What Is Design Thinking?

This chapter outlines and discusses different perspectives on design thinking. It provides a schema that illustrates three different understandings of design thinking: (1) methodology, (2) thinking of designers, and (3) practice-based design thinking (embodied thinking). We seek to clarify some of the substantial differences and nuances of alternative understandings of design thinking. Specifically, this chapter discusses significant nuances between structuralism (i.e., information-processing), formal logic (i.e., abductive reasoning), and Gestalt psychology (i.e., humanistic psychology). These differences are based on schools of thought that emerged in early experimental psychology and that then informed numerous design scholars. These perspectives have also informed various practice-based aspects of design thinking, such as variation-selection, meaning-making, and comprehensive design. By outlining these alternative understandings, this chapter presents answers to the question “What is design thinking?” from different perspectives. This discussion and outlined schema encourage researchers and practitioners to articulate their perspective when referring to “design thinking.”