If you’re new to design, you’ve probably wondered how many types of design processes there really are—and which one fits your work best. Understanding these processes helps you turn creative ideas into structured, effective results that actually solve user problems.
At millermedia7, we simplify the complex. Our approach blends design thinking, Agile UX, and Lean methods to help teams design smarter—faster. We believe process clarity is the foundation of creativity that scales with purpose.
This guide breaks down key types of design processes and explains their differences. It also helps you find which method matches your project’s needs, from early brainstorming to full product delivery.
Understanding the Design Process
The design process shapes how raw ideas turn into real solutions. It lays out steps for your team to tackle problems and helps you build user-friendly products. Knowing how this process works just makes collaboration smoother and your results stronger.
Definition of the Design Process
The design process is basically a series of steps you follow to create a product or service. You start by understanding the problem, and you end up delivering a final solution that actually works for people. Each step builds on the one before, so you move from big ideas to detailed designs.
Most of the time, you’ll see steps like research, brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and refining. There isn’t just one “right” way—different projects need different approaches. But the goal stays the same: design with purpose and clarity, always keeping the user in mind.
Purpose and Importance of Design Processes
A design process keeps you from just guessing. It gives you structure so you can solve problems clearly and make stronger decisions. With a process, you cut down on mistakes and wasted effort, and you know when it’s time to test ideas with real users.
It also helps teams work together. When everyone knows the steps and what’s expected, communication just gets easier.
The Strategic Value of Design Frameworks
According to a McKinsey & Company report, design-driven companies outperform competitors by 32% in revenue growth. This success stems from embedding design processes early in business strategy—not as an afterthought.
A structured process turns creativity into measurable outcomes by aligning user insights with organizational goals. Teams that adopt repeatable frameworks like Design Thinking and Agile UX achieve faster validation and stronger collaboration across departments.
Common Elements Across Design Processes
Most design processes share a few key elements to keep things on track:
- User research: Figure out who’s going to use your product.
- Ideation: Let yourself create a bunch of ideas, no limits.
- Prototyping: Build simple models to try out your ideas.
- Testing: Get user feedback to see what actually works.
- Iteration: Improve your design based on what you learn.
These steps help you stay focused on users and adapt as you go. Doesn’t matter if you’re making an app, a website, or something physical—these guide you to clearer, tested solutions.
Primary Types of Design Processes
When you’re working on a project, knowing the different design processes gives you options to pick what fits your goals. Each process has its own rhythm and flow, shaping how ideas become real designs. Some are all about clear, linear stages; others loop back and repeat steps as needed.
Linear Design Process
The Linear Design Process takes you in a straight line. You move step-by-step from research to final delivery, and you don’t really circle back. This works best when you know exactly what you want and don’t expect things to change much.
Each phase has a clear target—like gathering user needs, coming up with a design concept, building a prototype, and testing. Once you finish a step, you move on. That keeps things tidy and deadlines in sight.
It’s simple and easy to manage, but if something unexpected pops up, you might miss a chance to make things better. Linear processes show up a lot in traditional product development, especially where making changes is tough or expensive.
Iterative Design Process
The Iterative Design Process is all about repeating cycles. You make a version of your design, test it out, collect feedback, and tweak it. Then you do it again, and maybe again, until you land on the best solution.
This way, you can gradually refine your design, and you’re less likely to get tripped up by wrong assumptions. Feedback from real users or stakeholders points you in the right direction each round. It’s a flexible approach, perfect for projects that are a bit messy or keep changing.
Cyclic Design Process
The Cyclic Design Process runs in ongoing loops, not really aiming for a hard stop. After you finish a cycle of design, testing, and validation, you loop right back to earlier phases to reassess and improve.
This keeps your project evolving as new data or tech comes up. It’s a good fit for products that need regular updates or live in fast-moving markets.
Teams can keep things fresh by bringing in new ideas and responding to changing user needs. Sure, it might take more time and resources, but it helps your design stay useful and relevant for the long haul.
Major Design Process Frameworks
Design processes give you a map from ideas to finished products. Some frameworks stick to set stages and planning, while others push for more exploration and user input. Knowing these differences helps you pick what works for your project.
Waterfall Model
The Waterfall Model just moves step-by-step. You go through set phases like research, design, development, testing, and deployment, in that order. You finish one phase before starting the next.
This model fits projects where you know what you want from the start. Because it’s so linear, making changes later is tough. It’s good for simple projects or when you need tight control over timing and results.
If you want predictability and clear targets, Waterfall keeps things organized. But it’s not great if your project needs to change or if you’re still figuring out what users want.
Double Diamond Model
The Double Diamond Model splits design into four parts: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. You start by exploring problems broadly, then narrow down to specific solutions before building and launching.
This framework leans on divergent thinking (big-picture exploration) and then convergent thinking (zeroing in on a solution). You spend time really getting to know your users, which leads to smarter design choices.
It helps teams avoid jumping to solutions too quickly and encourages solving the right problems thoughtfully.
Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a user-centered approach for solving tricky problems through empathy and iteration. You work through five stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
You start by talking with users to get real insights, then define the core problem. After that, you brainstorm ideas, build prototypes, and test them fast. Feedback shapes your next steps, making solutions more on-target and effective.
This framework is flexible and pushes for ongoing learning. It’s a good fit when user experience is a big deal and the project needs to adapt along the way.
| Framework | Key Features | Best For |
| Waterfall Model | Linear, sequential phases | Projects with fixed requirements |
| Double Diamond | Wide exploration, focused solution | Balanced creativity and clarity |
| Design Thinking | User empathy, rapid prototyping, testing | Complex, user-centered problems |
Specialized Design Processes
Some design processes are all about speed and flexibility, while others try to cut waste and boost user feedback. Knowing these approaches makes it easier to choose what really fits your project.
