The world’s leading companies like IBM, Google, Apple, and GE use design thinking to understand their customers better, build innovative solutions, and stay ahead in their industries.
Even top universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Pace University have made design thinking a core part of their coursework, teaching future leaders how to solve problems creatively and effectively.
With design thinking, you can transform how your business operates, ensuring every decision you make benefits your customers and drives your success.
The Six Phases of
Design Thinking
Design thinking is a step-by-step approach designed to solve problems creatively and effectively. Each phase plays a vital role in crafting user-focused solutions.
6 stages of design thinking
- Observe and interact with users to understand their experiences.
- Identify user pain points and unmet needs.
- Use interviews, surveys, or observations to gather insights.
- Develop empathy maps to visualize user perspectives.
- Create a strong foundation for meaningful problem-solving.
- Analyze the data collected during the empathize phase.
- Clearly define the problem or challenge at hand.
- Create a problem statement that focuses on user needs.
- Ensure the problem aligns with business goals.
- Use this phase to set the direction for your solutions.
- Brainstorm a wide range of potential solutions.
- Encourage out-of-the-box thinking without judgment.
- Use techniques like mind mapping or SCAMPER for idea generation.
- Prioritize ideas based on feasibility and impact.
- Narrow down the best concepts to move forward.
- Quickly create simple versions of your solution (e.g., sketches, wireframes, or models).
- Test prototypes with users to gather feedback.
- Identify what works and what doesn’t in real-world applications.
- Refine your prototypes to address user concerns.
- Use this phase to save time and resources by avoiding costly mistakes.
- Validate your solution with real users in different scenarios.
- Collect feedback to confirm whether the solution meets user needs.
- Adjust and improve based on testing results.
- Measure performance against key metrics or KPIs.
- Ensure the final solution is ready for implementation.
- Roll out the solution to your audience or market.
- Validate the success of your strategy through continuous monitoring.
- Be agile—pivot or adapt if the results show room for improvement.
- Evaluate collected data to identify trends and insights.
- Refine your process quarterly to stay competitive and relevant.
CORUNIT
How Design Thinking Benefits Your Business
Design thinking isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about transforming the way your business approaches challenges and opportunities. By keeping the human element at its core, design thinking delivers benefits that drive innovation and growth.
The Top Benefits of Design Thinking
- Encourages out-of-the-box thinking to uncover unique solutions.
- Helps teams break free from traditional problem-solving methods.
- Inspires innovation across all areas of your business.
- Creates space for new ideas that better serve customers.
- Leads to unexpected, high-impact results.
- Ensures solutions are designed around actual user needs.
- Reduces friction points in the customer experience.
- Builds deeper connections with your audience through empathy.
- Increases loyalty by exceeding customer expectations.
- Improves brand reputation with a human-centered approach.
- Minimizes wasted resources by focusing on what matters most.
- Avoids costly mistakes with rapid prototyping and testing.
- Streamlines processes by identifying inefficiencies.
- Enhances cross-functional collaboration.
- Delivers solutions faster without compromising quality.
- Increases conversion rates by understanding user behavior.
- Boosts revenue by solving problems that impact sales.
- Optimizes ROI through targeted, validated solutions.
- Tracks success using KPIs to measure progress.
- Aligns business strategies with customer expectations.
- Keeps your business adaptable in a fast-changing market.
- Promotes a mindset of continuous improvement.
- Identifies trends early to stay ahead of competitors.
- Makes it easier to pivot when needed.
- Builds resilience for long-term success.
Ready to See the Benefits for Yourself?
Design thinking bridges the gap between understanding your customers and delivering what they need.
It’s the secret weapon your business needs to stay ahead.
Proof That Design Thinking Works
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
Design thinking isn’t just a theory—it’s a proven approach backed by results. Businesses and organizations that adopt this method consistently report significant improvements in creativity, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
Key Statistics That Show Its Impact
75% of Organizations
Say they actively engage in design thinking to solve complex problems.
(Source: Parsons New School)
82% of Companies
Believe there’s a strong connection between creativity and business success.
(Source: Creativity at Work)
10% of Fortune 500 Companies
Rank design as their top priority for innovation and growth.
(Source: MadPow)
Boosts ROI by Up to 300%
Companies investing in design thinking see significantly higher returns compared to those that don’t.
Improved User Experiences
Believe there’s a strong connection between creativity and business success.
(Source: Creativity at Work)
Why Top Brands Rely on Design Thinking
Companies like Google, Apple, IBM, and GE use design thinking as a core part of their business strategy. This approach helps them innovate faster, connect deeply with their customers, and outpace competitors.
Design thinking isn’t just for global corporations. Businesses of all sizes can use this methodology to:
- Solve problems with creative, actionable solutions.
- Build stronger relationships with customers.
- Drive measurable growth and efficiency.
What This Means for Your Business
Ready to Experience the Difference?
Start now with a free audit to uncover opportunities for growth.
