Design Thinking vs. Rational & Creative Methodologies

Comparing Design Thinking Methodologies

Rational Model Cycle (RMC): Assumes complete problem identification and understanding. Relies on pre-selected experts, limiting cross-functional collaboration. Convergent, rational, and linear thinking. Partners and customers are not involved.
Traditional Creative Cycle (TCC): Explores and immerses to identify problems or opportunities. Uses intuition and creative insight to recognize emerging issues. Convergent thinking, linear. Partners and customers are not involved.
Design Thinking (DT): Makes no assumptions about problem understanding. Advocates for thorough exploration of the problem space. Emphasizes empathizing with users to deeply understand their needs. Encourages direct observation and engagement with users to uncover latent needs and problems. Divergent thinking, also uses convergent thinking to define a shared point of view about the problem and knowledge base.

Rational Model: Generates alternative solutions based on analysis and logical deduction, which may limit creativity.
Traditional Creative: Relies on designers’ own assumptions, preconceptions, subconscious, and associative thinking, leading to limited and biased divergent thinking.
DT: Encourages divergent thinking to generate a wide range of ideas, often through brainstorming and ideation sessions. Focuses on the quantity and creativity of ideas rather than immediate feasibility. The process is fully iterative with feedback loops.

Rational Model: Based on assumed criteria, intuition, and preconceived solutions.
Traditional Creative: Places a strong emphasis on the illumination phase, which involves sudden insights or “aha” moments. Values creative intuition and inspiration in generating novel ideas.
DT: Collaborative idea generation rather than prolonged conceptual discussion. Based on co-ideation, finding new relationships and connections, and co-creating new ideas and concepts. Partners and customers are fully involved through direct engagement.

Rational Model: Focuses on selecting the most rational and optimal solution based on predetermined criteria and analysis. Focuses on acting rather than planning.
Traditional Creative: Entails elaboration and refinement of creative ideas to transform them into actionable solutions. May involve iterative cycles of experimentation and exploration to develop and refine solutions. Convergent thinking, partners involved.
DT: Involves prototyping and iterative testing to develop and refine solutions based on user feedback. Prioritizes rapid experimentation and iteration to converge on viable solutions. Convergent thinking.

Rational: Normally no precious evaluation and testing, only with partners and stakeholders.
Traditional: We test a concept design, prolonged conceptual discussions.
DT: We test a small-scale prototype.