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IDL considers that every single creative problem-solving methodology, approach, and activity that you have ever used and participated in, are based on the same principle, consisting of the following Four Fundamental Phases:

• A problem is found and understood
• Strategies to solve the problem are proposed, materializing into solutions
• Solutions are applied and explored
• The solutions as well as the process of coming up with them are assessed

If we were to represent these Four Fundamental Phases in an iterative manner, they would look like that:

IDL calls this structure and framework the Design Process Rectangle. This is based on the studio’s large experience and practice in the fields of education, psychology, mathematics, science, engineering, and the arts. In order to understand those steps, let’s have a brief look at some influential approaches to creativity as well as problem finding and problem solving.

 

Some theory and references behind the biggest design secret

Dewey’s model of problem solving & Wallas’ four stages to a creative process

One of the earliest and most influential contemporary models around problem solving and creativity was put forward by American educator John Dewey [5], who proposed the following steps:

1. A difficulty or issue is perceived
2. The problem is located and defined
3. Different potential solutions are proposed
4. The implications of each solution are assessed
5. One of the solutions is selected and evaluated

Psychologist Graham Wallas later on proposed another description for creative processes, consisting of the following four steps:

1. Preparation: an individual or a team thinks about a problem, collecting information and considering potential solutions.
2. Incubation: mulling over the problem while doing other activities. This can be anything from having lunch to taking a walk to one’s morning shower, always with the problem in the back of one’s mind.
3. Illumination: the moment when the solution appears. This solution is the result of the previous two steps, where all previous experience and information crystallize together in a way that highlights the solution.
4. Verification: the proposed solution is assessed in terms of validity and efficiency, along with other important factors.

Both these models approach creative problem solving from two different aspects: Dewey’s approach focuses on the very process of problem solving and the outcomes of selecting and applying one solution method over another. On the other hand, Wallas’ model focuses on problem solving through the prism of creative problem solvers; hence, elaborating on how creative minds approach problem finding and problem solving.

Torrance’s process model of creativity

Another interesting creative process model has been proposed by psychologist Ellis Paul Torrance [7], which consists of the following steps:

1. A problem is sensed
2. Hypotheses or guesses about the problems are made
3. Hypotheses are evaluated, leading to potential revisions
4. Results are communicated

Torrance’s approach entails a very interesting aspect: the communication and presentation of one’s ideas and solutions. It is one thing to be a creative and avid problem solver and it is a totally different story to be able to present your thoughts to others and help them understand what they are.

 

George Polya’s problem solving process

A very important contribution to problem solving is the work of mathematician George Polya [8] who, in his influential book How to Solve It, proposed a problem-solving process consisting of four steps:

1. Understanding the problem, where a problem is identified and understood
2. Devising a plan, where a solution plan is proposed
3. Carrying out the plan, where the plan is executed
4. Looking back, where the proposal and application of the proposed plan are evaluated

The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving model

Another interesting model, trying to both analyze and also improve creative problem-solving processes, is the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model [9], the most recent iteration of which consists of four stages:

1. Clarify: teams explore the goals and challenges they have, collect and analyze data in order to define the problems they need to address and formulate challenges to start searching for solutions.
2. Ideate: teams generate ideas, aiming to address the problems defined during the previous step.
3. Develop: teams propose concrete solutions, which are assessed for their feasibility and how they fit the situation, available resources as well as their impact when applied.
4. Implement: the team formulates their plan and examines what actions are needed to implement their solution, as well as examining how this plan will be accepted inside an organization.

 

The Double Diamond framework

In 2004 the Design Council presented an innovation framework, aiming to address complex design problems, also referred to as the Double Diamond [10]. This framework is represented in the form of two rectangles (or diamonds). Each diamond introduces opportunities, first for divergent thinking, during which designers explore issues at greater depth or through various perspectives, and then for convergent thinking, during which designers take more concrete and focused actions.

The Double Diamond describes four phases, which are:

Discover. During this phase designers and non-designers take time to better understand the problems they need to solve, gathering information about the organization, their customers, users, competition, or any other important factor that will later help them come up with some solutions.