CORUNIT
Our Expertise in Design Thinking
Decades of Experience You Can Trust
With years of hands-on experience in applying design thinking principles, we bring unmatched expertise to the table. Our team has helped businesses across industries transform their strategies, enhance customer satisfaction, and achieve measurable growth through this innovative approach.
The Leadership of Ray Correa
- Ray Correa, our Managing Director, has a deep background in design thinking.
- Former board member for Pace University Lubin School of Business and Bellevue College Tombolo Institute Design Thinking Programs.
- A trusted advisor to businesses seeking innovative, customer-centered solutions.
Proven Success in Implementing Design Thinking
We’ve worked with companies to:
- Streamline processes: Identifying inefficiencies and creating seamless workflows.
- Drive customer loyalty: Designing experiences that keep customers coming back.
- Boost innovation: Encouraging teams to think creatively and solve problems effectively.
- Deliver results: Turning insights into measurable outcomes that impact the bottom line.
Why Our Approach Works
- We prioritize understanding your business and audience before diving into solutions.
- Our process is collaborative, ensuring your team is aligned and empowered.
- We refine and iterate to ensure every strategy delivers maximum value.
Take the First Step to Success
Don’t wait—book your free consultation now and start building the future you envision.
CORUNIT
The ROI of Design Thinking
Design thinking is more than a process—it’s an investment in your business’s future. By solving problems creatively and focusing on what customers truly need, this approach drives measurable returns across all areas of your business.
- Increases Revenue
- Solutions are tailored to customer needs, leading to more sales.
- Better user experiences mean higher customer retention and loyalty.
- Reduces Costs
- Rapid prototyping identifies issues early, saving time and money.
- Streamlined processes cut inefficiencies and optimize operations.
- Enhances Innovation
- Encourages creative problem-solving to uncover new revenue streams.
- Keeps businesses ahead of market trends and competitors.
- Improves Team Productivity
- Empowers teams to collaborate effectively on user-focused goals.
- Reduces wasted effort by aligning everyone with clear priorities.
- Drives Long-Term Growth
- Builds a culture of continuous improvement.
- Helps businesses adapt quickly to changing market demands.
- 300% Higher ROI: Companies using design thinking outperform those that don’t in terms of returns.
- Improved Customer Retention: Businesses report a significant reduction in churn rates.
- Faster Time-to-Market: Solutions reach the market quicker, capturing opportunities faster.
The benefits of design thinking go beyond short-term wins—it’s a long-term strategy that pays dividends. Partner with experts who can help you achieve these results and more.
Start Your Design Thinking Journey Today
Design thinking isn’t just a process—it’s a mindset that reshapes how you approach challenges and opportunities. By focusing on your customers and their experiences, you’ll unlock new ways to grow and succeed.
- Stay Ahead of Competitors: Innovate faster with solutions that resonate with your audience.
- Improve Customer Satisfaction: Build loyalty by solving real problems with empathy.
- Drive Sustainable Growth: Focus on strategies that create long-term value.
- A collaborative process tailored to your business.
- Clear, actionable steps to tackle your biggest challenges.
- Measurable results that align with your goals.
- A growing business might shift from tracking monthly new leads to focusing on customer lifetime value (CLV).
- A retail store moving online may prioritize website traffic sources instead of foot traffic.
Refining your KPIs is more than just choosing new numbers—it’s about aligning your metrics with the direction of your business. Keeping your KPIs fresh ensures your strategies stay effective and competitive.
Take the First Step with a Free Consultation
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Schedule your free consultation today and discover how design thinking can transform your business. Let’s create solutions that work—for you and your customers.
Ready to Start?
FAQ
FAQs About Design Thinking
Design thinking is a problem-solving approach that focuses on understanding users’ needs, brainstorming creative solutions, and testing them to ensure they work. It combines empathy, creativity, and logic to address complex challenges effectively.
Design thinking helps businesses create customer-focused solutions, improve processes, and drive innovation. It can lead to better customer satisfaction, increased efficiency, and higher revenue by solving real-world problems effectively.
Design thinking is used by top companies like Google, IBM, Apple, and GE to innovate and improve customer experiences. It’s also taught at leading universities, including Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, as a key methodology for solving modern challenges.
Not necessarily. Design thinking encourages collaboration, but anyone can adopt it. It’s about problem-solving and understanding users, so teams across all departments can benefit from applying the process.
The six phases of design thinking are:
- Empathize: Understand your users.
- Define: Identify the problem.
- Ideate: Brainstorm potential solutions.
- Prototype: Create simple models.
- Test: Validate your ideas with users.
- Implement: Refine and execute the solution.
Absolutely! Design thinking is not just for large corporations. Small businesses can use it to improve customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and find innovative ways to grow on a limited budget.
The timeline depends on the complexity of the problem and the scope of the project. Many businesses see measurable results within weeks of implementing tested solutions, especially when focusing on specific pain points.
The easiest way to get started is with a professional consultation or audit. This can help identify challenges and opportunities where design thinking can be applied. Book a free consultation to see how this process can work for you.