Unlocking Better Design: How the Double Diamond Model Drives Success

What is the Double Diamond model? The Double Diamond model is a widely used design process consisting of two consecutive diamond‑shaped phases: divergent‑convergent research and divergent‑convergent design.

It splits the design journey into four steps:

Stage 1 – Research (Do the right thing)

Discover (diverge): collect extensive product and user information.

Define (converge): synthesize and filter information to pinpoint the core problem.

Stage 2 – Design (Do the thing right)

Develop (diverge): generate as many solution ideas as possible.

Deliver (converge): select the most suitable solution, refine it, and iterate through testing.

Advantages of the Double Diamond

Internally, it provides a standardised workflow that guides designers to produce correct designs, reducing wasted effort caused by premature solution discussions. Externally, it makes the design process transparent, helping stakeholders understand the rationale behind decisions and increasing the credibility of design work.

Applying the model in product design

For small projects (B‑level requirements), focus on thorough need analysis in the research phase to ensure the right problem is addressed before jumping to solutions. Use methods such as SMART goals and the 5W1H framework to clarify objectives.

Example: an “auto‑update fast mode” feature was examined using SMART criteria, revealing that while the feature meets power users’ needs, it could negatively affect the majority of users. The design goal was therefore refined to highlight risks and avoid unintended activation.

For large projects (A‑level or design‑enablement), the research phase involves extensive data analysis, user interviews, competitive reviews, and insight gathering to build a comprehensive problem set. The subsequent design phase iterates on multiple concepts, validates them through usability testing, and converges on a final solution.

Examples include a floating‑window redesign for a game platform, where the team collected user, product, and competitive data, identified key pain points across product, experience, and perception dimensions, and then crafted a new structural and interaction framework.

After delivering a solution, the model can be extended to a “three‑diamond” approach, adding a post‑delivery review stage to measure outcomes, analyse performance, and document learnings.