Agent Skills: Design Thinking

Design Thinking

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Design Thinking tasks - Working on design thinking methodology for human-centered innovation. covers the 5-phase ideo/stanford d.school approach (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) with workshop facilitation and exercise templates
• Planning or design - Need guidance on Design Thinking approaches
• Best practices - Want to follow established patterns and standards

Overview

A human-centered approach to innovation that integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a problem-solving methodology developed by IDEO and taught at Stanford d.school. It emphasizes understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems, and creating innovative solutions through iterative prototyping and testing.

Core Principles

| Principle | Description | |-----------|-------------| | Human-Centered | Start with people, not technology or process | | Embrace Ambiguity | Comfortable with uncertainty early on | | Bias to Action | Learn by doing, not just thinking | | Radical Collaboration | Cross-functional, diverse perspectives | | Iterate Rapidly | Fail fast, learn fast, improve fast |

The 5 Phases

┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐
│         │  │         │  │         │  │         │  │         │
│EMPATHIZE│→│ DEFINE  │→│ IDEATE  │→│PROTOTYPE│→│  TEST   │
│         │  │         │  │         │  │         │  │         │
│Understand│  │Frame the│  │Generate │  │Build to │  │Learn &  │
│the user │  │problem  │  │ideas    │  │learn    │  │refine   │
└─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘
     ▲                                                    │
     └────────────────── Iterate ─────────────────────────┘

Phase Characteristics

| Phase | Mode | Key Question | Output | |-------|------|--------------|--------| | Empathize | Diverge | What is the user experiencing? | Insights, observations | | Define | Converge | What is the core problem? | POV statement | | Ideate | Diverge | What are possible solutions? | Ideas, concepts | | Prototype | Converge | How can we make it tangible? | Prototypes | | Test | Learn | What works and what doesn't? | Validated learning |

Phase 1: Empathize

Build deep understanding of users and their experiences.

Empathy Methods

| Method | Duration | Participants | Best For | |--------|----------|--------------|----------| | User Interviews | 30-60 min | 1:1 | Deep individual insight | | Observation | Hours-days | Field work | Natural behavior | | Empathy Mapping | 15-30 min | Workshop | Synthesizing research | | Journey Mapping | 1-2 hours | Workshop | Experience visualization | | Shadowing | Half-day | Field work | Workflow understanding |

Empathy Map Template

## Empathy Map: [User/Persona Name]

### Says
[Direct quotes from interviews/observation]
- "[Quote 1]"
- "[Quote 2]"

### Thinks
[What might they be thinking? Hopes/fears?]
- [Thought 1]
- [Thought 2]

### Does
[Actions and behaviors observed]
- [Behavior 1]
- [Behavior 2]

### Feels
[Emotional state, what worries/excites them]
- [Emotion 1]
- [Emotion 2]

### Pains
[Frustrations, obstacles, risks]
- [Pain 1]
- [Pain 2]

### Gains
[Wants, needs, measures of success]
- [Gain 1]
- [Gain 2]

Interview Guide Structure

## User Interview Guide

**Duration:** 45-60 minutes
**Objective:** [What we want to learn]

### Opening (5 min)
- Introduce yourself and purpose
- Explain confidentiality, recording consent
- "There are no right or wrong answers"

### Context (10 min)
- Tell me about your role/day-to-day
- How long have you been doing [X]?
- Walk me through a typical [scenario]

### Deep Dive (25 min)
- Tell me about a time when [specific experience]
- What was the most challenging part?
- What did you try? What happened?
- How did that make you feel?

### Needs & Desires (10 min)
- If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?
- What would that enable you to do?
- What does success look like for you?

### Closing (5 min)
- Is there anything else you'd like to share?
- Can we follow up if we have questions?

Phase 2: Define

Synthesize observations and frame the right problem.

Point of View (POV) Statement

## POV Statement

**User:** [Specific user type/persona]

**Need:** [Verb - what they need to do]

**Insight:** [Because - surprising insight about why]

---

**Full Statement:**
[User] needs to [need] because [insight].

**Example:**
A busy working parent needs to quickly prepare healthy meals
because they want to model good eating habits for their children
but feel guilty about the time-cost tradeoff.

