Editor’s note: This post was last updated on 30 October 2024.
The Double Diamond design process is a four-phase framework that guides teams from identifying a problem to delivering a solution, offering a structured yet flexible approach for creating user-centered designs.
In this guide, we’ll explore each phase in depth and provide practical steps for applying the Double Diamond model in your projects.
The Double Diamond model was introduced by the British Design Council in 2005 to establish a standardized design process that aligns diverse design disciplines. Inspired by linguist Béla H. Bánáthy’s divergence-convergence model, the Double Diamond emphasizes thorough problem understanding before moving to solution development.
The model features two diamonds — one represents a problem and the other a solution:
Here’s how it works in a nutshell: designers identify a problem (diamond 1), then create a design brief that sets the stage for diamond 2, which emphasizes prototyping and testing a solution until it meets release standards.
Kite-shaped models like the Double Diamond have been in use since the 1960s, but the Design Council recognized a need for more consistency in the way designers talk about problems and solutions. Today, the Double Diamond design process is used around the world, bringing the various phases and names associated with design processes under a single umbrella.
The Double Diamond model was introduced by the British Design Council to establish a standardized design process that aligns with diverse design disciplines. It emphasizes establishing a thorough understanding of the problem before moving to solution development.
Let’s explore how the two diamonds help designers move from problem definition through to solution delivery:
The first diamond focuses on exploring the problem space in-depth, much like the “empathize” and “define” stages in design thinking.
Here, designers use UX research techniques, such as user interviews and analytics, to uncover users’ needs. Insights are synthesized to define the core problem, guiding a design brief that informs the next phase.
The second diamond is solution-focused, emphasizing ideation, prototyping, and iterative testing.
Designers work collaboratively, using tools like wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes to explore multiple solutions. Through repeated testing and refinement, they narrow down the ideas to select the best solution, ensuring it meets user needs and technical feasibility.
Once they have a final design, designers prepare for handoff to development, with quality assurance and usability checks to ensure alignment with project goals.
The Double Diamond design process traditionally has four phases:
The problem phase (diamond 1) is divided into two steps: discover and define. The solution phase (diamond 2) contains the design and delivery steps:
Discovery is the first step in defining the scope of the problem. In this phase, the designer or design team explores the problems and challenges of the project. This aims to identify the project’s needs, target audience, delivery methods, etc.
In this step, we employ industry research strategies, and the design team sets out to explore them. This phase of the design process allows you to collect information regarding the challenge. At this time, all data collected should be documented and not discarded.
The Double Diamond method is not rigid in nature as most designers are led to believe; it is a guide for laying down your own process. As a designer, you can intend to start designing by laying out your thoughts and assumptions about the project during the discovery phase. In contrast, another designer may decide to start off the discovery phase by speaking to current users or target users before addressing their assumptions. The goal of this step is to learn more about the problem, its effects, objectives, and output (solution). Other processes in this stage include market research, competitive analysis, and user research.
As the design lead, you need to be clear on how you decide to start this phase. Depending on the team members and processes involved, you are bound to collect a large number of data that will influence the following stages of this design process; it is important to also discuss how to manage this information during this phase so you do not lose crucial data.
The “define” step is convergent in nature; you are focused on getting a solution, and your thoughts and ideas are fixed (unlike step one, which was divergent and allowed you to welcome new ideas that influenced your decision).
In the define phase, the design team will analyze the data obtained. You will filter all your research data, user interviews, and personal design assumptions here. This is because you collect all the data during the discovery phase, and everything is important to you as a designer.
The define stage allows you to decide which data is important to your design solution and which should be discarded. You will not be working on this alone; you and the team of designers at your organization will discuss and decide which data is important to move into the solution phase.
In fact, at this stage, you have begun to work on your solutions. This teamwork can lead to identifying edge cases and unnecessary data. Because this process is flexible, you can always go back to the discovery phase to conduct more research if you are not satisfied with your present results.
The definition stage is also used to communicate the project goals and ensure the design team is aligned and everyone understands the project internally and externally. In this phase, personas are created, affinity maps are drawn, etc. Additionally, we work on setting the context for product development, assessing what is realistic, and analyzing how this project aligns with the corporate brand. The second stage of the Double Diamond model provides the foundation for product development.
We have now entered the second “diamond” or “kite” of the model, which is also the solution phase. The first step in this process is the development step. In this step, we assume that the team not only understands the problem but has also done their research, filtered unnecessary data, and is now brainstorming and testing ideas.
In this step, all the research collected and sought has now been defined and put into visuals for clarity. This step allows you to use the personas created by the team to design sketches, wireframes, and prototypes of the solution. Some organizations may decide to develop the personas, journey maps, etc. in this phase.
In this phase, the solution is complete, and the product has been delivered to the public. Users can now download the final product and use it. It was tested in the previous stage by a select group of people.
Sometimes users may use the product or solution in ways the designer did not plan for. It is essential to receive feedback and monitor reviews and downloads, as this will affect your team’s evaluation of the product’s success. This feedback would be used to iterate on the product’s next release, as some products go on to have newer versions or even feature updates. This stage involves product sign-off, retrospective, product marketing, etc.
The Double Diamond model is widely applicable across industries. Below are examples of well-known companies that employ this framework to facilitate problem solving and solutions development, spanning verticals such as tech, finance, and more:
The advantages of the Double Diamond design process are that it helps generate creative thinking and gives a name and structure to the frameworks and methods used in solution design. This ensures that designers never retrace their steps, eliminate good ideas, or lose focus. Here are a few more key benefits:
Using the Double Diamond framework involves progressing through four structured phases, each with unique goals and methods to ensure effective problem-solving and solution creation:
The Double Diamond model is a methodology that can be used in a range of industries, not just design. It is a designer’s guide because it can be applied to any problem that requires a solution. It is a comprehensive approach to making good design decisions with users and solutions in mind.
As a designer, you may have designed a process that works for you, or your organization may have designed a process that works for designers; the Double Diamond assists you in breaking down these processes by having a problem and solution phase to help you design better solutions.
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