17 July 2025
What Is Design Thinking, Really?
Everyone says design thinking starts with the user. But what if it starts with you? What if the best innovations don’t follow a method, but a conviction? This piece explores the heart of design thinking—not as a fixed process, but as a mindset that begins wherever belief, empathy, and intent collide.
Piyorot Piyachan
CEO of Mutrack
I asked a few experts what Design Thinking really means. The answers I received came back circling a similar definition:
From ChatGPT – 12:02, July 11, 2025
Design Thinking is a design-oriented thought process that emphasizes deeply understanding problems from the user’s perspective, then using that understanding to create solutions that genuinely address those problems. Its key characteristics include iteration, hands-on prototyping, user testing, and learning from mistakes in order to continuously improve the solution.
From Gemini – 12:05, July 11, 2025
Design Thinking is a problem-solving and innovation process that centers around the user or consumer. It emphasizes a deep understanding of the user’s true needs and problems in order to generate ideas and solutions that are truly effective.
From Claude – 12:09, July 11, 2025
Design Thinking is a human-centered problem-solving process that focuses on deeply understanding the needs of users and leads to the creation of innovations or solutions that respond to those needs.
From Perplexity – 12:11, July 11, 2025
Design Thinking, or thinking through design, is a process of thinking and problem-solving that centers on understanding human or user needs (Human-Centered Design), with the goal of creating innovations and solutions that meet those needs effectively and tangibly.
The answers all clearly share common themes: design-oriented thinking, user-centered focus, deep understanding of the problem, and innovation.
Seeing this, can we then conclude that “Design Thinking is a problem-solving process that starts with understanding users and leads to new solutions that truly address the need”? Can we say that “if we begin by understanding any problem, we are already stepping into the path of Design Thinking”? And can we say that “putting the user at the center is the starting point of innovation through Design Thinking”?
For me, the answer is no—because the truest form of Design Thinking starts from within ourselves.
Design Thinking Must Start with the User
Yes—before we even say we are doing Design Thinking, we must ask the question: who are we designing for, and why? Because if we don’t know who we’re creating for, we may end up building something that looks great, is packed with features, and technically works—but means absolutely nothing to anyone. So when we say “start with the user,” it’s not just a cool phrase to put on a slide or scribble on a whiteboard during workshops. It means we must literally step into the lives of the people we are designing for. We must listen, observe, watch, and feel what problems they face in their daily lives—and understand how they’ve tried to deal with them on their own.
There is no Design Thinking lesson that doesn’t include the word empathy. And I’m no exception. Every time I think about solving a problem, that word is something I try to keep front and center.
In the world of Design Thinking, when people mention empathy, they often think of understanding emotions, contexts, or user-stated needs—and that’s not wrong. But to me, empathy doesn’t always mean giving users what they ask for—it means choosing to solve what truly matters first. Deciding to tackle the real problem is a deeper form of empathy. Good design doesn’t mean doing everything the user says—it’s about using your judgment as the one responsible for creating, to decide what to believe, who to trust, and what kind of solution will actually be most helpful.
Starting from the user helps us understand the problem more deeply. Meeting with people, having conversations, and experiencing their real environment makes it easier to develop true empathy. But what if we don’t get a chance to meet real users? What if we can’t observe them on-site or study their behavior directly?
Does that mean we’ve lost our chance to apply Design Thinking? The answer is no, because…
Design Thinking Must Start with Ourselves
Yes—starting with the user is important. But many times, the thing we have to rely on the most isn’t the user’s voice, but our own. Because when we don’t get the chance to meet real users, when the data is insufficient, when we don’t have enough time to sit with the problem, or when no one tells us what they’re going through—the only thing we’re left with is our instinct, our beliefs, our experiences, and our own intentions.
In the real world, Design Thinking rarely begins in a research field full of insights. It often starts in a quiet room, with just us and a few unanswered questions. In those moments, Design Thinking doesn’t mean waiting until all the data is in—it means using ourselves as the starting point of understanding. Because if we’ve ever faced the same problem, if we’ve ever felt what the users feel, or if we have enough imagination to step into someone else’s life—that’s already enough to start designing something that matters.
I believe great ideas don’t just come from looking outward. They come from having the courage to ask ourselves honestly, “If I were them, how would I feel?” and “If it were me, how much better would I want this to be?” The best designers aren’t just the ones who understand users. They’re the ones who act on their conviction that something should be better—even if no one asked for it yet.
Of course, there’s risk in this path. Designing too much from within can trap us in our own perspective. We can get lost. But tell me—what innovation in human history didn’t start with risk? None. And if we believe we’re building innovation, the sooner we’re willing to take risks, the sooner we’ll learn and get closer to breakthrough.
Because ultimately, the truth is: no one is coming on a white horse to save us. When we face a dead end, when creativity dries up, when we lose confidence in our design ideas—going back to users and hoping they’ll light the way is often wishful thinking. No one can save us. There is only us. Only the intention that comes from within. And only the resolve and the story we repeat to ourselves will keep us from giving up too soon.
Design Thinking is us, not someone else. Design Thinking is our mission, and ours alone.