How Might We (HMW) Questions

Transform POV into actionable opportunity statements:

## How Might We Questions

**POV:** [Your POV statement]

### HMW Brainstorm

Generate HMW questions by asking:

| Lens | Question | HMW |
|------|----------|-----|
| **Amplify the good** | What's working? | HMW do more of [good thing]? |
| **Remove the bad** | What's painful? | HMW eliminate [pain point]? |
| **Explore the opposite** | What if we flipped it? | HMW [opposite approach]? |
| **Question assumptions** | What's assumed? | HMW if [assumption] wasn't true? |
| **Change status quo** | What's expected? | HMW change when/where/who? |
| **Break it into parts** | What are components? | HMW address just [component]? |

### Selected HMW Questions
1. HMW [question 1]?
2. HMW [question 2]?
3. HMW [question 3]?

**Priority HMW:** [The one to ideate on]

Phase 3: Ideate

Generate a wide range of creative solutions.

Ideation Rules

| Rule | Description | |------|-------------| | Defer judgment | No criticism during brainstorming | | Go for quantity | More ideas = better ideas | | Build on others' ideas | "Yes, and..." | | Encourage wild ideas | Think big, no constraints | | Be visual | Sketch, don't just talk | | One conversation | Listen, build, riff | | Stay focused | Keep the HMW visible |

Brainstorming Session Template

## Ideation Session

**HMW:** [The How Might We question]
**Duration:** 30-45 minutes
**Participants:** [Names]

### Warm-Up (5 min)
[Quick creative exercise to loosen up]

### Silent Brainstorm (10 min)
- Write one idea per sticky note
- Work individually
- Aim for 10+ ideas each

### Share & Build (15 min)
- Share ideas one by one
- Build on others' ideas
- No criticism, only "Yes, and..."

### Cluster & Theme (10 min)
- Group similar ideas
- Name each cluster
- Identify promising directions

### Ideas Generated
| Cluster | Ideas | Count |
|---------|-------|-------|
| [Theme 1] | [List] | [N] |
| [Theme 2] | [List] | [N] |

### Top Ideas to Prototype
1. [Idea 1]
2. [Idea 2]
3. [Idea 3]

Ideation Techniques

| Technique | Description | When to Use | |-----------|-------------|-------------| | Classic Brainstorm | Free association | Starting point | | Brainwriting | Silent written ideas | Quiet/remote groups | | SCAMPER | Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other use, Eliminate, Reverse | Improving existing | | Analogies | How would X solve this? | Breaking mental models | | Worst Idea | Intentionally bad ideas | When stuck | | Mash-up | Combine unrelated concepts | Radical innovation |

Phase 4: Prototype

Build quick, cheap representations to learn.

Prototype Philosophy

"If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a prototype is worth 1,000 meetings." — IDEO

Prototype Types

| Type | Fidelity | Time | Best For | |------|----------|------|----------| | Paper Sketch | Very Low | Minutes | Earliest exploration | | Storyboard | Low | 30 min | User journey, scenarios | | Paper Prototype | Low | 1-2 hours | Screen flows, UI | | Role Play | Low | 30 min | Service experiences | | Wizard of Oz | Medium | Hours | Complex interactions | | Clickable Mockup | Medium | Days | Digital products | | Physical Model | Varies | Varies | Tangible products |

Prototype Planning Template

## Prototype Plan

**Concept:** [What we're prototyping]
**Goal:** [What we want to learn]
**Audience:** [Who will test it]

### What to Prototype
- **Include:** [Essential elements to test]
- **Exclude:** [What we won't build yet]

### Prototype Type
**Type:** [Paper/Digital/Physical/Role-play]
**Fidelity:** [Low/Medium/High]
**Time to Build:** [Duration]

### Materials Needed
- [Material 1]
- [Material 2]

### Key Questions to Answer
1. [Question 1]
2. [Question 2]
3. [Question 3]

### Success Criteria
- [How we'll know it worked]

Storyboard Template

## Storyboard: [Concept Name]

### Scene 1: [Setup]
[Sketch/Description]
**What's happening:** [Action]
**User says/thinks:** "[Quote]"

### Scene 2: [Trigger]
[Sketch/Description]
**What's happening:** [Action]
**User says/thinks:** "[Quote]"

### Scene 3: [Interaction]
[Sketch/Description]
**What's happening:** [Action]
**User says/thinks:** "[Quote]"

### Scene 4: [Resolution]
[Sketch/Description]
**What's happening:** [Action]
**User says/thinks:** "[Quote]"

Phase 5: Test

Learn what works, what doesn't, and iterate.

Testing Principles

| Principle | Description | |-----------|-------------| | Show, don't tell | Let the prototype speak | | Create experiences | Have users interact, not just look | | Ask "why?" | Dig into reactions | | Embrace failure | Every test teaches something | | Iterate | Build-test-learn cycles |

Test Session Template

## Test Session

**Prototype:** [Name/Version]
**Participant:** [Code or name]
**Date:** [ISO date]

### Introduction
"We're testing a concept, not you. There are no wrong answers.
Please think out loud as you interact with this."

