Design thinking methods for AI projects
41 methods across six phases. Each page explains what the method is, when to use it, how to run it step by step, what to watch for and what you leave with.
Understand: learn how the work really happens
A picture of the people, the work and the pain.
- Stakeholder and Impact MapWho is affected, who decides, who carries the risk40 minutes · 4 to 20 people
- Empathy MapWhat a person says, thinks, does and feels30 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Current-State Workflow MapSteps, handoffs, decisions and exceptions as they really happen60 minutes · 3 to 10 people
- Journey MapHow an experience feels over time, with highs and lows60 minutes · 4 to 12 people
- Day-in-the-Life WalkthroughOne role, task by task, across a normal day or week45 minutes · 2 to 8 people
- Interview GuideOpen prompts for one-to-one conversations45 minutes · 2 to 3 people
- Write, Pair, ShareEvery voice on paper before the discussion starts20 minutes · 6 to 40 people
- Pains and Gains BoardFrustrations and wins, side by side30 minutes · 4 to 25 people
Frame: agree the problem
A statement and questions to answer.
- How Might WeA problem turned into an open question30 minutes · 3 to 15 people
- Problem StatementWho needs what, and why it matters30 minutes · 3 to 10 people
- Jobs-to-be-Done StatementThe progress someone is trying to make30 minutes · 3 to 10 people
- Five WhysRoot cause, by asking why again and again20 minutes · 2 to 8 people
- Is / Is-NotThe boundary of the problem30 minutes · 4 to 15 people
- Issue TreeA problem split into parts that do not overlap45 minutes · 3 to 8 people
- FishboneCauses grouped by category40 minutes · 4 to 12 people
- Affinity ClusteringMany notes sorted into themes40 minutes · 5 to 30 people
- Success Criteria and ConstraintsWhat good looks like, and what limits the answer30 minutes · 3 to 12 people
Ideate: generate options
Many ideas, then a few cards.
- Structured BrainstormMany ideas, built in rounds30 minutes · 4 to 12 people
- Crazy 8sEight quick ideas in eight minutes15 minutes · 3 to 20 people
- SCAMPERIdeas from asking how today’s process could change40 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Reverse BrainstormIdeas flipped from ways to make it fail30 minutes · 4 to 15 people
- Headline from the FutureA vivid picture of success25 minutes · 3 to 15 people
- What Would Have to Be TrueThe conditions an idea needs to succeed30 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Borrowed IdeasIdeas from other industries30 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Idea CardOne idea written up on one page25 minutes · 1 to 15 people
Select: choose what to take forward
Ideas placed and ranked on agreed criteria.
- Dot VotingA quick read of preference and concern15 minutes · 4 to 30 people
- Value and Feasibility PlacementIdeas placed on value and feasibility30 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Automation Fit and Trust Cost PlacementTasks placed into four bands: Automate, Augment, Defer, Reserve40 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Assumption MapThe riskiest assumptions, named40 minutes · 3 to 12 people
- Decision Criteria MatrixOptions scored against agreed criteria45 minutes · 3 to 12 people
Prototype: make it tangible
Something people can react to.
- StoryboardAn idea told as a sequence of frames45 minutes · 2 to 8 people
- Concept PosterThe idea on one page, as a pitch40 minutes · 2 to 6 people
- Hand-Simulated AI SessionA person plays the AI solution behind the screen90 minutes · 3 to 6 people
- Prompt Prototype SheetThe AI solution’s behaviour written down and tried out60 minutes · 2 to 6 people
- Process BlueprintVisible and hidden steps, person and AI solution60 minutes · 3 to 8 people
- Role-Play ScriptThe new process acted out45 minutes · 4 to 12 people
Test: learn before building
What held, what did not, what changes.
- Pre-mortemFailure causes listed before the test30 minutes · 4 to 15 people
- Experiment CardA test and its pass mark25 minutes · 1 to 8 people
- Feedback GridLikes, wishes, questions and ideas30 minutes · 2 to 15 people
- Trust and Oversight CheckThe points where a person must step in35 minutes · 3 to 10 people
- Learning LogWhat we learned, and what changes20 minutes · 1 to 15 people
New to this? Read design thinking for AI projects and how to run a workshop, or use the method finder to pick methods for your group.
Questions
What are the main design thinking methods?
This guide covers 41 methods in six phases: Understand, Frame, Ideate, Select, Prototype and Test. Each has a page that explains what it is, when to use it, how to run it step by step and what to watch for.
Which design thinking method should I start with?
Start where the group is stuck. If nobody agrees who is affected, use a Stakeholder and Impact Map. If the problem keeps being described differently, use Is / Is-Not and a Problem Statement. If you need many ideas fast, use a Structured Brainstorm or Crazy 8s. The method finder recommends methods for your group size, time and setting.
Are the templates free?
The 30 methods in Understand, Frame, Ideate and Select are in the free Workshop Toolkit, each with a guide page and a printable canvas. The Prototype and Test methods are in the paid Prototype and Test Pack.