Design Thinking Is a Team Effort
This is a fascinating point—who exactly is responsible for Design Thinking in a team? Let’s ask the experts one more time.
From ChatGPT – 13:49, July 11, 2025
In a traditional software development team, the people who usually take direct responsibility for Design Thinking are UX/UI designers or product designers. Their role is to shape the user experience, and they typically possess the core skills associated with Design Thinking: user research, problem understanding, prototyping, and user testing.
That said, another key role is the Product Manager (PM). A PM defines what the problem is, what should be solved, and when. If a PM sees beyond roadmaps and backlogs and genuinely seeks to understand users, they can drive Design Thinking alongside designers in a very powerful way.
In great teams, developers or engineers are also involved—not necessarily as the lead thinkers, but as co-creators who contribute by shaping what’s technically possible. They can offer creative, elegant solutions—especially when involved early on during the user research or ideation phases.
What do I think of this answer? It makes things very clear: Design Thinking is a collaborative effort. No matter what role we play, if we care about this way of working, we need the knowledge, perspectives, and contributions of others. Different viewpoints, varied life experiences, and diverse convictions from teammates help us see things we’ve never noticed, hear things we never imagined, and most importantly—ask bigger, better questions.
All of this leads to undeniably good outcomes. After all, no one in the world is smarter than ten people sitting at the same table. Everyone knows something others don’t. Everyone’s lived through something others haven’t. Everyone sees some corner of the truth that others can’t quite grasp.
That’s why great design almost never happens in isolation. Professional design teams are often made up of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking. It’s that diversity that lets us discover what we’ve never seen before—and ask the kind of questions we never dared to ask.
But does that mean Design Thinking is only a group activity? The answer is—no. Because…
Design Thinking Is a Solo Responsibility
It is our responsibility—and ours alone. Why do I believe this?
Because if we simply ask ourselves, “What would I have left if no one else on the team cared about this?”—would we just let things slide? Let the process of thinking, designing, and decision-making happen and dissolve on its own?
If we truly care about this, the answer should always be no. And that, in itself, is the clearest proof that says:
“I don’t need anyone else—not even one person—because this begins and ends with me alone.”
If we believe that Design Thinking means deeply understanding design, then where do we stand now? Do we understand it only on the surface level—just enough to use it? Just the look and feel of the interface? If we go deeper and find ourselves lost, uninterested, or reliant on others, should that worry us?
When we present our design, how deeply can we explain it? If we say Design Thinking is about understanding how things work, can we really guide the team, lead the direction, and set the standards?
For those truly committed to this way of thinking, Design Thinking whispers:“You must know and understand as much as possible—to the point you no longer need anyone else while thinking.”
When we draw a single button on an app screen, is that all we care about? Its size, color, shape, border radius, and font? Or do we also understand when this button should be active, why it should or shouldn’t be pressed, who will press it, and under what circumstances pressing it holds meaning?
Do we see the deeper structure of the system that supports what we design? Can we trace the impact of this tiny change across other systems? How well can we explain our decisions to others? Do we feel truly confident that this is the best solution we can come up with at this moment?
Or are we still designing just the front layer, waiting for others to take responsibility for the deeper dimensions? Are we just following routines passed down over time? Or are we simply executing orders—orders with no solid reasoning behind them?
Do we panic when there’s no one to ask? Can we trust our own thinking when no one is there to validate it? Are we ready to think alone—without waiting for someone else to set our priorities?
Are we willing to defend this design idea with all our strength, knowledge, and vision? Do we truly want to elevate our work to that level?
Because Design Thinking has never been about the majority. It has always been about us alone from the beginning. And if we want to be designers who work to the standards this discipline deserves, we must always start by being brave enough to think—and to build—on our own.
Design Thinking is about Creating for Others
When I revisit the definitions "What is design thinking?" again, the message is crystal clear from the very first sentence—Design Thinking is user-centered. That alone says everything. We are trying to design for others, solve problems for others, build something for others.
No textbook ever recommends that we forget the user, ignore reality, or reject external input. And it’s exactly this mindset that has allowed us to experience countless great products and services that make us feel genuinely cared for in today’s world.
One example that always comes to my mind when I think about “designing for others” is Airbnb in its early days. The challenge wasn’t just about building an online platform for renting homes—it was far more complex: nobody trusted anyone.
Imagine letting a stranger sleep in your home. Now imagine being that stranger, walking into someone’s home halfway across the world. What Airbnb needed to build wasn’t just a slick website that made booking easy. They had to design a feeling of safety—something nobody could quite articulate or request, yet everyone needed to feel.
Airbnb called this principle Design for Trust.
They experimented with tiny details: using profile photos, displaying real names, writing honest-sounding reviews, allowing hosts to answer questions, and even styling their UI to feel warm rather than sharp like most tech platforms. None of this was designed to look pretty—it was designed to help two complete strangers trust each other just enough to hit the “book” button or hand over their house keys.
When we start with others in mind, we set aside our ego. We stop insisting that our designs must be right. When we accept that their problems are our responsibility, we stop blaming the user. We stop saying things like, “It’s not that hard; they just don’t get it,” or “I’ve explained it a hundred times—why can’t they figure it out?”
