Design Thinking
Key question
What do we learn from the test?
A test shows whether an idea resonates with people. It is not about being right, but about learning as much as possible.
Learning objective: You are able to plan and conduct a test, evaluate feedback, further develop the solution, and present the process convincingly.
Testing means learning, not defending.
8.1 / Testing
Set tasks, observe, remain silent.
A test plan answers three questions:
01
What are we testing?
The question that the prototype is intended to answer.
02
With whom?
People from the target audience, not your own team.
03
How do we recognise success?
An observable criterion, defined prior to testing.
During the test, you set a task and observe. Do not explain, do not defend, and only help if the person is completely stuck. Ask them to think aloud. More on testing methods in Design Psychology, Section 8.4 Methods.
If you're explaining, you're not testing.
8.2 / Collecting feedback
Four fields organise what has been heard.
The feedback grid captures feedback across four quadrants: What works well? What do testers wish for? What questions remain unanswered? What new ideas have emerged?
Note down quotes and observations as verbatim as possible. Pay particular attention to what people do, not just what they say.
Quotes rather than summaries.
8.3 / Iterate
Keep, modify or discard.
After the test, the team decides for each element whether to keep, modify, or discard it. Sometimes a test reveals that the problem is different from what was initially thought. It's then back to research or to the point of view.
Iteration is not a sign of failure, but the very core of the process. Every cycle improves the solution and makes the assumptions more robust.
Each iteration makes the solution more secure.
8.4 / Presenting
A story instead of a list of features.
A compelling presentation follows the journey of the project:
01
Problem
Who has what problem? With a quote from the research.
02
Insight
What surprising things have you learned?
03
Solution
The concept, demonstrated on the prototype.
04
Receipt
What the test showed and what you changed.
Show how you arrived at the solution. This makes the decision transparent and credible.
Show how you got there.
8.5 / Boundaries and Responsibility
Design thinking is not a panacea.
Design thinking also faces criticism: it can lead to superficial results if workshops become more important than genuine research. And, often, a small team decides which needs actually matter.
Used responsibly, Design Thinking actively involves those affected, makes assumptions visible, and identifies who was not asked. More on ethics in design in Design Psychology, Section 8.2 Guiding or Deceiving.
Those who design help decide for whom.
Exercise
Testing with three people
Task: Test your prototype from Module 07.
STEP 1
Write the test plan: What, with whom, how do we recognise success?
STEP 2
Test with three people from the target group and ask them to think aloud.
STEP 3
Collect the feedback in the grid, as verbatim as possible.
STEP 4
Decide: keep, adapt or discard, and plan the next iteration.
Evaluation: What did the test show you that you would never have found out on your own?
Final project
A group design challenge
Working in groups of three to four people, you will tackle a real, defined issue—for example, from a school, neighbourhood, or local club—and go through the entire process.
STEP 1
Research
At least five interviews or observations.
STEP 2
Synthesis
Persona, Point of View, and HMW questions.
STEP 3
Ideas
At least two methods and a reasoned selection.
STEP 4
Prototype and Test
Test with at least three people and one documented iteration.
STEP 5
Presentation
Ten minutes and a process documentation.
Evaluation criteria: quality of research, clarity of the problem statement, diversity and rationale of ideas, persuasiveness of prototype and test, reflection on the process and one's own role.
The process matters as much as the result.