Design thinking is a human-centered approach to solving problems that has spread from product design studios into engineering firms, manufacturers, and technical teams. For engineers, it adds structured ways to understand users, explore more options, and test ideas early, alongside the analysis and rigor engineering already provides. This guide collects the most widely used design thinking frameworks, free toolkits, courses, and books, with a focus on resources that are useful for engineers and designers who work in CAD.
What is design thinking?
Design thinking is a problem-solving process built around the needs of the people who will use a product, service, space, or system. Instead of starting with a technical solution, teams first work to understand users, frame the right problem, generate many possible ideas, and learn quickly through prototypes and testing. The process is iterative, so teams often loop back to earlier steps as they learn.
A common version, popularized by the Stanford d.school, describes five modes:
- Empathize: learn about the people you are designing for through observation and interviews.
- Define: turn what you learned into a clear, human-centered problem statement.
- Ideate: generate a wide range of possible solutions.
- Prototype: build quick, low-cost versions of ideas.
- Test: get feedback from users and refine.
Design thinking and the engineering design process
Many engineers notice that design thinking overlaps with the engineering design process they already know. The main difference is emphasis: design thinking puts more time into understanding people and exploring options before committing to a technical direction.
| Design thinking | Engineering design process |
|---|---|
| Empathize with users | Research the problem and gather requirements |
| Define the human-centered problem | Define specifications and constraints |
| Ideate many possible solutions | Brainstorm and evaluate concepts |
| Prototype quickly and cheaply | Build models and prototypes |
| Test with users and iterate | Test, analyze, and refine the design |
Popular design thinking frameworks
Stanford d.school design thinking modes
The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, known as the d.school, teaches design thinking through the empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test modes described above. Its website offers tools and guides for educators, professionals, and students.
The Double Diamond
Developed by the UK Design Council, the Double Diamond maps the design process as two diamonds: first exploring a problem broadly and then focusing on a clear definition, then exploring many solutions broadly and then focusing on what works. The four phases are Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
The Double Diamond from the Design Council
Human-centered design (IDEO.org)
IDEO.org’s human-centered design approach organizes the work into inspiration, ideation, and implementation. Its free Design Kit site shares methods, mindsets, and case studies for creative problem solving.
The Design Sprint
The Design Sprint, created at Google Ventures (GV), is a time-boxed process for answering critical business and product questions through design, prototyping, and testing with customers, typically over five days.
Free design thinking toolkits and learning resources
- Stanford d.school resources: collections of design tools, including the Design Thinking Bootleg and the d.school Starter Kit.
- Design Kit: free human-centered design methods, mindsets, and case studies from IDEO.org.
- Design Council Double Diamond: an explanation of the framework and the principles behind it.
- MIT OpenCourseWare: Product Design and Development: free course materials from MIT Sloan on the product development process, from opportunity identification through design and testing.
Online design thinking courses
- Design Thinking for Innovation (Coursera): taught by Jeanne M. Liedtka of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, this course introduces a four-question design thinking model with practical tools for innovation challenges.
- IDEO U: online design thinking and creative leadership courses from IDEO.
- SolidProfessor SOLIDWORKS tutorials: for engineers who want to strengthen the CAD skills used to turn design thinking concepts into detailed models.
Design thinking books for engineers and designers
- Change by Design by Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO: an introduction to design thinking and how organizations use it to innovate.
- Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley: how anyone, including technical professionals, can build creative problem-solving skills.
- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman: a classic on usability and designing products around how people actually behave.
- Sprint by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz: the step-by-step guide to running a five-day design sprint.
- Product Design and Development by Karl T. Ulrich and colleagues: a widely used textbook on the product development process for engineering and business students.
Prototyping resources on 3D Engineer
Prototyping is where design thinking and engineering meet. These articles cover practical ways to build and test ideas:
- 6 Rough and Rapid Prototyping Methods to Spark Innovation
- SLA and SLS Rapid Prototyping
- The Future of Functional Prototypes
- From Prototype to Production
- Miro for Design Engineers
- Best Android Apps for 3D Printing and 3D Modeling
Design thinking workshops for engineering teams
Many engineering and design firms bring in facilitators to teach design thinking using their own projects and client challenges. InnovationTraining.org offers design thinking workshops for engineering and design firms, along with a broader range of design thinking training and workshops for organizations.