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What is the Design Thinking Hypothesis?

 The design thinking hypothesis is nothing more than a forecast based on research into a specific circumstance. A Product Manager's ultimate purpose, in collaboration with UX Designers, is to create an ideal user experience.  This isn't news to anybody. The great problem is continuing a line of inquiry without knowing whether you've got the appropriate answer for something that might be both subjective and wide at the same time. Using heuristic analysis, for example, it can be complicated to anticipate and understand what an audience wants or how to handle specific UX problems properly. 

What is the Design Thinking Hypothesis


We are aware of the fact that the user experience (UX) is an element that might influence the conversion rates in both directions. For example, during an e-commerce purchase process, a poorly executed feature or even a minor element may sabotage the experience, negatively hurting conversion. As a result, it has become crucial to develop a design hypothesis to address the challenges or the opportunities observed which results in enhancing the UX. Constraints are ingrained in the essence of design

We need to make certain compromises as we are trying to answer a user's problem in a specific business environment.

This notion took some time for us to embrace. We used to think of design as the discovery of the one and only true answer. However, as my thinking progressed, we understood that there is never just one excellent solution to an issue. Depending on what we need to focus on, any problem could be seen and solved in a variety of ways.

In addition, we discovered that users are unpredictable. They may employ a design in an unexpected manner. What is common sense to one person may not be so to another. Hence, no matter how much theory we used to refine the design, proving its efficacy without testing it in real-world situations would always be tough.

Their objective, which is derived from the scientific process, is to ensure that we describe our answers as a hypothesis that must be verified.

They assisted us in determining the appropriate objectives and ensuring that our thinking is based on as many facts as possible in order to maximize our chances of success.

As a result, we were able to enter an iterative cycle in which each answer was evaluated and examined, resulting in new and stronger ideas.

But what exactly is a hypothesis? In other words, according to the dictionary, it is a claim that is accepted as a principle from which a particular set of implications could be drawn, regardless of whether it is true or incorrect. In plainer Portuguese, it's the notion that a certain action may fix an issue.

It's a commonly used notion in the scientific world. A scientist investigates a phenomenon and hypothesizes about what causes it to exist, then tests and proves his or her hypothesis.

In this scenario, the design hypothesis is attempting to accomplish the same goal.


What is the design hypothesis?

In the design thinking process, the design hypothesis is nothing more than a forecast based on research into a specific circumstance. It differs from the "kick-off" in that a hypothesis is formed from numerous pieces of evidence gathered from the analyses as well as the facts we've been discussing.

It's a suggestion on what should be improved in a UX set. That is, the designer develops a hypothesis about how to enhance a given interaction based on his knowledge and accessible facts.

Let's return to the e-commerce example to see how a design hypothesis is created. The first step is to comprehend the issue. In this case, you notice a significant drop in the conversion rate at a certain point in the funnel. And you, as a UX Designer, will use design techniques such as usability tests, heatmaps, and a slew of other searches and data that appear to raise as much evidence as possible; As we've said many times in this post, Think more about people and less about pixels.

The next stage is to identify a potential solution. That, in fact, is the hypothesis. For instance, because the e-commerce page is not optimized for mobile, it does not convert. But watch out! The trouble is that you won't be able to come up with a single theory. Several thoughts will spring to mind, and part of your work will be to sort them into categories that are most relevant to your aim.

As a result, the final stage is to put the hypotheses to the test. You'll do this by designing tests, defining KPIs, and tracking metrics to see if the hypothesis has been proven correct. Keep in mind that this is a cyclical and progressive process that will change with each iteration. There's no need to make drastic changes all at once.



Importance of design thinking

So far, it appears to be very straightforward, but don't dismiss it. Design possibilities are critical to your product's success. UX, for instance, is influenced by a variety of elements, making it challenging to forecast what would perform the best for a certain audience.

You will struggle to comprehend the user and company objectives at the start of the kick-off, especially in e-commerce, as shown in the examples.

As a UX Designer, it is critical to use a scientific process in your everyday work. Drawing like a scientist will aid you in finding the solution more quickly and confidently.


Benefits of developing a design hypothesis

The advantages of creating a design hypothesis are obvious. To begin with, it is an inquiry task, which becomes extremely helpful when performed in collaboration with other specialists, in addition to boosting the team's exchange of knowledge. This situation is even more enticing for UX Designers who collaborate in interdisciplinary teams including data scientists, engineers, and product managers, all of whom have evidence to back up well-founded theories. 

Another significant advantage is having a path of study that is evidence-based. So, returning to our example, if there's a chance that the conversion rate is low due to a lack of mobile device optimization, it's possible to isolate this scenario and run specific experiments to ensure that the actions help the user navigate more fluidly, increasing user engagement with your product, and thus directly reflecting your company's revenue.

Finally, don't restrict yourself to only repairing errors; by maximizing the outcomes at each user's point of interaction with the product, we may generate hypotheses for improvements throughout the user's trip. Any 1% boost in conversions across the funnel stages and user interactions throughout your journey may have a significant impact on both the user and the business. Start with checking your website conversion rate on each step of the funnel, then simply identify the possibilities, develop a design hypothesis, then test it.

Also Read- Typography Tips in Choosing the Best Fonts for Your Web Design


The result

Developing design hypotheses can assist you in solving complex problems much more quickly and assertively, minimizing waste when developing products that do not satisfy the demands of users or fulfill business objectives. You replace conjecture with more definite solutions based on evidence and statistics. Stanford design thinking course offers you to specialize.

UX design is not a straightforward process. Despite the fact that designers are well-versed in market practices, predicting what would perform best for a certain audience without any research, analysis, or testing is quite challenging. As a result, it's critical to create a design hypothesis for a wide range of challenges, allowing you to locate the solution that's closest to the ideal in a simple and progressive manner.

The most crucial factor is that, as previously said, a well-founded design hypothesis is based on data. Another helpful recommendation, which may seem self-evident, is to always begin with the problem rather than the solution. Everyone has the "reflex" of jumping to the solution without first grasping the problem. To establish the design hypothesis and locate the optimal answer, first comprehend the problem.


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