Top 22 Design Thinking Tools

Design thinking is the process of developing ideas and products that understand and empathize with the needs and perspectives of users. It is a human-centered approach that aims to create innovative solutions to complex problems. It mostly inclines towards the non-tech side of the innovation process.

The design thinking process typically involves five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. In the empathize stage, designers seek to understand the needs, behaviors, and motivations of consumers. Then they use the insights gained in the empathize stage to define the problem they are trying to solve. In the ideate stage, designers generate a wide range of possible solutions to the defined problem. In the prototype stage, they create rough, test versions of their ideas. Finally, in the test stage, designers gather feedback from users to refine and improve their ideas.

Design thinking is used across a variety of industries, including product design, software development, business strategy, and social innovation.

To support these stages, there are various tools available in the market. These tools help enhance design thinking and make the process much quicker and more efficient.

Since many design thinking tools in the market cater to mind-mapping, testing, visualization, and more, we have created a top tools list for you.

Here are the top 22 design thinking tools.

1. Sprintbase

Sprintbase is a design thinking tool that makes collaboration easy. Users can collaborate from anywhere using the mobile app. They can upload images to their Workspace directly from their phones. Users can get an overview of all the elements of their projects from one place. They can control access permissions and produce a shareable output for stakeholders and sponsors.

The tool provides more than 70 templates that are easy to use. It also offers step-by-step instructions for users on using the tool by providing expert guidance videos. The videos explain to users how and when to use different methods.

Key Features:

• Run live multi-team workshops.

• Access a vast library of materials and proven facilitation guides.

• Produce intuitive and clear output reports easily.

• Integrate with Mural easily.

Cost:

Free

Essential: $9/month

Pro: Contact sales.

2. Mural

Mural is a design thinking tool that helps users work faster, create better ideas and experience excellent results. Users can work with their teams in a dynamic and shared visual environment. They can add ideas, action plans, or items and more on a sticky note. They can change the colors of the sticky notes and cluster them together to find patterns and new solutions.

Users can easily collaborate on design sprints and customer journey maps. Users can communicate with their teams seamlessly on Mural. They can comment, add feedback, text, or start an instant voice call during collaboration sessions.

Key Features:

• Provides resizable and infinite canvas options.

• Access control feature during collaborations.

• Easy to build visualizations of maps, flows, processes, journeys, and more.

• Easy to express complex ideas visually.

• Integration with existing productivity tools is easy.

Cost:

Free

Team+: $9.99

Business: $17.99

Enterprise: Contact sales

3. Invision

Invision provides a workspace for teams to work together asynchronously or in real-time. This design thinking tool reduces planning, distributing, and aligning tasks time. It offers customizable smart workflows. The tool provides ready-to-use templates and integrations with other tools the user uses on a daily basis.

The tool connects tools and team members across the organization. It offers hassle-free and efficient cross-functional collaboration. Users can easily design workshops, map their journey and conduct research seamlessly.

Key Features:

• Provides 200+ purpose-built templates.

• Centralizes the workflow.

• Suitable for different departments in an organization- IT, marketing, product management, sales and operations, engineering, and UX design teams

Cost:

Free

Pr0: $4

Enterprise: Contact sales.

4. Miro

Miro is a design thinking tool that helps users bring visual collaborations to reality. It provides a space for hybrid meetings, async collaborations, hybrid events, and project hubs. Each participant on Miro can interact, co-create and share ideas seamlessly, whether working from home or in the office.

With this tool, the whole team can be on the same page. Users can integrate JIRA, Google docs, Asana tasks, and other tools into the Miro board. Users can use this tool on any device. The tool works well with all devices, from tablets and phones to interactive displays.

Key Features:

• Layout all ideas and work on a single Miro board.

• Provides more than 1300 pre-made templates.

• Provides 100+ integrations and apps.

