Macro-Design · A compact run fits in a half day to full day; a full project spans weeks to months.
Design Thinking (Double Diamond)
The Double Diamond is the UK Design Council's model of the design process, shown as two diamonds: first exploring and defining the problem, then developing and delivering solutions. Each diamond alternates divergent and convergent thinking, which helps groups avoid solving the wrong problem.
When to use Design Thinking (Double Diamond)
Use it for innovation, service design and problem-solving sessions where the problem is not yet clearly understood.
How Design Thinking (Double Diamond) works
Your session follows the diverge-converge pattern of design thinking.
Phases of Design Thinking (Double Diamond)
- Discover: Diverge: explore the problem widely through research, interviews, observation and questions, without jumping to solutions.
- Define: Converge: make sense of the findings, cluster insights and frame a clear challenge or 'How might we' question.
- Develop: Diverge again: generate many possible solutions, co-create with users and build quick prototypes.
- Deliver: Converge: test solutions at small scale, reject what does not work and refine what does before implementing.
Key principles
- Diverge before you converge
- Understand the problem before solving it
- Put people first
- Iterate and prototype
- Collaborate and co-create
Best for
- Innovation workshops
- Service and product design
- Design sprints
- Cross-functional problem solving
Considerations
- The process is rarely linear; teams often loop back to earlier phases.
- A one-day version compresses research heavily; be honest about how much discovery is possible.
- The Design Council has since expanded it into a Framework for Innovation with principles and methods.
Attribution & sources
Developed by the UK Design Council, 2004
Design a session with Design Thinking (Double Diamond)
METODIC builds a complete Design Thinking (Double Diamond)-based session — methods, timing, worksheets, and facilitator guides — in minutes.