MENTAL MODEL · M6604

Empathize-Define-Ideate-Prototype-Test

CreatemediumDesign Thinking

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Updated 2026-08-09

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Empathize-Define-Ideate-Prototype-Test (EDIPT) is the five-stage design thinking framework developed at Stanford University to guide teams from initial concept to tested product. Empathize means observing and interviewing users to grasp their needs and feelings. Define converts those observations into a focused problem statement. Ideate generates a wide range of candidate solutions. Prototype builds cheap, tangible representations. Test puts them in front of real users and feeds what is learned back into earlier stages. The stages are a working order rather than a strict sequence, and the framework assumes repeated returns to empathy and definition.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Use user interviews: gather stories about actual behavior instead of asking users what they want. - Use problem restatement: turn raw observations into one sentence naming the user and the unmet need. - Use cheap prototypes: build the lowest-fidelity artifact that still tests your core assumption.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The framework front-loads understanding before solutioning, which prevents teams from optimizing an answer to the wrong problem. Empathy work supplies the raw material that definition compresses into a testable statement, and ideation then explores widely before commitment. Prototypes externalize assumptions so that user testing can falsify them at low cost, and each round of feedback narrows the space. Iteration is what makes the process work: each pass through test refines the problem statement as much as the solution.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Interview or observe target users and record what they actually do. 2. Compress the findings into one problem statement naming the user and the need. 3. Generate a wide range of solution ideas before evaluating any of them. 4. Build a rough, tangible prototype. 5. Put it in front of users, record where they struggle, and return to the stage that needs revision.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

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en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinkingZH · Explicit
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