Cost:

Free

Starter: $8/per member/month

Business:$16/per member/month

Enterprise: Contact sales

5. PingPong

PingPong is a design thinking tool that takes care of all the user's remote UX research needs. The users can focus on building products. The tool helps users find testers from all around the world. It automatically sets up the best testers. Users can get instant access to over 175,000 testers.

Users can experience hassle-free interview scheduling. Users can enter the times and dates when they are available, and the tool will get real users booked for the interview. The tool comes with a built-in video-calling feature. Users can record, edit and share sessions. The tool handles tester compensation. It is included in the credit price.

Key Features:

• Easy integration with Google and Office 365 calendars.

• Prevents over-booking.

• Can invite team members to observe calls in real time.

• Provides automatic transcription.

• Provides automated incentive management.

Cost:

Visit the website for pricing details.

6. Hotjar

Hotjar is a design thinking tool that helps users find opportunities for optimization. It provides heatmaps to help users visually see where users move, click and scroll on their website. Through this, users can learn how their users interact and behave with the website.

It provides a recording feature where users can playback sessions on their website. They can watch the full recording of each visit, including mouse movements, clicks, rage clicks, and u-turns. Users can spot issues and find solutions for them.

Key Features:

• Provides real-time suggestion box for the website.

• Helps spot customer experience problems.

• Targeted survey feature to validate ideas by users.

• Provides funnels to visualize conversion flows. Users can get a full overview of the funnel and see where most of their users drop off.

• Easily jump to relevant recordings.

Cost:

Visit the website for cost details.

7. POP

POP helps users build digital products such as prototypes and wireframes and generate design specs. Users can create mockups, wireframes, app, or website prototypes for any device from a browser. They can upload images, sync designs from Sketch, or build mockups directly within the tool. In less than 5 minutes, users can transform their mockups into online prototypes without writing any code.

Provides a user testing feature to gain design feedback on the prototype from stakeholders, customers, and target audience. Users can easily share the prototype with a URL. The tool provides a seamless transition from prototype to user test to developer.

Key Features:

• Provides stock photos, icons, and other assets.

• Add collaborators to projects and assign user roles.

• Watch how testers navigate the prototype with audio, video, and screen recording.

• Provides stakeholders and teams with complete visibility of all projects.

Cost:

Free

Pro: $8/month

Team: $24/month

Enterprise: Contact sales.

8. Boords

Boords is a design thinking tool that helps users create animatics and storyboards. Users can create their storyboard with the drawing tool feature or choose free stock images from the tool or their computer. Users can visualize their design or idea with one-click animatics. They can add frame time, sounds, and subtitles.

They can edit their storyboards in one place. Users can export their storyboards as PNG files, MP4, or PDFs.

Key Features:

• Provides icons and free-stock images.

• Can export to MP4 or After Effects easily.

• It is a secure platform.

Cost:

A free trial is available. Visit the website for cost details.

9. Idea Flip

Idea Flip is an online sticky note tool for design thinking. It is a tool for brainstorming with teams or alone. The tool has various templates to meet the needs of the users. Users can collaborate with their teams in real-time. They can share the sticky note boards with team members and work together remotely.

Users can invite guests from anywhere to the platform for quick, intuitive, or brainstorming sessions.

Key Features:

• Provides a commenting feature for instant feedback.

• Provides templates such as breakout groups, fishbowl conversations, SWOT analysis, swimlanes, simple retrospectives, timeline retrospectives, and more.

Cost:

The plans vary according to the number of users you choose. For cost details, visit the website.

10. Storm Board

Storm board provides an all-in-one shared whiteboard and digital transformation workspace. Teams and professionals can hold a meeting, perform daily initiatives from anywhere, and manage projects. Users can add content to the board in various ways. They can add in the form of videos, text, files, images, and sticky notes. The sticky notes feature helps users sketch and brainstorm ideas efficiently.

The tool provides many purpose-built templates for the users to choose from. Users can visually group content and ideas during brainstorming sessions. The tool can be used from any device. It can be accessed on tablets and mobiles. The data will be safe and secure on the tool.

Key Features:

• Provides more than 250 templates.