Airbnb is a masterclass—not just in design approach, but in mindset. A team designing for trust doesn’t just ask, “How do we get people to book?” They ask, “How do we make people feel safe enough to trust each other?” That’s the heart of designing for others. It doesn’t just solve visible problems—it addresses unspoken feelings no one dares to voice.
And that’s the key difference between listening to respond and understanding to act.
Because in the world of Design Thinking, solving others’ problems might be the end goal—but taking action simply because we feel that something should be better, even when no one asks, is a truth we must not ignore.
So the question is—Can Design Thinking still be considered “valid” if we admit that sometimes we don’t design to serve others, but to protect our own sense of what’s right?
Design Thinking is about Creating for Yourself
If we look closely, no Airbnb user ever said to the team, “Can you help me feel safe trusting a stranger?”
Yet that became the very soul of the platform they built—quiet, but powerful. And who made the decision to create that experience? The answer: the designer themselves—only us.
No masterpiece ever emerged without deep commitment, relentless effort, and perseverance through difficulty. And this is the most overlooked definition of Design Thinking: It’s not just about responding to the needs of others. It’s about answering the deep conviction within ourselves that the world should be better—even if no one has asked for it.
Because no promise is greater than the one we make to ourselves: To do our very best—for others.
Joe Gebbia, Airbnb co-founder and its early design leader, is a perfect example of this principle. The concept of “Designing for Trust” didn’t come from user requests. It didn’t emerge from the research team. It came from him—from someone who wanted to do it, and believed it was something the world needed.
And believe it or not, the phrase “I want to do it—because I want to do it” is one of the most pure and powerful philosophies in all of Design Thinking.
Because I wanted to,
I designed a platform to help strangers trust one another. (Airbnb)
I created a text box that limits messages to 140 characters. (Twitter)
I believed the best stylus is your finger—and changed how the world uses phones. (Apple)
I crafted clothes that allowed women to breathe and move freely. (Chanel)
I built an airline that made returning home feel like a celebration in the sky. (Virgin Atlantic)
I asked the questions no one dared ask and spent decades seeking the answers alone. (Einstein)
I wrote songs to release feelings I had no other place for—and they became a safe space for millions. (Kurt Cobain – Nirvana)
I played point guard at 6’9” and rewrote the mental rules of basketball. (Magic Johnson)
Can anyone truly deny that these small ideas—born from the desire to create for oneself—didn’t change the world?
No one assigned it. No one requested it. No one wrote the brief. They just did it—because they believed it should exist.
And that is the purest form of Design Thinking: When we dare to create for ourselves, driven by a responsibility greater than our own ego.
Then, and only then, do we realize—Designing for yourself isn’t in conflict with designing for others. It’s the path to understanding others in the deepest way possible.
What Is Design Thinking? Does It Even Exist?
After writing thousands of words—exploring ideas, stories, individuals, and all sorts of beliefs surrounding Design Thinking—I started to ask myself: What is design thinking, really?
Or maybe the real question is—between “Design” and “Thinking,” which one matters more?
Or perhaps, it never truly existed in the first place.
We use the term as a way to convey some noble intention: a desire to understand others, to make things better, to use creativity to solve the world’s problems. But if you look closely, you’ll notice something strange—The people who truly changed the world never once claimed they were “designing” or “thinking.”
Apple never labeled their process as one of “empathy.”
Coco Chanel never sat down to draft a “target group matrix.”
Magic Johnson never mapped his problem space on a whiteboard.
They did what they did not because it had a name—But because they felt it should be better. And they had the courage to make it better. That, I believe, is what we should really value.
Because once you peel back all the layers of theory and technique, you’ll see that “design” is really just one of a hundred ways to build something new. And what gives it power is not the process itself, But the thought, emotion, and self we pour into it.
When design is small, but thought and individuality are big
So maybe Design Thinking isn’t really a method, a framework, or a set of tools that guarantees results. Maybe it’s just what happens when someone has an idea they’re determined to bring to life—with a deep understanding of the world outside, and an equally deep sense of purpose from within.
It’s the intention to make things better, By using your own thinking—No matter who it’s for, or what it’s for.
And perhaps. That’s what we should truly call it, when design becomes small, and thinking—and individuality—becomes everything.
Postscript: When I asked again what is design thinking?, here was the answer I got—
From ChatGPT – 18:34, July 11, 2025
Design Thinking is a creative problem-solving process that centers on the user. It emphasizes deep understanding of user needs, accurately defining the problem, generating new ideas, building prototypes, and testing solutions with real users. The goal is to discover effective, practical, and meaningful solutions that add value.
Roughly six hours passed—and the answer from the same expert had shifted slightly in detail.
Design Thinking, as a theory or formula, may not truly exist. But the thought process, the understanding, and the unwavering conviction—those are what endure.
Continue Reading
20 July 2025
Piyorot Piyachan
CEO of Mutrack
3 July 2025
Piyorot Piyachan
CEO of Mutrack
20 August 2024
Piyorot Piyachan
CEO of Mutrack