### Scenario
[Context to set up the test]

### Observations

| Moment | Observation | Quote | Insight |
|--------|-------------|-------|---------|
| [When] | [What happened] | "[Said]" | [Meaning] |

### Key Learnings
1. [Learning 1]
2. [Learning 2]
3. [Learning 3]

### What to Keep
- [Element that worked]

### What to Change
- [Element to modify]

### Questions Raised
- [New question to explore]

Iteration Framework

## Iteration Review

**Prototype Version:** [N]
**Tests Conducted:** [Number]

### Synthesis

| Finding | Frequency | Severity | Action |
|---------|-----------|----------|--------|
| [Finding] | [X/N] | H/M/L | Keep/Change/Remove |

### Next Iteration

**Priority Changes:**
1. [Change 1]
2. [Change 2]

**Hypothesis to Test:**
If we [change], then [expected outcome] because [reason].

Workshop Agenda Templates

Half-Day Workshop (4 hours)

## Design Thinking Workshop

**Duration:** 4 hours
**Participants:** 6-12 people

### Agenda

**0:00 - 0:15** Welcome & Icebreaker
- Introductions
- Creative warm-up

**0:15 - 0:45** Empathy Share (30 min)
- Share research/interviews
- Empathy mapping exercise

**0:45 - 1:15** Define (30 min)
- Synthesize insights
- Create POV statements
- Generate HMW questions

**1:15 - 1:30** Break (15 min)

**1:30 - 2:15** Ideate (45 min)
- Brainstorming
- Clustering
- Voting

**2:15 - 3:15** Prototype (60 min)
- Teams build low-fi prototypes
- Prepare to present

**3:15 - 3:45** Share & Feedback (30 min)
- Each team presents
- Group feedback

**3:45 - 4:00** Wrap-up (15 min)
- Key decisions
- Next steps

Full-Day Sprint (8 hours)

## Design Sprint (1-Day)

**Duration:** 8 hours (condensed from 5-day sprint)
**Participants:** 5-8 people cross-functional

### Morning: Understand & Define

**9:00 - 9:30** Set the stage
- Sprint goal
- Challenge statement

**9:30 - 10:30** Expert interviews / Lightning talks
- Stakeholder perspectives
- User insights

**10:30 - 11:00** How Might We
- Generate HMW from insights
- Vote on priority

**11:00 - 12:00** Sketch solutions
- Individual crazy 8s
- Solution sketches

### Afternoon: Build & Test

**12:00 - 1:00** Lunch

**1:00 - 1:30** Decide
- Critique sketches
- Vote
- Decide what to prototype

**1:30 - 4:00** Prototype
- Build testable prototype
- Prepare test script

**4:00 - 5:00** Test
- 3-5 user tests
- Capture feedback

**5:00 - 5:30** Debrief
- What we learned
- Next steps

Integration with Other Methods

Upstream

• User Research - Feeds into Empathize phase
• Stakeholder Analysis - Identifies who to interview
• Strategic Analysis - Business context for innovation

Downstream

• Lean Startup - Build-Measure-Learn loops
• Agile Development - Iterative implementation
• Business Model Canvas - Modeling the solution

.NET/C# Context

When applying Design Thinking to software products:

// Example: Tracking Design Thinking sessions
public class DesignThinkingSession
{
    public Guid Id { get; init; }
    public required string ChallengeName { get; init; }
    public required DesignPhase CurrentPhase { get; init; }
    public required string HowMightWe { get; init; }
    public DateTimeOffset Created { get; init; }

    public List<EmpathyInsight> Insights { get; } = [];
    public PointOfView? Pov { get; set; }
    public List<Idea> Ideas { get; } = [];
    public List<Prototype> Prototypes { get; } = [];
    public List<TestResult> Tests { get; } = [];
}

public enum DesignPhase
{
    Empathize,
    Define,
    Ideate,
    Prototype,
    Test
}

public record EmpathyInsight(
    string Observation,
    string UserQuote,
    string Interpretation
);

public record PointOfView(
    string User,
    string Need,
    string Insight
);

public record Idea(
    string Title,
    string Description,
    int Votes,
    string Cluster
);

Related Skills

• stakeholder-analysis - Identifying interview subjects
• journey-mapping - Empathize phase visualization
• business-model-canvas - Modeling solutions
• prioritization - Selecting which ideas to prototype

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-26): Initial release