Agile Design Process
The Agile design process breaks your work into small, bite-sized sprints. Each sprint lasts a few weeks and delivers something you can actually test. This lets you adapt fast and improve designs based on what users say, over and over.
Your team meets often to plan, review, and adjust. That keeps everyone on the same page and projects moving forward. Since you’re focused on continuous improvement, you avoid wasting time on stuff users don’t want.
This process is great if your product will evolve or need regular updates. Agile helps you spot problems early and fix them before they get too big.
Lean UX Process
Lean UX is about doing just enough design to test ideas quickly. Instead of perfect mockups or endless documentation, you use prototypes and sketches to get feedback early and often. That saves time and keeps you focused on what matters—user experience.
You work closely with your team, building and testing assumptions together. If something flops, you change it fast—no waiting around for approvals. Lean UX pushes for collaboration, learning, and quick decisions.
This approach is best if things are uncertain or you’re short on time. It helps you dodge expensive mistakes by validating ideas before you go all-in.
Comparing Different Types of Design Processes
Design processes aren’t one-size-fits-all. Some are step-by-step, others are flexible and keep looping back. Knowing what sets them apart, and what they’re good or bad at, helps you pick the right one.
Key Differences
- The Waterfall process moves in a straight line through research, design, and testing. It’s easy to manage, but it doesn’t handle late changes well.
- Agile uses short sprints and quick feedback cycles. You get results faster, but you need a team that can roll with changes.
- Design Thinking is all about understanding users deeply and brainstorming lots of ideas before narrowing in. It encourages creativity, though it might take more time upfront.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Waterfall’s main strength is predictability. You know what’s coming and when, which helps with planning and budgets. But if you need to change something, it can throw off the whole project.
- Agile is great for adapting on the fly. Users stay involved, so your product keeps up with real needs. Still, if you’re not careful, you can end up with scope creep or missed deadlines.
- Design Thinking brings in fresh ideas by focusing on what users want and how they behave. It lowers risk by testing early, but if you don’t keep things moving, it can slow down your timeline.
Picking your process depends on your project’s size, how much time you have, and how flexible you want to be during development.
Choosing the Right Design Process
Choosing the right design process is crucial if you want solutions that actually work. You’ll need to weigh your project goals, your team’s strengths, and your deadlines to land on something that fits. It’s not always obvious, but getting it right can save you headaches and help you deliver better results.
Factors to Consider
When you’re picking a design process, first nail down your main goals. Are you racing the clock, chasing innovation, or really craving user feedback?
Time and budget matter a lot. Some approaches, like Agile, thrive on quick iterations. Others, like Waterfall, fit best when you’ve got clear, fixed steps and not a lot of surprises.
Take a good look at your team’s experience. Does your crew know how to handle complex tools or AI-driven methods?
Blending technology with real user insights usually leads to smarter designs, but not every team is ready for that. Also, how much do you want your users involved?
If you need early feedback, pick a process that keeps those feedback loops open and active.
Matching Processes to Projects
Different projects need different design approaches. Say you’re just refreshing a simple website—Waterfall might do the trick. But if you’re tackling a complicated app or anything with AI, you’ll want something more flexible, like Agile or Lean UX, so you can test and tweak as you go.
If your project’s full of unknowns or things keep changing, flexible methods let you pivot fast. For projects that are well-defined and stable, a structured process keeps things clear. The right fit depends on your business goals, user needs, and whatever technical headaches you’re expecting.
| Project Type | Recommended Process | Why It Works |
| Simple, Clear Goals | Waterfall | Predictable steps and deadlines |
| Complex, Changing | Agile or Lean UX | Fast feedback and continuous improvements |
| AI and Data-Driven | Iterative, User-Centered | Balances tech with user needs |
Designing With Purpose, Not Guesswork
Knowing how many types of design processes exist isn’t just about naming models—it’s about finding what works for you. Each process has its rhythm, from linear predictability to fast, user-driven iteration.
At millermedia7, we help brands implement structured yet flexible design systems that empower teams to innovate confidently. Our methods bring order to creativity—turning ideas into sustainable, user-centered results.
Let’s design something that works beautifully—and scales effortlessly. Together, we can turn strategy into stunning digital experiences that actually perform. What can we help you create?
Frequently Asked Questions
Design processes guide how you create products and solve problems. They often involve clear steps that help you move from ideas to finished work, keeping users in mind at every stage.
Can you explain the Double Diamond design process?
The Double Diamond breaks design into four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. You start by exploring the problem (Discover), narrow down the focus (Define), create solutions (Develop), and then test and launch the final product (Deliver).
What are the typical stages in a UX design process?
In UX design, you usually go through research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and implementation. This helps you understand users, create ideas, try them out, and improve the design before building the final experience.
How does the design thinking process differ from other design methodologies?
Design thinking focuses on empathy for the user. It encourages you to deeply understand user needs and test ideas rapidly. Unlike some processes, it’s flexible and repeats steps based on feedback.
Could you list the five design processes often referenced in design projects?
Commonly, you’ll hear about:
- Design Thinking
- Double Diamond
- Agile UX
- Lean UX
- Waterfall
Each has a unique way to handle design and development, but shares user focus.
What are some common examples of design processes in action?
You might see the Double Diamond used in product design to clarify problems. Agile UX helps teams work in fast cycles, adjusting based on user data. Lean UX focuses on quick experiments to create efficient designs.
Can you outline the four main stages typically seen in the design process?
The main stages are:
- Research – Dig into the problem and figure out what users actually need.
- Ideation – Toss around ideas, sketch, and see what sticks.
- Prototyping – Build quick, rough versions to see how things might work.
- Testing – Let real users try it out, gather their thoughts, and tweak as needed.
