Sometime in 2020, our company began transforming into a digital product agency. That year, more clients asked us to help with their product strategy. It was a welcome challenge, but we lacked two things: people and process.
We started the recruitment process, which led to some strong additions to our team. However, recruitment takes time, and we didn’t want the design process left up in the air.
In Need of a (Double Diamond) Design Process
During a meeting in October 2020, Milosz Bazela, the Head of Xfive, shared this process proposal with me:
Our initial process idea
This was a reasonable first attempt to organize our process. But we felt we should do a bit of research and cross-check our ideas against common knowledge.
That was where our hunt for the design process began.
Inevitably, it led us to the most visible contender—the peacock among design processes—the Double Diamond Design Process.
You can’t miss it when searching for a design process. Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels.
What Is in the Double Diamond Design Process
Looking back, it’s no surprise that we—digital product design newbies—chose the Double Diamond Design Process. It’s visual, so it will look great in our sales materials. It’s easy to grasp, so it has to work, right?
Indeed, it’s impressive how the Double Diamond Design Process packs a few high-level concepts into a small space without being overwhelming. In its small footprint, you get:
The problem vs. solution space
Divergent vs. convergent thinking
A nice “Design the right thing, design the thing right” slogan as a bonus
The problem vs. solution space comes from a simple premise. Before you start solving a problem, you should first understand and define it. Otherwise, you may end up solving the wrong problem.
When you’re trying to understand a problem, you are in the problem space.
Once you start working on a solution, you enter the solution space.
Problem vs. solution space in the Double Diamond Design Process
Divergent vs. Convergent thinking
The idea of divergent and convergent thinking aims to maximize our creative potential. In the divergent thinking mode, we generate ideas. In the convergent mode, we evaluate those ideas and try to select the best ones.
A classic example of a creative activity using these two modes is brainstorming. In the first phase, any idea goes without judgment, so we don’t hinder our creative, divergent thinking. Only later do we start evaluating those ideas, getting closer to the winning one.
In the Double Diamond Design Process, the left halves of the diamonds are divergent, and the right halves are convergent:
In the problem space, we first understand the problem through discovery and research (divergent). Then, we define it by analyzing and synthesizing our understanding (convergent).
When working on a solution, we first ideate potential solutions to the defined problem (divergent). Then, we test and implement the solution that works (convergent).
Design the right thing vs. design the thing right
This is just a fancy way of describing the problem vs. solution space. As we mentioned earlier, in the problem space, we try to figure out what the problem is—the right thing to work on. In other words, we are trying to avoid wasting time and money on the wrong problem.
In the solution space, we are looking for a proper solution to the problem. The fact that we identify the right thing to work on doesn’t guarantee success. We need to solve it in the right way—design the right solution.
Our Experience with the Double Diamond framework
Back to our story with the Double Diamond Design Process. In our search for the best design process, we set the following goals:
Improve our effectiveness and results through process standardization
Follow industry best practices
Support sales with an appealing process illustration
We also wanted a process that was flexible enough and suitable for three different project types that we had:
Designed project – A project with its own UX/UI
Defined project – A project without UX/UI but with a detailed specification
Idea project – A project without UX/UI and without a specification
Besides the Double Diamond Design Process, we also looked into the Design Sprint and the Design Thinking process. Design Sprints seemed too specific for our purposes. As for Design Thinking… didn’t it already have a questionable reputation back then?
The Double Diamond Design Process looked the most promising. For example, we could immediately imagine how to depict different project types using it.
Designed Project
The Double Diamond Design Process adapted for a project with its own UX/UI:
In a project with delivered designs, we can focus on the Develop phase.
Defined Project
In some projects, clients have a solid understanding of the problem, so we don’t have to spend much time on the first diamond.
A project where the problem is already well-defined by the client.
An Idea Project
The client comes to us with an idea—this is the closest case to the classic Double Diamond Design Process.
A client only has an idea—let’s unleash the full Double Diamond Design Process.
When we began adopting the Double Diamond Design Process, our priority was to start using it in sales. We wanted to show our clients that we had a mature design process.
We use the Double Diamond Design Process, which we’ve adapted to the specific needs of your project.
You’ve already done most of the work in the problem space, so our focus will be on the solution space. We will concentrate on translating your definition of success into a new product—your website.
The layers represent the iterative and collaborative nature of modern product development. Each layer starts with a diverging phase, later converging on the best solution while informing the other layers.
We attached this sleek visual to illustrate the point.
Although we didn’t win that project, we were encouraged by our ability to articulate the nuances of product development through the Double Diamond.
But one thing is the process you put on paper; another is whether you can actually follow it.
This is when we first encountered the issues of the Double Diamond Design Process.
