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My Design Thinking Process

Cathy Villamar••8 min read

An in-depth look at how I approach product design challenges, from initial research to final implementation.

Design Process
UX Research
Product Design
My Design Thinking Process

Introduction

Design thinking is more than just a buzzword—it's a human-centered approach to innovation that puts the user at the heart of every decision. In this post, I'll walk you through my personal design thinking process and how I apply it to real-world product challenges.

Understanding the Problem

Before jumping into solutions, I always start by deeply understanding the problem space. This involves:

  • User Research: Conducting interviews, surveys, and observational studies
  • Stakeholder Alignment: Ensuring everyone agrees on the core problem
  • Competitive Analysis: Understanding what solutions already exist
  • Constraints Mapping: Identifying technical, business, and user limitations

Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible.

Don Norman

Ideation and Exploration

Once I understand the problem, I move into divergent thinking mode. This is where quantity beats quality—the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible without judgment.

My Ideation Toolkit

  • Crazy 8's sketching exercises
  • Mind mapping and affinity diagramming
  • Collaborative brainstorming sessions
  • Inspiration gathering from adjacent industries

Prototyping and Testing

The fastest way to learn is to put something in front of users. I create low-fidelity prototypes early and often, testing assumptions before investing in high-fidelity designs.

### Low-Fidelity Phase - Paper sketches - Wireframes - Click-through prototypes - Quick user feedback loops
### High-Fidelity Phase - Interactive prototypes - Visual design refinement - Micro-interactions - Final user validation

Iteration and Refinement

Design is never "done." Based on user feedback and metrics, I continuously refine and improve the experience. This iterative approach ensures the product evolves with user needs.

Conclusion

My design thinking process is flexible and adapts to each project's unique needs. The key is maintaining a user-centered mindset throughout, validating assumptions early, and iterating based on real feedback.