Unit - I Design Thinking Fundamentals

Design Thinking is a creative design strategy with a focus on understanding needs and
creating solutions. Stages of Design

Thinking: 1. Empathize: Gain an empathic understanding of the problem you are trying to solve
by observing and engaging with the subject.

2. Define: Compile data, analyse observation and synthesize a problem statement in a human-
centred manner.

3. Ideate: Start generating ideas. Use your learnings from the Ideation document.

4. Prototype: Produce inexpensive, scaled down versions of the product to experiment. Share
insights and refine.

5. Test: On-ground and iterative process. The insights are used to redefine problem statement and
refine prototype.

Design Thinking Resources

Design thinking is a process for creative problem solving that starts with people and their needs.
Anyone can use it to tap into their creative potential and grow relevant skills for the modern
workplace. Explore tips from experts, real-world case studies, and quick activities to help you
apply the skills and mindsets of design thinking to your work.

Design Thinking Frameworks

• Desirability, Feasibility, Viability

Design thinking brings together what is desirable from a human point of view with what is
technologically feasible and economically viable.

• Desirability—What makes sense to people and for people?

• Feasibility—What is functionally possible within the foreseeable future?
• Viability—What is likely to become part of a sustainable business model?

• The Creative Process

The Creative Process contains multiple cycles of iteration—with each phase, you move closer
to a refined solution

• In Divergence—teams go wide to find insights and generate new ideas.

• In Convergence—teams narrow their focus by refining ideas and synthesizing information.
• Empathy Maps

Empathy mapping can help you take what you learn from observing human behavior and
come away with actionable insights.

• Place observations about what people DO in the lower-left quadrant. (Use one post-it per
idea.)
• Add observations of what people SAY in the upper-left quadrant.
• When you run out of observations on the left side, fill in the right side by inferring what
people THINK and what they FEEL.
• Try to draw some insights or conclusions from what you have written down and shared.
The Phases of Design Thinking

We teach the phases of design thinking as linear steps, but in practice, the process is not always
linear. Some of these steps may happen several times, and you may even jump back and forth
between them. Moving through the phases of design thinking can take you from a blank slate to a
new, innovative solution.

What is UX Design?

Ever wondered what "UX" design actually means? In any case, it refers to "User
Experience Design." It all boils down to how users interact with and view digital items,
including websites, applications, and any other digital interface on their devices.

What Do UX Designers Do?

UX designers play a vital role in enhancing the user experience of a product or service by
performing various essential duties, including:

Conducting User Research: UX designers conduct research on user behavior, preferences, and
needs through surveys, usability tests, and interviews to understand what people anticipate from
the product.

Creating Wireframes and Prototypes: Before the development process begins, they create
interactive prototypes and visual representations (wireframes) of the product's design to test
different concepts.

Working with Developers: UX designers collaborate closely with developers to ensure that
design concepts are accurately implemented and that the end result aligns with the intended user
experience.

Testing Designs with Users: They conduct usability tests with actual users to gather input and
identify areas for improvement, enabling them to enhance the design for a better user experience.
Analyzing Data: UX designers examine user input and usage patterns to make data-driven
decisions and continually improve the product's design, aiming for maximum customer
happiness.

With these different responsibilities, UX designers significantly contribute to improving the

overall user experience. By conducting research, developing prototypes, collaborating with
engineers, testing with users, and evaluating data, they ensure a product or service that truly
delights its users.

Skills Required to Become a UX Designer

1. Creating designs and layouts to test product functionality.
2. Using design software like Figma and Sketch.
3. Understanding user needs and testing designs with users.
4. Familiarity with Agile project management.
5. Organizing content for a seamless user experience.
6. Basic knowledge of web development languages.
7. Working well with teams and taking feedback.
8. Effective communication and presentation skills.
9. Managing time and tasks efficiently.

What is UI Design?
To define “UI” Design, it stands for User Interface Design. It is a process where design teams
create the aesthetics of digital products like applications, official websites, icons, or landing
pages that meet the company's requirements and ensure that the products are intuitive, easy to
use, and visually appealing.

What Do UI Designers Do?

Test various design concepts: UI designers can gather user input by creating wireframes and
mockups to check if their designs and frames are effective and functional.

Design visual components: UI designers employ fonts, colours, and imagery to develop a
visually appealing and compelling user interface.
Create prototypes: UI designers frequently develop user interface prototypes to test how they
function and how users interact with them.

Work with developers: UI designers collaborate with developers to ensure the proper
implementation of the user interface.

