Simply put design thinking is a way of solving problems creatively. It is a human centric approach.
Design thinking has 5 phases where every phase can be repeated if the results are not obtained. Since phases can be repeated, design thinking becomes an interative process.
The 5 phases are as follows:
1. Empathise: Since design thinking is a human centric approach, empathising with users becomes a very important phase. In this phase you conduct interviews with the users to understand their requirements and pain points.
2. Define: Once you are done with the empathis phase you will know the problem faced by users which need a solution. This is the phase where you define your problem statement to start working for a solution.
3. Ideate: In this phase you come up with ideas that would help solve the problem. Ideation can be done in groups or individually. It is usually done by brain dumping which is a form of brain storming. Here quantity of ideas matter.
4. Prototype: From the generated ideas, you check feasibility and try to come up with small workable models of your proposed solution.
5. Test: The prototype is then given to the testers to get their feedback and the cycle continues till a solution is finalized.