to identify the problem your client or audience is having. This gives purpose to our work; knowing the struggles that people have been through allows us to create a piece tailored specifically for them.
Next, we have to get creative and come up with as many ideas as they possibly can in a short period. Quantity over quality at this point. This is known as ideation. Using all of the information from the previous steps, a designer should be able to present multiple designs which are specifically based on the client’s own needs.
After getting all our ideas on paper, we can start prototyping our work. A prototype is the first try at the final design. This should be work that is fleshed out and is backed by intention. At this point, we need to expect that our work is not going to be perfect. There are going to be ways to improve and make it more effective based on feedback from others.
To find this feedback and get greater insights as to what needs to be changed, we must test our work against its intended audience. This stage reveals any shortcomings of a design as well as how well it performs its intended job.
“If [people] stick with the process, if they stick with it, they end up doing amazing things. And they surprise themselves at just how innovative they and their teams really are.”
Although design thinking is typically presented in five linear steps, it is crucial to understand that it is not a linear process in the slightest. We will often have spent different lengths of time on each step depending on the project, and we may even have to loop back to previous steps to revise our ideas.
Design thinking is a process that teaches a designer to become comfortable with failure, which so many people are afraid of nowadays. David Kelley says in his Ted Talk—How to build your creative confidence—that “If [people] stick with the process, if they stick with it, they end up doing amazing things. And they surprise themselves at just how innovative they and their teams really are.” Designers are going to constantly have to go back and revise their designs or even scrap an idea altogether and start from the beginning; it is part of the job.
However, if all designers and creatives adopt design thinking into their workflow, they will feel so much better with the end result. Design thinking allows designers to take whatever necessary step is needed for them to take at any particular point during their design process.
By fueling their imagination and opening their minds to the possibilities, design thinking works to help us to be creative. We are forced to think about who the client is and who the people that will be interacting with the design are.
Hi! My name is Peyton McKenzie.
I am a professional graphic designer, photographer and content creator.
I encourage you to explore my portfolio to get a better idea of the work I create. If you are interested in working with me or have inquiries of any kind, don’t hesitate to reach out over email.