• Exports boards into stakeholder-ready documents, images, spreadsheets, and more.

• Efficient and easy collaboration from anywhere.

• Navigation panels to keep track of all the work.

Cost:

Personal: Free

Business: $10/month

Enterprise: Contact sales

11. SessionLab

SessionLab is a design thinking tool during the ideation stage. With this tool, users can design effect workshops. The tool automatically calculates timings as the user makes changes to their agenda. They do not have to waste time with manual edits when updating schedules.

Users can drag, drop and reorder blocks to visually design their agenda. The tool helps users keep all plans and materials in one place for easy access. Users can create a personal library for all their methods and plans. Users can assign collaborators or teams to specific blocks. They can track changes and leave comments.

Key Features:

• Timing updates automatically as changes are made.

• Easy to manage start and end time as well overall session length.

• Streamlines design process.

• Easy to invite teams or collaborators to co-create agendas in real-time.

Cost:

Basic: Free

Pro: $15/month

Team: $60/month

Business:$90/month

12. User Forge

User Forge is an online user persona generator. It helps teams focus on end-user benefits and pain points. Users can create realistic personas with this tool. It is easy to create buyer or user personas in any language.

The tool provides an integrated image library for users to search and select while creating personas. Users can invite stakeholders or colleagues to collaborate and contribute.

Key Features:

• Provides URLs to easily share personas for collaborations.

• Easy to use the application, no design skills required.

• Provides over 1000 icons to add professional and visual impact.

• Syncs with Jira software.

Cost:

Free

Power Workspace: $59 - 79/mo

Full Workspace: $29 - 49/mo

Personas Pro: $16-29/mo

13. UserZoom

UserZoom helps users run expert-level research and connect with real users. The tool helps design products or experiences that customers will love. The tool brings collaborative remote research and analysis tools together to provide high-quality insights needed during design thinking.

The tools UX research capabilities will help users answer research questions with the audience at any stage. The tool has an automated reporting feature to get valuable data in front of teams and stakeholders in the most transparent manner.

Key Features:

• Provides an AI-powered participant recruiting engine to find participants.

• Can measure experience score efficiently.

• Easy to test prototypes at any design stage.

Cost:

Request the price on the website.

14. Mind Meister

Mind Meister is a cloud-based mind mapping and brainstorming platform. This design thinking tool provides three map layouts - org chart, list, and mind map view. Users can use different layouts on the same canvas.

Users can easily show relationships between two mind topics. They can customize the connection line's shape, start or endpoints, and style. With the expandable notes feature, users can dive deeper into topics. The tool provides an outline mode where users can switch between linear and visual views. Users can also link articles from the web.

Key Features:

• Provides predefined templates.

• Provides custom topic styling features to make each topic stand out.

• Add tintable images to a map topic.

• Easily format text within topics and add comments and notes.

• View version histories of the mind map.

• Add GIFs, videos, images, and more to mind maps.

Cost:

Basic: Free

Personal: $3.49/month

Pro: $5.49/month

Business: $8.49/month

15. Figma

Figma is a design thinking tool that provides design features for efficient workflow. It provides a modern pen tool where users can draw in any direction with Vector networks. Users can design clocks, pie charts, and watch screens using the arc tool. With this tool, users will have more time for designing. Buttons will resize with their texts, and lists will rearrange automatically when items are moved around.

The tool provides an auto layout feature where users can easily create responsive designs. The auto layout's direction, padding, and spacing settings translate into a code. Users do not need developers as the tool makes it easy. The tool provides a whiteboard feature as well.

Key Features:

• Provides plugins to automate tasks.

• Boosts collaborations and productivity with widgets.

• Provides a quick search surface.

• Easily drag and drop assets from the library.

• Unlimited team members can be invited.

Cost:

Starter: Free

Professional: $12/month

Organization: $45/month

Enterprise: $75/month

For the whiteboard feature, visit the website for cost details.

