Double Diamond

The Double Diamond Approach is an iterative design methodology that consists of two main stages, Design the Right Thing and Design Things Right, enabling designers to employ Human-Centered Design (HCD) and design thinking approaches to develop user-centered solutions. This approach provides a structured framework for designers to follow, ensuring that user needs and preferences are at the forefront of the design process.

Design the Right Thing

The research phase consists of two key components: Discover/Research and Define/Synthesis.

Discover/Research phase: You critically assess the initial project brief, questioning its every aspect and exploring potential fields of interest. You compile a comprehensive list of elements, including characteristics, areas of interest, extremes, relevant people (personas), and experiences to be explored. It's essential to organize your research findings into topics and set the research scope. This stage involves applying primary and secondary research methods, leading to an extensive but unstructured collection of data.

Define/Synthesis Phase: You make sense of your research by summarizing your raw findings and sharing them with your team. You cluster similar learnings into themes, unearth insights about consumer motivations and frustrations, identify potential areas of action, and create "How might we..." (HMW) questions that provide tangible statements for problem-solving within those areas.

Design Things Right

This phase is divided into two essential parts: Develop/Ideation and Deliver/Implementation.

Develop/Ideation Phase: You engage in creative thinking and idea generation without judgment, fostering an open and collaborative environment. Various ideation tools and methods can be employed for this purpose. As the ideation process progresses, ideas are evaluated, and favorite concepts are chosen, often using tools like dot-voting or impact/feasibility matrices. Ultimately, you narrow down your options to one or a few ideas that will be prototyped and tested to address your initial question or problem.

Deliver/Implementation Phase: You focus on evaluating the selected idea and the means by which it should be executed. This phase often follows an agile approach involving three key steps: building a prototype, testing and analyzing its performance, and iterating as necessary. The goal is to create minimum viable products (MVPs) that offer sufficient tangibility to determine if they effectively address the initial problem or question. Once this phase is complete, you are prepared to present your final proposal, product, answer, or solution to the outside world.

Disclaimer

It is important to mention that my preferred approach for designs is Double Diamond as it prioritises the user and place them at the center. However, it should be acknowledged that the needs of the project can sometimes require me to adapt and modify my approach accordingly or entirely take up another methodology. Adapting to the unique demands of each project allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the users' needs and ensures that the final design meets their expectations.