INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN THINKING

THIS BOOKLET CONTAINS YOUR GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING DESIGN

THINKING & WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE FOR SOIL DESIGN THINKING
WORKSHOP EXERCISE
EVERYONE HAS THE CAPACITY FOR
CREATIVITY. AT SOIL, WE USE
DESIGN THINKING AND
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO
UNLOCK THIS POTENTIAL, DRIVING
POSITIVE CHANGE
WHAT IS DESIGN THINKING (DT)?
Design thinking is a user-centered approach to problem-
solving that involves five key stages: Empathizing
with the user to understand their needs,
defining the problem clearly, ideating creative
solutions, prototyping these ideas into
tangible forms, and testing them with users for
feedback.
DESIGN THINKING (DT) PROCESSES
The process shown here is an accepted 5 step process in Design Thinking.

1 - EMPATHIZE 3 - IDEATE 5 - TEST

2 - DEFINE 4 - PROTOTYPE
DT PROCESSES (IN DETAIL)
1 - EMPATHIZE
Understanding the needs, desires, and challenges of the people
you're designing for. This is about putting yourself in their
shoes and gaining insight into their experiences.
2 - DEFINE
Clearly articulating the problem you're trying to solve. This
step involves synthesizing the insights gained during the
empathy phase into a clear problem statement.
3 - IDEATE
Generating a wide range of creative ideas to solve the defined
problem. This phase is all about brainstorming and thinking
outside the box.
4 - PROTOTYPE
Turning ideas into tangible products or solutions. This could be
anything from a rough sketch to a working model. It's a way to
bring ideas to life so that they can be tested and explored.
5 - TEST
Trying out the prototypes with real users to get feedback. This
step is crucial for understanding how effective, appropriate,
and user-friendly the solution is, and for refining it further.
POPULAR DESIGN THINKING TOOLS
A design thinker uses one or combination of tools to effective solve the problem at hand. Some of
the most popular ones are given below. You can download the tool templates by clicking on them.

Empathy Maps User Persona Mind Mapping Affinity Diagram

Storyboarding Paper Prototyping Slack/ MIRO SCAMPER

To understand how
Design Thinking works,
do the following
exercise!
Reimagining the Ride-Sharing
Experience - Uber/Ola/Meru Cabs etc.,
Note: This is only a practice exercise and does not represent the actual exercise which will be given in the
admission process.
Workbook for self learning - Reimagining the Ride-
Sharing Experience - Uber/Ola/Meru Cabs etc.,

Things you like about your cab

experience - booking app, ride, customer
service, discounts, etc.,

Things you don’t

like
Redesign your partner’s cab experience. Start by
gaining empathy for your partner / friend.

You can use

ask your ask more the empathy
friend questions and maps.
questions dig deeper
about his cab Click here to
experience get template
Define & Reframe the problem.

his/her cab ride?

Ideate & Generate alternatives to test

No idea is a
bad idea! Be
at your
creative best
during
ideation!
Iterate based on feedback.

Feedback is an
important part of
Design Thinking.
Request your
partner for
feedback on the
ideas proposed and
improvise!
Build and test.

For prototyping you can

use a paper prototyping
method wherein you
can sketch the
solutions you want !
Click here to get paper
prototyping example!
Reflect on your work.

Notice how you are

challenging your initial
assumptions
How Design Thinking works in real life?

EMPATHIZE

Process driven DOES NOT

TEST DEFINE mean it has to be
sequential.

The beauty of Design

Thinking lies in its non-
linear approach!
PROTOTYPE IDEATE
Welcome to exploring more about DESIGN THINKING &
SOIL INSTITUTE OF MANAGMENT

All the best for your Admissions Process