CIRCLES
Updated 2026-08-11
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
CIRCLES is a seven-step method for thinking comprehensively about product design: Comprehend the current situation, Identify the users, Report the user needs, Cut by priority, List the solutions, Evaluate through trade-offs, and Summarize. When a vague request arrives, such as design an alarm clock for blind users, walking the CIRCLES order guarantees that the question of who the user is gets answered before any drawing begins, which is exactly the step most people skip when they leap straight to solutions.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Force user-first thinking: identify exactly who the intended users are before any solution is drawn. - Prioritize needs: rank the discovered user needs instead of quietly treating all equally. - Pressure-test solutions: evaluate the real trade-offs before committing to any final design.
Anchor fast decisions
Built on structured product thinking. The seven steps run from comprehension to summary and force users and needs to be settled before solutions are listed, which prevents the common failure of solution-first thinking.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- productplan.comhttps://www.productplan.com/glossary/circles-method/verified
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