The Double Diamond Framework

Abstract

Managing design projects has traditionally been understood as preplanned and predefined phases followed in a linear sequential flow. This approach is no longer sufficient as today´s business environment is very dynamic where the technology is advancing rapidly, customers' preferences are everchanging. Organizations are therefore affected by both external and internal factors which increases the complexity and uncertainty in projects. Exploring the right methods to manage the design, innovation, or problem-oriented projects that would speed up the innovation processes and shortening the life cycle of projects is an ongoing challenge for any project manager. Project managers are accountable for the quality and outcome of a project and to produce successful results and meet the stakeholder needs, the project manager must provide the right tools and techniques for the project teams. One widely applied approach for design projects is the Double Diamond framework developed by the Design Council in 2004. The Double Diamond framework is a graphical representation of a design process. The framework presents four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. The phases are divided into two diamonds where each phase is characterized by either divergent or convergent thinking. It is an iterative design process that helps the design team to understand the customer needs through collaboration with customers, thus developing solutions based on those needs. This article aims to describe the concept of the Double Diamond, elaborate upon why and when project managers or design teams could utilize the framework and a description of how to apply the framework in practice as well as providing potential tools and methods that can be applied within each phase to successfully progress the different phases. Moreover, the advantages and limitations will be discussed as well as the opportunity for extending the framework.

Background

The Double Diamond framework is derived from the Design Thinking concept. Some sources are claiming that its origins go back to the “Dynamics of Divergence and Convergence” model introduced in 1996 by Bela Banathy. However, the framework has the same underlying principles as many other design-related models such as Human-Centered Design, by IDEO, and the Design Thinking process. The framework is developed by the British Design Council back in 2004. The Design Council´s origin is Industrial Design which is about designing products, devices, objects, and services. The development of the model has been based on case studies gathered from 11 global companies. The Framework has been revised incrementally since its publication. These revisions are both done by the Design Council and other companies that have adapted and adjusted the model into their projects. When searching for the Double Diamond on the internet, one can find the model in various shapes and descriptions that are made from different companies and stakeholders, however, the standard graphical description is depicted in Figure 1.