16. Balsamiq

Balsamiq is a design thinking tool that helps users create wireframes. It helps users focus on the content and structure. The tool provides a drag-and-drop interface. Users can assemble elements easily. Users can create wireframes at a faster rate as the tool provides many keyboard shortcuts.

It provides reusable symbols. Users can create templates and reusable and customizable component libraries.

Key Features:

• Provides many community-generated and built-in UI icons and controls.

• Present or share wireframes on the web through interactive PDFs or images.

Cost:

Visit the website for cost details.

17. Google Optimize

Google Optimize helps users create a personalized experience and run websites efficiently. Users can easily set up experiments with the help of A/B tests, multivariate, split URL, and other testing features. The tool lets users understand what works the best and what visitors love the best regarding their website.

Users can customize their website experience for each type of audience. The tool is integrated with Google Analytics which helps users understand how they can improve their websites. Users can use the tool's visual editor to make image or text changes or use raw JavaScript or HTML code editor.

Key Features:

• Provides native statistical reporting feature to analyze results.

• Easy to create custom landing pages for Google Ads.

• Easy to use the tool, no professional required.

• Customize the website based on OS, device, or browser.

Cost:

It is free.

18. User Testing

User Testing is a design thinking tool that helps users understand what customers like. Users can target or connect with the audience easily. The tool helps users get feedback from a wide range of audiences. With this tool, users can gather perspectives from an industry-leading, global User Testing Contributor Network from the user's customers, employees, or partners.

Users can use human insights to make informed business decisions with this tool. The tool helps users interact with real-world customers and record the interaction. The tool allows users to share insights easily across the organization.

Key Features:

• Offers flexible testing capabilities - usability testing, live interviews, card sorting, tree testing, clickstream tracking, and brand and message testing.

• Provides multiple data stream capturing features - first reactions, tone of voice, digital interactions, and facial expressions.

• First-hand view of customer's experience through a video.

• Integrates with Jira, Trello, and Sack.

Cost:

Request on the website for cost details.

19. Enjoy HQ

Enjoy HQ is a design thinking tool that helps users place all their data in one place without any storage issues to speed up the analysis process and share insights or results easily. Users can research projects quickly by grouping insights. The tool arranges all the insights in a digestable format for easy access. During the research, users can bookmark evidence, reports, and other important information.

The tool provides unlimited storage to upload files of all formats and sizes. The tool integrates easily with other tools. It provides deep integrations to access customer feedback. Users can send customer feedback to the tool without leaving Slack.

Key Features:

• Can turn video or audio recordings into timestamped transcripts.

• Easy to collaborate with teams.

• Instant and complete visibility into who's engaging with what and how teams are using the research.

• The tool keeps the data secure.

Cost:

Start: Free

Grow: $1000/month

Scale: Contact sales

20. Maze

Maze is a design thinking tool that helps users build with the help of their customers. Users can test prototypes, hypotheses, and concepts easily. Users can capture early feedback on user experience and accessibility to learn more about their designs and users.

Users see their customer's or users' journey as it is. The tool helps capture screen and video recordings. It later allows users to create and share usability tests with real users and watch their responses turn into actionable data points that the whole organization or team can access.

Key Features:

• Integrates with Figma, Sketch, InVision, Adobe XD, and other tools.

• Allows to send targeted research campaigns and build tailored participant databases.

• Shareable reports for each test run.

• Quick customizable of insights with demographic filters.

Cost:

Free

Professional: $75/month

Organization: Contact sales.

21.Concept Board

Concept Board provides a whiteboard to create a visual workplace for teams to collaborate, brainstorm and present ideas in one place. Users can bring their ideas to the table with shapes, sticky notes, sketches, lines, and more. Temas can work in real time with this tool to get quick results. Users can assign tasks and gather feedback on the same tool. The tool provides a moderation mode where ideas can be presented.

Users can add a wide range of files such as videos, images, PDFs, and more directly on the board. The tool can be accessed from any device and location. Users can work on the tool with security as the tool provides confidentiality. The tool streamlines the workflow by integrating with apps such as Google Drive, MS Teams, and more.

