A Review of Design Thinking Evolution and Models

Abstract

Design thinking is a human-centered method which supports the creativity and collaboration among teamwork to solve wicked problems. For at least 40 years, the concept of design thinking has been used in theory and practice as a catalyst for designers’ work in such fields as art, architecture, and business. Nowadays, design thinking has become one of the most popular methods that many organizations adopt for solving problems. Because of the increasing popularity of design thinking since the last decade, the focus on this phenomenon by researchers is essential. This paper contains two parts. The first part discusses the evolution of the design thinking method from its early stage. Moreover, the second part of the paper is comprised of a review of some of the leading design thinking models that organizations used. This article will allow the reader to gain more knowledge about the historical timeline of design thinking besides its most popular models which aim to enhance human interactions that lead to practical user-centered approaches to interdisciplinary collaboration.