Double diamond
Definition
The double diamond is a visual design process model published by the UK Design Council in 2005 that represents two distinct phases of divergent and convergent thinking — the first diamond defines the right problem, the second diamond designs the right solution.
The UK Design Council introduced the double diamond in 2005 based on research into how designers at leading companies actually work. It was updated in 2019 and 2023 to include the "design principles" and a broader systems perspective, but the core model remains influential.
The four phases:
First diamond — Discover the right problem:
- Discover (diverge): Open up. Explore the problem space broadly. Research, observe, interview. Avoid assumptions. Gather diverse inputs.
- Define (converge): Narrow down. Synthesize research into a clear, specific problem statement or design brief. The output of the first diamond is a well-defined problem.
Second diamond — Design the right solution:
- Develop (diverge): Generate many possible solutions. Prototype, experiment, iterate. Test rough ideas with real users. This is the creative diverge phase.
- Deliver (converge): Narrow to the best solution. Refine, test rigorously, and ship. The output is a launched product or service.
Why the model matters: The double diamond makes explicit what untrained teams miss: there are two distinct problem-solving challenges, and mixing them up causes expensive failures. Teams that jump straight to solutions (skipping the first diamond) often build elegant answers to the wrong question. Teams that never converge in the second diamond produce endless prototypes but never ship.
Double diamond vs. design thinking: They're compatible frameworks. Design thinking's five stages map onto the double diamond: Empathize and Define = first diamond; Ideate, Prototype, and Test = second diamond.
The double diamond is often drawn on a whiteboard at the start of a project to orient the team on where they are in the process — discovery or development. BoardSnap AI reads that whiteboard diagram as part of a project kickoff capture.
Examples
- Product team draws a double diamond on the whiteboard at project kickoff to explicitly show they're in 'Discover' mode — solutions are off the table for two weeks
- End of first diamond: team synthesizes six weeks of research into one design brief sentence
- Design agency presents client work using the double diamond to explain why the brief changed after discovery
- Team realizes mid-project they skipped the first diamond — they built a solution to an assumed problem, not a researched one
- Workshop uses the double diamond to run a one-day sprint: 2 hours discover, 1 hour define, 2 hours develop, 1 hour deliver/test
Snap a double diamond. Ship its actions.
BoardSnap turns any whiteboard — including this one — into a summary and action plan.