The Double Diamond model is a design process developed in 2005 by the British Design Council. It is one of the most popular design frameworks and heavily used in the design thinking space. With more than 20 years of use, it’s been adopted and adapted by creative, technical, and product teams and used across a variety of industries.
At Hopeware, we use a modified version with all of our clients to ensure that we’re not just building the thing right but that we’re building the right thing.
Steps in the Double Diamond Process
The Double Diamond Process, deeply rooted in Design Thinking, unfolds through four distinct phases: discover, define, develop, and deliver, guiding organizations in crafting impactful digital products.
This design framework, symbolized by two side-by-side diamonds, charts the path from problem exploration to solution realization, blending principles of User-Centered Design with the Agile Development methodology.
Here are the four parts of the process:
- Discover – Step one is the “wide open” part where you capture and gather all the intel. This stage is all about curiosity, asking probing questions, and immersing oneself in the problem space to fully understand the challenges to be addressed.
- Define – You begin narrowing things down to figure out exactly what problem needs solving. This is where the Product Development Process begins to crystallize, employing Problem-Solving Strategies to zero in on a clear target for innovation.
- Develop – During the “Develop” phase, creativity and strategic design take center stage. This phase is marked by robust brainstorming, sketching out concepts, and experimenting with various solutions. It’s a testament to the power of Prototyping and Testing within the UX Design Process, fostering a culture of innovation and creative problem-solving.
- Deliver – Finally, you’ve settled on a specific solution, and now it’s all about making it real. This is where a chosen solution is refined, finalized, and introduced to the world. This stage underscores the importance of Prototyping and Testing, ensuring the final product not only meets but surpasses user expectations.
History of the Double Diamond
The Double Diamond was developed in 2004-2005 by the Design Council in the UK to provide a standard way of describing the design process.
Through reviewing past projects, the team identified four key phases of the design process that involve both divergent and convergent thinking:
- Discover – explore the problem through user research
- Define – synthesize findings into a clear brief
- Develop – generate and test multiple potential solutions
- Deliver – select and launch the final solution
The resulting Double Diamond model distilled the design process into two diamonds representing problem definition and solution development. Its simple, symmetrical visualization was easy to introduce and apply broadly.
Though challenging initially, the Double Diamond became a versatile tool for the Design Council to assess projects, facilitate conversations, align teams, conduct research, and more. Its creators came from diverse design backgrounds.
The model built upon past diamond-shaped process models dating back to the 1960s. But the Double Diamond’s simplicity and accessibility helped popularize design process thinking globally. It remains central to the Design Council’s work promoting strategic design and innovation.
The first model was linear, suggesting that one phase needed to be completed before moving to the next phase.
Several years later, after a lot of observation, the Design Council added changes. The 2019 model is now the standard.
Read more about the history of the Double Diamond.
Hacking the Diamond
The Double Diamond process, while useful in its classic form, has been tweaked and adapted by creative minds over the years to fit different team dynamics, project scopes, and industry needs.
- Integrating Agile and Lean: Some teams mix in Agile methodologies or Lean Startup principles, especially in the Develop and Deliver phases. This means iterating rapidly, building minimal viable products (MVPs), and constantly getting feedback to refine the product.
- Emphasizing User Experience (UX): A lot of folks have shifted the focus towards UX within the Double Diamond framework. This means putting a stronger emphasis on understanding user needs and behaviors from the very start and continuously testing designs with real users.
- Digital Transformation: In the digital realm, the process often gets a tech-savvy makeover. This can involve incorporating data analytics in the Discover phase to gather insights or using rapid prototyping tools in the Develop phase to create digital prototypes quickly.
- Custom Phases: Some organizations add extra phases or steps that reflect their unique challenges or goals. For instance, a phase for technological feasibility might be added between Develop and Deliver for tech-heavy projects, ensuring that the proposed solution can be built with current technology.
- Iterative Diamonds: Instead of seeing the process as two diamonds, some view it as a series of smaller, iterative diamonds, allowing for continuous refinement and adaptation. This approach emphasizes the importance of learning and iterating not just within each phase but throughout the entire project lifecycle.
We’ve modified the process to better serve our clients, ensuring that they don’t waste time, money, and energy building ideas that aren’t right for their goals.
The Hopeware Double Diamond Process
Here is how we work with clients, navigating them through distinct phases of the project – starting with strategy and ending with the right product to further their most important goals.
Let’s walk through the details of the Hopeware version of the Double Diamond.
It starts with your idea or a problem you want to solve. Maybe it’s an idea for an app or a SAAS platform. Maybe you want to build a new tool to reach new customers. Either way, you need to move from an idea to a plan.
So we move into the first diamond, starting with DISCOVER. We work hard to understand the problem you’re trying to solve, who it’s for, and how it should work. We talk through buyer and user personas. We talk through features.
Next, we DEFINE all that information and start building a solid plan. We categorize features and determine what needs to be built now and what should go on the roadmap. We also define how the economic engine will work. We don’t just want you to have a good idea – we want it to be viable.
All of that goes in the make sure we “build the right thing” category. Once we’re aligned, we move on to “build the thing right.”
This second diamond starts with DESIGN, which really has a process all of its own. We talk through ideas, look and feel, and needs. We can work through sketches, wireframes, mockups and clickable prototypes, depending on the needs of the project.
Finally, we DEVELOP. This is where we build the thing, on modern and scalable tech stack and according to the specifications we all know. Because we take so much time getting the strategy right, the development happens smoothly.
The result isn’t just a solution, but a solution perfectly crafted to help the right people and enough people. It’s a solution for your customers, but also for your business.
The Double Diamond and Hopeware Products
At the bottom of the graphic, you’ll notice that our products align with each phase of the diamond.
For Discover, we offer clients an in-person or a virtual Blueprint Session. It’s so much more than idea sharing and feature mapping. We structure this time so that we can give you a solid quote and timeline on the overall project, but most clients typically walk away with actionable ideas they can use right away.
Learn more about Blueprint Sessions and how they could help you.
Our signature product comes to life during the Define phase. The Viability Assessment is a deep dive into product market fit, business planning, and technical roadmapping. This one assessment gives each client a true roadmap for the project and a solid understanding on all the economics.
Here’s everything we work on for you during a viability assessment:
If you need it, we can also create a beautiful and informational pitch deck, allowing you to raise money from investors or donors.
As we move into the second diamond and the Design phase, our team of designers begins working on the look and feel of your product. Often starting with hand sketches and moving into mockup and prototype, this lets you interact with your idea even before it’s fully built. This is invaluable for testing and learning loops.
Finally, we Develop. Because we’ve taken the time to truly understand your needs and goals, we build on the tech stack that serves YOU well. We’re not a one-size-fits-all operation, pushing you to solutions just because we have an existing relationship. We build using the right tools for the job.
Putting a Bow on the Diamond
The Double Diamond model, tweaked with our unique approach, gives you a path to develop your product. We focus on strategic alignment and market fit, making sure that you build the right thing, not just build cool things.
By strategically leading you from Discover to Develop, our goal is to be your strategic ally, giving you a technical product that works the way it should, helps you reach the people you want to reach, and in a way that’s economically viable.