Learn about user-centered design: UI designers need to thoroughly understand how users think
and behave to create user interfaces that are simple to use and effective.

In summary, UI designers create attractive and functional user interfaces by testing concepts,
using fonts and colours, building prototypes, working with developers, and understanding user
behaviour.

Skills Required to Become a UI Designer

1. Visual Design: Create visually appealing designs using fonts, colors, and imagery.
2. Design Software: Use tools like Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator for UI
design.
3. User-Centered Design: Understand user behavior to create intuitive and user-friendly
interfaces.
4. Prototyping and Wireframing: Build interactive prototypes and wireframes to test
design ideas.
5. Collaboration: Work effectively with developers and UX designers.
6. Communication and Presentation: Present design ideas and collaborate with
stakeholders.
7. Responsive Design: Design interfaces for different devices and screen sizes.
8. Basic Front-end Development: Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for
collaboration with developers.
9. Attention to Detail: Be meticulous in design for a polished user interface.
Difference between UI and UX.

Aspect UX Design UI Design

UX Design focuses on creating a

UI Design concentrates on visual
feel and experience that
aesthetics and elements with the
addresses emotions and
aim of achieving visual appeal.
Look vs. Feel satisfaction

UI Design Finalizing visual

In UX Design, wireframes and
designs for user engagement often
prototypes are created to define
Design vs. involves working with mockups
user flow and functionality
Prototyping and graphics.

The focus of UX Design is on

UI Design focuses on individual
ensuring a seamless and
elements and interactions by
meaningful user journey by
perfecting details for aesthetics as
High Level vs. emphasizing the holistic
well, as functionality.
Details experience

Implementation on the hand

Research involves conducting
focuses on putting design choices
user analysis, testing, and
Research and into action such, as selecting fonts,
developing strategies.
Implementation colors, and layouts.

A user-centered approach On the other hand, an interface-

prioritizes understanding user centered approach focuses on
User-centered or needs, behaviors, and emotions creating visually appealing and
Interface-centered. throughout the design process. user-friendly interfaces.

Problem-solving aims to address

Visual appeal focuses more on
Problem-Solving user issues and alleviate their
creating pleasing designs.
vs. Visual Appeal pain points

History of UX
 • 4000 BC: Feng Shui and the importance of space
• 500 BC: The Ancient Greeks and ergonomics
• Early 1900s: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the quest for workplace efficiency
• 1940s: Toyota and the value of human input
• 1955: Henry Dreyfuss and the art of designing for people
• 1966: Walt Disney—the first UX designer?
• 1995: Donald Norman gives UX design a name
• 2018 and beyond: History in the making

Need of UI and UX

• For getting business insights: This is done through user research. While researching about
the customers need provides us a lot of insights on how to design the website or application.

• A bad interface can break user's trust: It really becomes difficult to make a user buy a
product/service from your website or application if the interface of your website or
application itself is full of bugs. Even a single bug in the interface can break the users
fragile trust and they might end up buying nothing irrespective of how good your digital
product/service is.

• User retention: Retaining the user is crucial for any company or startup since it leads to
the user spending more time hence more money on the website or application. Key to User
retention is a good user interface coupled with great user experience. This hooks the user
with the product/service and makes the user retain on the website or the application.

• Creating a loyal customer base: For creating a loyal customer base, user experience
comes into play. The whole idea of UX design is to create an application structure that
provides the best experience to the users.

• Data-Driven decision making: Researching about the customers gives valuable insights
about the product/service and what things should be improved. This data driven decision
making helps the overall business to become user friendly and grow faster.

• Understanding and using human psychology: Understanding and using the human
psychology we can create more engaging digital products, websites or applications for the
users which in turn helps our business. This helps us as a UI/UX designer to create a visual
amalgamation of objects where we have a set pattern for what object the user should focus
on and what elements to focus less on.
• Saves resources in longer run: By investing in UI/UX design, a business or startup can
invest in the longer term. Instead of getting the UI changed every time a new feature is
added, its better to have a UI/UX team/person that researches and comes up with the
features required, design, interface etc.

• Communicating your mission: Irrespective of what help marketing provides, users have to
come to your website/app to buy your digital product/service or know about it. Here good
copywriting along with great UI can create a lasting impression in the mind of the user.
This helps the business get connected with its customers.

• Scaling of product as well as business: Mobile applications is better known for targeting
more customers and getting more eyeballs to your digital product/service. The mobile
approach UI/UX design can help you scale the application to more number of people.