The Double Diamond

a design thinking methodology

Previously, I explained what divergent and convergent thinking means and how they are essential for attacking complex problems. In this article I will continue to support using both ‘sides’ of our brain, by suggesting a way to gain control over the process of transitioning from ‘intuitive’ to ‘analytical’ and back.

The Double Diamond is a design thinking methodology, intended to stimulate creative problem solving by using phases of divergent and convergent thinking interchangeably. The process its iterative and each iteration consists of 4 steps:

1.Discover (diverge)
Take a big breath and a step back, let’s make sure we have seen ‘the full picture’, that we have done our research, that we know as much information as we possibly can, before we jump into conclusions and solutions.

2.Define (converge)
What exactly are the parts of this picture that we can and should immediately change? What is beyond our reach?

3.Develop (diverge)
How does our intention translate into action? What are some things to try today?

4.Deliver (converge)
What worked ? What not? What are the key takings from this round?

Every iteration is complete with the delivery of our solution. After that, we are not done. The impact of our solution is evaluated and used to inform the discovery step of the next iteration, while the number of iterations, their duration and shape and content may vary greatly depending on each given situation and the unique parameters of each problem.