Key Features:

• Provides more than 100 templates.

• Cursors come with participant names to follow easily.

• Has an ever-expanding canvas.

• Can share boards with collaborators through a password-protected link.

Cost:

Free

Premium: $6/month/user

Business: $9.50/month/user

22. Proto.io

Proto.io helps in building, prototyping, and collaborating. Users can mix and match customizable templates to create wireframes and prototypes. They can add interactions to the content blocks. The tool provides out-of-the-box UI components of the commonly used functionalities for users to add and enhance their projects.

The tool has a drag-and-drop interface. Users can drop files from their device or desktop to the canvas. The tool has an assets panel to help users find whatever they need quickly. Users can preview their projects on a web browser. They can switch between screens easily. The tool provides security settings where users can share links with different sharing settings. Users can export their prototype into a PDF, including all screens.

Key Features:

• Provides a vast library with many icons that can be recolored and resized.

• Integrates with Figma, Sketch, Adobe, and Google Fonts.

• Exports to PNG, UI assets, and HTML

• Integrates with Jira, Trello, and Confluence Macro.

• Keep track of all shared links and see how many views they have, their creation date, and more.

Cost:

Freelancer: $24/month

Startup: $40/month

Agency: $80/month

Corporate: $160/month

Things to consider

Your must-have functionalities and characteristics

Decide which qualities are essential, desirable, and those you can manage without. Having a clear notion of exactly what you're seeking is beneficial.

The progression of learning

A tool that will require a lot of training shouldn't be a hardship for your team members. To make integrating a tool into your job simpler, choose one that suits your team's skill set and workload at the moment.

Your financial resources

To prepare for the future, be aware of how much you can spend on a product while taking into consideration its usefulness and user base. To add more users to the tool when your team expands, for instance, don't spend the entire budget all at once or save enough cash to do so.

Conclusion

Concepts based on design thinking can aid in the whole planning of a great outcome. It's a method of streamlining your design process to ensure that nothing gets overlooked. The reason design thinking and its tools are so successful are that they recognize customer wants and provide solutions that are specifically tailored to meet those demands. It may alter the course of any organization's future if employed properly.

FAQs

What are design thinking tools?

Design thinking is a human-centered innovation strategy emphasizing empathy for customers' issues and difficulties in producing products and services that meet their demands. There are several software tools and programs available that you may use throughout the design thinking process to assist with this strategy.

What things to consider while choosing design thinking tools?

Knowing exactly what you're looking for in your mind's eye is helpful. Choose the characteristics that are necessary, desirable, and those that you can manage without. Your team members shouldn't struggle with a tool that requires extensive training. Consider the product's use and user base while being cognizant of your spending limit.

What steps include Design Thinking?

You must keep in mind that Design Thinking is a process that typically involves four phases:

• Immersion: Contextualizing the issue through research, comprehending the circumstance, and formulating a hypothesis that can be tested and proven.

• Analysis and Synthesis: Grouping acquired data into categories and rephrasing the basic circumstance based on insights gained through analysis and synthesis.

• Ideation: Group brainstorming sessions supported by technologies to generate ideas based on issues or particular pain points identified during the Immersion.

• Prototyping: To verify the efficacy of the solutions, prototyping involves putting together MVP prototypes and conducting concept testing. You may read more in-depth information on the latter here.

What exactly is a shared whiteboard?

A shared, open design environment is provided by collaborative whiteboard software so that team members may concurrently edit and share information from their own devices. A whiteboard tool frequently looks like a real whiteboard, as the name suggests.

What exactly is a customer journey?

The customer journey is the most likely route that your ideal customers will take when utilizing your product, from beginning to end. Human-centered design is crucial for this trip to be as pleasant as possible. A thorough customer journey is essential to the design thinking process. This includes knowing how consumers go from point To point, where they could encounter difficulties, and what major issue your product or service is attempting to address.