Meet the Double Diamond model
The Double Diamond model shows how a design project usually works. It’s a loop between diverging moments and converging moments 🔄
The Double Diamond model was invented by the British Design Council in 2005 🇬🇧. This model was created to show the workings of a creative process.
To me, this model is interesting because it shows that when you go from a problem to a solution, you have to employ two different modes of thinking.
The divergent mode of thinking
The divergent mode of thinking is when you open the subject. You are looking for new information.
You are like an explorer 👨🚀, you are trying to discover new unexplored paths to a treasure. To do that, you have to pass through a very dense jungle. Here, you can’t just move forward in a straight line but have to change your direction often.
Divergent mode of thinking is, for instance, what you use when you brainstorm for ideas 💡. You open the world of possibilities. You quickly explore different ideas without going too much into depth.
In this divergent mode, we don’t want to make decisions. We want to collect the differences and we want to open things up.
The convergent mode of thinking
The convergent mode of thinking is when you summarize your options and then take decisions.
It’s as if you were now in front of the treasure and you quickly need to decide ✅ how you will open the box. There is no need to go back to the jungle to see if there is a faster route to arrive at the treasure.
In this mode of thinking, you don’t want to add new information ✋. You don’t want to open things up. It’s all about making decisions, making shit happen and closing things down.
What happens when you mix both at the same time
The problem that many organizations face today is that they try to use both modes of thinking simultaneously. And this creates frustration 😵.
Most organizations try to find new innovative solutions but at the same time want to take decisions and have an action plan ready.
This means that as soon as you start opening and exploring, someone comes and asks: “So, what are we doing now?”
It could also be the other way around. Your team is working hard on making an idea happen and somebody continues to bring new ideas into the game. Both these situations are frustrating and make it very hard and slow to reach your goals.
Separate divergent from convergent thinking
That’s why service designers separate the two modes of thinking. They always ask:
In the diverging mode, where do we want to explore?
In the convergent mode, where do we want to make shit happen? Because we can’t do both at the same time.
By recognizing in which phase of the process you live, you will be able to use the right tools and attitudes that will bring you to the goal of this phase.
That’s why service designers always separate divergent thinking 💡 from convergent thinking ✅.
Going further
This article is part of my free course "What is the Service Designer mindset?" which helps you to finally understand how service designers think and what makes them such a special group of innovators.