Define. Collecting different types of information from various sources eventually culminates in the definition of problems that need to be tackled by the design teams.

Develop. Based on previously defined problems, multidisciplinary teams (including designers and non-designers) come together, seek inspiration, brainstorm collectively or individually and co-create in a participatory manner.

Deliver. Since teams have come with a plethora of solutions during the Develop phase, at this phase, these solutions are tested. Solutions that don’t work are rejected, while others are improved.

The Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop

The Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop is a problem-solving framework, proposed by Eric Ries in his work on the Lean Startup [11]. The Lean Startup methodology focuses on getting quick and actionable results on products and services through obtaining real feedback as soon as possible and revising one’s strategy based on the feedback received. The Lean startup methodology, as a result, heavily focuses on introducing real user feedback as early as possible in the design process.

As a key component of the Lean Startup methodology, the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop presents a three-phase iterative process, where product teams aim to invest the least possible amount of resources to create a product that will reflect their proposed solution. This type of product is also referred to as a Minimum Viable Product, or an MVP.

As its name suggests, the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop consists of the Build, Measure and Learn phases, which describe an iterative process where teams try to:

• Build their MVPs, based on the information, resources and strategies they have.
• Measure their impact on users as well as their viability and sustainability from a business standpoint.
• Learn through their successes and failures as well as all the information and experience they gathered throughout the two previous phases.

Eventually, teams iteratively become more capable of reaching evidence-based business and design decisions.

 

Design sprints

Design sprints started off as a five-day process aimed at finding solutions to innovation and business problems through design [12]. This process was originally developed by Google Ventures and was designed to circumvent long debates and discussions by fitting months’ worth of work into one week, by the end of which teams could come up with minimal products that could be tested with real users to see if the envisioned solutions work and are worth exploring and building upon.

Design sprints, being a great hit in the business and design worlds, have since evolved from a five-day process to a six-phase process, which can still be run in more or less than five days, depending on team needs. These phases are:

Understand: This phase aims to create a shared knowledge base across the stakeholders participating in the design sprints.

Define: During the Define phase, teams assess what they learned and define the focus of the design sprint, the desired outcomes, and potential solutions.

Sketch: This is an idea-generating phase, during which teams ideate both individually and collaboratively, trying to come up with solutions to the problems they have previously defined.

Decide: Here teams agree upon the solution/s that are going to be prototyped and tested. This requires a synthesis of different ideas and establishing a consensus on which ideas are to be explored further.

Prototype: The previously chosen ideas are prototyped. Issues are discussed and concept aspects are refined as the ideas are brought to life.

Validate: At this phase, teams present their products to real users and see how they interact with them as well as observing their perception, disposition, and attitude towards them.

 

Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach to design problems. Design Thinking has been developed over several decades [13] and became popular through the work of Stanford’s d.school and IDEO.

Design Thinking presents an iterative, non-linear, design process, the steps of which may vary depending on business and user needs. As a result, even if Design Thinking may be usually represented as a horizontal sequence of steps, design teams can jump backwards and forwards in any way that best suits their problem solving process. Design Thinking has a strong user-centered aspect, focusing on prototyping and testing.

One of the different variations of Design Thinking consists of the following phases [14]:

• Empathize: During this stage, designers try to observe the behaviors and attitudes of their users, interact with them, and immerse themselves in the experiences of their users.
• Define: After designers have enough information and findings, they can transform them into compelling needs and insights, identifying what aspects can have meaning for their users. The result of this process is the statement of problems that design teams will later work on.
• Ideate: Ideation focuses on generating a multitude of concepts and outcomes and exploring a wide range of solutions both in terms of quantity and diversity.
• Prototype: The prototyping phase transforms idea/s into some sort of physical or digital form. This way, design teams can later test them with real users and get actionable feedback that helps them understand how to improve their ideas.
• Test: Here design teams aim to get feedback on the solutions they worked on. As a result, they can later refine them and continue to learn from their users.

Throughout the various models and processes proposed over the last hundred years, there is variation in the number of steps and particular focus regarding problem finding, problem solving and creativity. However, several of these approaches and models consist of phases that are described by the Design Process Rectangle.