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The Double Diamond: a visual representation of design and innovation

The Double Diamond is a divergence and convergence model that was proposed in 1996 by Hungarian-American linguist Béla H. Bánáthy. Fast-forward to 2005, the British Design Council popularised it as a framework for innovation to help designers and non-designers to tackle problems. As the name suggests, the framework is structured as two separate diamonds, each containing several principles:

• Discover. In the first diamond, teams diverge to understand the problem. Rather than make assumptions, they’ll observe or speak with real people to develop empathy.
• Define. Teams then converge and use insight gathered from discovery to define the problem.
• Develop. In the second diamond, teams diverge once again to explore different solutions for solving the problem. They may seek inspiration from elsewhere and co-design with different people.
• Deliver. At the final stage, teams converge to test different solutions, rejecting those that don’t work and iterating the ones that will.

The universally accepted practice uses different work principles – collaboration, creative thinking and refinement of ideas. Each of them allows you to identify where you currently are in the product development cycle, as well as to iterate solutions until the problem is solved.

Reading list

What is the framework for innovation? Design Council's evolved Double Diamond

Why the Double Diamond is the Most Precious Diagram in UX Design