Blog 52: Create meaningful user experiences by leveraging design thinking

As product builders, we understand the importance of experiences. Our users’ experiences can be positive, negative, or neutral. This decides whether they return. If the product meets users’ expectations (i.e., product-market fit or PMF) then they return.

To achieve PMF, we need to put out our MVP among target users. Then embrace the good and not so good feedback. Make changes and iterations. And re-release. Hence, a continuous loop. MVP or Minimum Viable Product is like the first version of the product that is customer facing (read blog 51 to learn more about PMF and MVP).

Design thinking processes are frameworks for designing experiences that are meaningful for a user. While, laws of UX (read blog 29 to know more) are a collection of best practices that cut across design thinking frameworks.

There are several frameworks with similar principles such as empathise, reframe, ideate, prototype and test. And range between three and seven stages.

A widely popular design thinking framework is the Five Stage Design Thinking. A process for creative problem solving. It encourages us, product people, to focus on users and build human centred products. This methodology is associated with the design and consulting firm IDEO and the Stanford School of Design (the d.school).

Broadly a good design is about two objectives: Designing the right thing and Designing things right.

The stages Empathise and Define come under designing the right thing. Ideate, Prototype and Test come under designing things right. While achieving both these objectives, a divergent and convergent style of thinking is encouraged across all stages. Divergent style of thinking is about brainstorming, generating and exploring the entire space. Convergent style of thinking is about choosing and combining a select few that have merit.

Empathise: Main aim of this stage is to understand users, their needs, and their problems.

Define: In this stage, we will define the core problems we identified. Defining the problem must be done in a human-centred manner. For example, it should NOT be defined as a need of the company “increase EV market share in tier 1 cities by 10%.” Whereas it should be defined from the users’ needs or perspective: “Tier 1 cities need more EV vehicles to enable a reduction in vehicular pollution thereby improving liveability.”

Ideate: In this stage, we will come up with creative solutions to the problems identified in previous stages. For example, “How can we encourage residents of tier 1 cities to purchase EV vehicles compared to petrol/diesel vehicles that in-turn benefits them.” Brainstorm to come up with creative solutions.

Prototype: Identify the best possible solution for each of the problems identified. Incorporate these solutions into prototypes. Test these prototypes within small groups. Based on their experiences select the best solution for each problem.

Test: Put together a product that is a combination of all the best solutions for each problem. Release and test it with real users. This is an iterative process. User feedback is used to redefine problems and ideate solutions. The aim to get a deep understanding of the product and market.

Other design frameworks include Double Diamond Diagram (blog 53), User-Centred Design (UCD), UX Honeycomb, Five Elements of UX Design, Inclusive Design.

Jump to blog 100 to refer to the overall product management mind map.

All the best! 😊