What is the Double Diamond

Double Diamond is the name of a design process model popularized by the British Design Council in 2005, and adapted from the divergence-convergence model proposed in 1996 by Hungarian-American linguist Béla H. Bánáthy. It suggests that the design process should have four phases: Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver.

British Design Council. "Eleven lessons. A study of the design process" (PDF). www.designcouncil.org.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2016.

Banathy, Bela H. (1996). Designing Social Systems in a Changing World. Springer US. p. XV, 372. ISBN 978-0-306-45251-2.

Möller, Ola (9 January 2015). "The Double Diamond". MethodKit Stories. Retrieved 3 September 2019.

The process

• Discover. The first diamond helps people understand, rather than simply assume, what the problem is. It involves speaking to and spending time with people who are affected by the issues.
• Define. The insight gathered from the discovery phase can help you to define the challenge in a different way.
• Develop. The second diamond encourages people to give different answers to the clearly defined problem, seeking inspiration from elsewhere and co-designing with a range of different people.
• Deliver. Delivery involves testing out different solutions at small-scale, rejecting those that will not work and improving the ones that will.

The design principles

The framework for innovation outlines four core principles for problem-solvers to adopt so that they can work as effectively as possible.

• Put people first. Start with an understanding of the people using a service, their needs, strengths and aspirations.
• Communicate visually and inclusively. Help people gain a shared understanding of the problem and ideas.
• Collaborate and co-create. Work together and get inspired by what others are doing.
• Iterate, iterate, iterate. Do this to spot errors early, avoid risk and build confidence in your ideas.

The methods bank

We have authored, adapted or adopted a portfolio of design methods which help our clients to identify and address their challenges and achieve successful outcomes. We have structured these methods in three areas to help them use the design process to explore, shape or build:

• Explore: challenges, needs and opportunities
• Shape: prototypes, insights and visions
• Build: ideas, plans and expertise