Pitfalls of the Double Diamond Design Process
Holy Grail Syndrome
The simplicity of the Double Diamond’s depiction of the design process is a double-edged sword. Non-designers may believe they’ve found the holy grail of product development. It may be tempting to “install” this approach in a top-down manner in organizations.
This is less likely to happen if there is already a strong design presence within the company. But if the design team is still forming, new designers might not align with the selected process.
This is what happened to us at Xfive and was one of the reasons we eventually stopped using the Double Diamond Design Process.
Separating Solution and Problem
What we first discussed as an elegant concept may, in some cases, hinder our progress. Especially if we view it in a rigid, dogmatic way.
Marty Cagan, author of INSPIRED and EMPOWERED, says that the separation of problem and solution can work in many simple situations. But often, the best products and innovations happen when “we break down that wall between the problem and solution space.”
As you explore potential solutions, your understanding of the problem develops and deepens, often in unexpected and powerful ways.
Marty Cagan
As Maciej Lipiec pointed out in his Beyond the Double Diamond article, it’s only when we start working on a solution that we begin to understand the problem better.
Clashing with Reality
According to an NN/g survey from 2019, only 20% of organizations perform a discovery phase for every project. Many organizations don’t have the time or management buy-in for the activities in the first diamond. One may wonder how the Double Diamond Design Process holds up in such a world.
The answer is that it often clashes with reality. Andy Budd, in his Smashing Magazine article, says that in most companies, stakeholders decide what the “right thing” is. As a result, there is little interest in doing something like discovery, which might derail that decision.
Andy suggests a reversed Double Diamond Design Process, switching the two diamonds and starting with the solution. Once the solution is launched, stakeholders are more willing to listen to post-launch suggestions.
Unclear Definition of the Development Phase
As more digital agencies adopted the Double Diamond, another drawback surfaced. In the original diagram, the second diamond says “Develop and Deliver.” However, this doesn’t mean development in the sense of coding the solution.
One would think this means coding, but it doesn’t.
If the Double Diamond Design Process has so many drawbacks, why is it still so popular? The answer lies in its flexibility.
There are several ways to adapt the double diamond design model to better fit your specific situation. Let’s explore those.
5 Ways to Make the Double Diamond Design Process Work Better
1. Tailor the Model to Your Needs
Google the Double Diamond Design Process images, and you’ll find countless variations. Flexibility is the second attribute, after simplicity, that has helped spread this design process.
A sleek image illustrating how we work? Designers: “Hold our beers.”
So, if you find the Double Diamond concept interesting but feel like something is missing, simply adjust it to your needs.
2. Make it a Triple Diamond
As we mentioned, the Double Diamond Design Process lacks a development phase. At least in the way we understand it when creating software products.
In the second diamond, we generate potential design solutions to the problem. Then, we narrow them down to one, ideally validated, solution. However, we are still delivering a design or prototypes, not a functional product.
Zendesk elaborated on the Triple Diamond in more detail here.
3. Organize Your Tools in a Toolbox
The Design Thinking Toolbox organizes dozens of design methods and tools into a comprehensive toolkit. And to do so, it uses the Double Diamond Design Process.
Knowing where you are in the process can help you choose the appropriate methods. Or vice versa—if you’ve mastered a certain set of user experience methods, you can organize them alongside the diamonds.
Here is an example of Lean Product Process methods mapped onto the Double Diamond.
Lean Product Process Mapped onto the Double Diamond
4. Discover and Embrace the Messy Reality
Ted Goas, in his article A Product Design Process for the Real World, showcases the design process at their organization. Inspired by Zendesk’s Triple Diamond, it can provide some starting points for your own customization.
He admits that in reality, his process can look like this:
Real-world projects rarely follow a linear path, so iterate between stages or revisit earlier phases as needed. It’s possible that you’ll have to revisit the problem after starting the solution phase.
5. See Beyond the Diagram
The Double Diamond Design Process is not just a sophisticated sequence of brainstorming sessions. At the same time, we should avoid viewing it as a silver bullet that will solve every problem/solution scenario.
The Double Diamond diagram is a visual representation of activities where we generate ideas and then select the ones to pursue. It reminds us how divergent and convergent thinking help in the creative process.
It shouldn’t be a rigid structure that obstructs our view.
Conclusion
As I hinted throughout this article, we are no longer using the Double Diamond Design Process in our company. No matter how appealing a design process may seem, its implementation should go from the bottom up. You need buy-in from everyone, especially those who will be using the process on a daily basis.
The Double Diamond Design Process stands out because it provides a sense of organization within the complexities of product development. Reality is often so complex, though, that even the Double Diamond, with all its flexibility, reaches its limits. We’ve shown a few ways to make the Double Diamond work better in this regard.
If you have a problem to solve or a solution to improve, don’t hesitate to contact us.
