DESIGN THINKING TOOLKIT
During the past few years, I've gathered a stock of resources,
covering everything you need to know to start implementing Design Thinking in your day-to-day work.
Enjoy, let me know if there is anything worth adding to this list,
and don't forget to share with others
What is Design Thinking
A few resources that will help you get started and get familiar with the methodology
IDEO U
A concise but quite comprehensive article from IDEO U (the educational institution that grew out of IDEO - the initiators of the method) on what design thinking is. The real gem in the article is the webinar found at the bottom of the page. I highly recommendto watching.
IDEO
The site where you will find everything that is important for you to know about "the Torah" behind Design Thinking and Human-centered Design
jnd.org, Don Norman
Don Norman sharply criticizes the pretentiousness of the "Design Thinking" methodology to be the first of its kind, groundbreaking and innovative, when in fact the tools used in it in various fields of design and for many, many years.
jnd.org, Don Norman
Don Norman rethought critique from the first article. He remains true to the idea that Design Thinking tools have always existed, yet he argues that the way and the impact they create, have changed.
Harvard Business Review, Jeanne Liedtka
This thorough article talks about how design thinking provides a structured process that helps managers break free of counter-tendencies that thwart innovation. It is a social technology that combines practical tools with insights into human nature.
Marc O'Brien
A variety of processes and work methodology based on Design Thinking.
Tools and resources for Empathising with users
Tools and best practices for creating empathy and a deeper understanding of users. I often use these tools at the beginning of a process to align the team on the problems we are solving and whom we solve them for.
NNG
The user experience institute, NNG, with a practical and short video for creating an empathy map
UX Magazine, Jeff Gothelf
Want to know what proto-protons are and how to implement the tool with your organization? Here's everything you need to know
UX Planet, Anton Nikolov
Identifying the source of the problem is the first step to solving it. Here are some tools that can, in the right context, help you map people's issues in a targeted way
Everything, really everything, you want to know about user journeys, thanks to the amazing Shani Brusilovsky who talked about the subject at UXI Live 2020
UX Collective, Bethan Phillimore
A nice and concise article about what "extreme users" are. It talks about how to characterize, interview and learn a lot of insights from them for the benefit of the product and all its users.
DIY Toolkit
A visual and associative tool for finding potential extreme-users. This tool can also be used to map Stakeholders in the process.
Medium - Make us proud, Alex Jupiter
An excellent article in which the author shares how "Jobs To Be Done" provides an additional, detailed, and vital layer in the product creation process. Highly recommended reading!
Medium, Jeff Gothelf
This article tries to reconcile the conflict between persona lovers and Job To Be Done defenders. I'll give you a quick tip: The trick is to use both in the right context.
Tools and resources for Defining users problems
A list of best practices for refining the problems we wish to solve, and making actionable decisions based on user-centered methodologies
IXDF, by Rikke Friis Dam and Teo Yu Siang
A guide that describes what a Point of view statement is, how to use it and when, from IXDF
UX Collective, Josh Nelson
Using Affinity mapping is wonderful for making sense of a lot of information. But where do you start? Here is an article that will give some specific tools for using the tool effectively
Stack exchange
An interesting discussion in the Stack Exchange forum, a wonderful site for UX questions and finding Patterns, about the difference between User stories and Point Of View Statements
Design Kit
How Might We Framework enable the framing of a problem into a workable question - how can we solve the problem. A must know!
NNG, Sarah Gibbons
2X2 is a great tool for creating focused conversation. It can fit in mirroring many similar opinions, in the early stages of a project, or in prioritizing capabilities or options. Here is an article that will shed some light on how to use it.
Tools and resources for
Generating solution ideas
Collaboration best practices to incorporate the different stakeholders in the process of solutions generation and alignment
Youtube, Ed Muzio
A slightly old but excellent (!) Video of the vital components for a successful brainstorming session. Suitable for any meeting or kick-off!
Mural
One of the most powerful tools for challenges of prioritization. It Helps us work collaboratively, highlights important issues, generate consensus, and prioritize. Here is a template that Mural.app has created to help in incorporating it into the process.
Youtube, AJ and Smart
If you haven't heard of Jonathan from AJ & Smart, after this video, you will be hooked. He explains the 10X10 tool for creating super-active brainstorm sessions.
Atomic Object, Kimberly Crawford
A wonderful article with great tips for creating a focused and effective voting session.
UX Design, Karishma Patel
An article with important tips on how to make brainstorming accessible through sketches and illustrations.
NNG, Sarah Gibbons
Did you find yourself with a lot of ideas? Great! Now is the time to do analysis and prioritize. Here's everything you need to know about Dot voting, which will help you with the task.
Youtube, AJ&Smart
In the Brainstorm session on creating a feature with product managers, we often thought about how to crack a problem. Here is a super effective tool for creating a variety of ideas for solutions and creating a practical dialogue.
Tools and resources for
Creating prototypes and Testing solutions
Prototyping and testing are both vital before development to ensure that we are investing our time and resources in a validated solution
UX Booth, Jenn Pereira
Collection of all the tools currently on the market, for creating a high fidelity prototype for digital products.
Prototype in graphic software, or on paper - examination of the differences and when to use what
NNG, Amy Schade
Writing usability tests is a significant part of the user research process. Here are some important tips to help you formulate them accurately
NNG, Kate Moran
An article that covers all the basics you need to know if you have never done Usability tests.
Book by Steve Krug
A book that I think is a must for anyone who wants to do tests with users, no matter what field / profession.
NNG, Kate Moran and Kara Pernice
Covid-19 forced us all to adjust. Even in research. Here is an article that will give you some helpful tips for conducting remote usability research successfully.
Youtube, AJ&Smart
In the Brainstorm session on creating a feature with product managers, we often thought about how to crack a problem. Here is a super effective tool for creating a variety of ideas for solutions and creating a practical dialogue.
MeasuringU, Jeff Sauro
Five different types of usability testing. Side note, I highly recommend subscribing to the newsletter of this site, they are bombarded with articles on Qualitative research when it comes to user experience.
Tools and workshops
Best Practices
Whether you wish to engage the team in a user-centered thinking process as part of the day-to-day process or create a disruptive experience with a workshop. Here are a few tools for you to use.
JUST IN MIND
A collection of tools that can help collaborate and create focused thinking users with your teams.
I use Miro for brainstorming (because it is easy to export to PDF when writing in Hebrew) and Mural for workshops that I conduct online - both are very efficient!
A collection of tools, articles, and everything you want in everything related to the use and application of design thinking for diverse projects.
Adobe Blog, Giselle Abramovich
Need numbers to persuade your team to get involved in the Design Thinking process? Here are some statistics and studies that may help you with the task.
Medium, Charlie Harding
Are you considering doing a workshop on your team? Here are some important tips that you should know - when, for whom, and how to succeed.
Sivanadesign.com, Sivana Sherlag
Product work processes are complex, involving many different disciplines in the company and with them many people with different opinions. Here are some ways in which teamwork and practices can be streamlined to maximize the efficiency and value that teams produce.
If you got this far
You might like advanced ideas on Design Thinking
Different approaches and perspectives on Design-Thinking vs other methodologies commonly used.
measuringU, Jeff Sauro
For advanced explorers :) This article examines two approaches (some would say that they are complementary or parallel) - user-focused design and design thinking and compares them.
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Agile? This article will help you make order in a hurry. Recommended for product managers.
spring2 Innovation
A concise yet comprehensive article on the differences between Design Thinking and User-Centered Design.