By skyforbes 
Summary:
Unsure where to start? Use this collection of links to our articles and videos to learn about design thinking.
Here’s a list of NN/g’s most useful introductory articles and videos about design thinking and related topics. Within each section, the resources are in recommended reading order.
Design Thinking: An Overview
The design thinking framework is based on the philosophy that a hands-on, user-centric approach to problem solving promotes innovation; in turn, innovation can lead to differentiation and a competitive advantage. The design-thinking process is composed of 6 distinct phases:
- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
- Implement
If you’re totally new to design thinking, we recommend that you explore the following resources in order, from top to bottom.
Empathize and Define
The first two stages in the design-thinking process are Empathize and Define. They often involve creating visualizations (also referred to as mapping) that help the team keep track of findings and improvement opportunities.
Empathize: Conduct research to develop knowledge about what your users do, say, think, and feel.
Define: Combine all your research and observe your users’ needs; begin to highlight opportunities for innovation.
Ideate
Once you’ve completed the first two stages, you’ll have identified some unmet user needs. The third phase in the design-thinking process is:
Ideate: Generate a set of ideas to address those unmet needs.
Prototype, Test, and Implement
The final three stages involve evaluating design ideas with real users to see how well those solutions work.
Prototype: Build representations for a subset of your ideas.
Test: Evaluate the prototype by asking real users to use it.
Iterate: Put the vision into effect and ensure that it improves the lives of your users.
These stages are often iterative — you might test a prototype and realize that it doesn’t work as well as you thought and that it needs to be refined.