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5 best UX design frameworks
UX design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s a process of solving problems for people. And frameworks are what help us get there.
Think of them as mental models: a set of steps, principles, and philosophies that guide how we move from fuzzy ideas to real, user-validated solutions.
Whether you're working solo, with a startup team, or in a corporate setting, the right UX framework helps you stay structured, focused, and impactful.
UX frameworks solve three problems that kill good design:
- Analysis paralysis. When everything feels important, nothing gets done.
- Stakeholder chaos. When everyone has opinions but no process.
- Scope creep. When "quick wins" turn into year-long redesigns.
The right framework keeps you focused. The wrong one wastes time.
Below are five of the most widely used and battle-tested frameworks in the UX world:
- Design Thinking
- Double Diamond
- IDEO Human-Centered Design (HCD)
- Design Sprint
- Lean UX
Here's how to tell the difference, let’s break them down.
1. Design Thinking
“A solution-focused process for solving the right problem.”
Design Thinking is the most overused (think your portfolio) and misunderstood UX design framework out there. But when you need to understand messy human problems, nothing beats it.
- Empathize: Talk to real users (not your product manager's assumptions)
- Define: Get clear on the problem, users, and scope
- Ideate: Generate ideas without judgment
- Prototype: Build something testable in hours, not weeks
- Test: Get honest feedback from real people
IBM adopted Design Thinking across their entire company to reduce time-to-market and foster collaboration across business, design, and tech. It helped shift their culture toward experimentation and continuous learning.
Pros:
- Encourages innovation through empathy
- Useful for ambiguous, complex problems
- Great for cross-functional collaboration
Cons:
- Can be time-intensive
- Needs experienced facilitation to avoid fluff
- Often misused as a buzzword without rigor
Best for: Complex problems with no clear solution.
Use Design Thinking when you’re facing an open-ended challenge or building a product from scratch. It works best when paired with strong research and stakeholder alignment.
2. Double Diamond
“A clear map for navigating complexity and finding focus.”
The Double Diamond framework splits design into four clear phases: Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. It's visual, logical, and makes non-designers feel smart. If you’ve ever heard someone say “let’s Diverge then Converge” or “we need more Divergent Thinking” they’ll probably using this technique.
- Discover: Research without agenda
- Define: Synthesize findings into clear problems
- Develop: Create and test solutions
- Deliver: Ship and measure results
Pros:
- Clear and structured
- Good for aligning teams
- Separates problem space from solution space
Cons:
- Can feel rigid in fast-moving environments
- Doesn’t support iterative development very well
- May oversimplify messy real-world workflows
Best for: Client work and stakeholder buy-in
The UK government used this framework to redesign public services from renewing passports to applying for permits. It helped non-designers understand the process and prioritize user needs.
The framework forced them to separate problem exploration from solution building. Revolutionary concept, apparently.
More actionable tips and fewer headaches:
Join designers from 40+ countries using UX Playbook. Get detailed step-by-step guides and templates to supercharge your UX process.
3. IDEO Human-Centered Design
“Design with, not for.”
Human-Centered Design (HCD) puts users in the driver's seat. You don't just observe them. You design alongside them.
- Inspiration: Learn directly from users in their environment
- Ideation: Co-create solutions together
- Implementation: Test in real-world conditions
IDEO.org used HCD to co-create a solar lighting system with rural communities in Kenya. Instead of designing in isolation, they involved locals throughout the entire process.
Pros:
- Inclusive, ethical, and user-first
- Deeply rooted in empathy
- Great for long-term impact
Cons:
- Requires deep user involvement
- Hard to scale without buy-in
- ROI can be slow or difficult to quantify
Best for: Co-creating, embedded designers, and learning about a problem space
HCD is the go-to when working in underserved, complex communities, especially in global health, education, or sustainability. It’s about empowering users, not just observing them.
4. Design Sprint
“Get aligned, make decisions, and test in just 5 days.”
Jake Knapp (while working at Google Ventures) created Design Sprints to answer big questions fast. It's UX design frameworks on steroids; intense, focused, and surprisingly effective.
The Monday-to-Friday breakdown:
- Monday: Map the challenge and pick a target
- Tuesday: Sketch competing solutions
- Wednesday: Debate and decide on one approach
- Thursday: Build a realistic prototype
- Friday: Test with 5 real users
Blue Bottle Coffee ran a Design Sprint to reimagine its online ordering flow. The result? A streamlined interface that improved conversions without months of development cycles.
Pros:
- Fast and decisive
- Ideal for high-stakes product bets
- Reduces risk before development
Cons:
- High-pressure format
- Not ideal for solving deep systemic issues
- Requires strong facilitation and prep
Best for: High-stakes decisions and feature validation
Design Sprints are your best friend when you need momentum fast. Think MVPs, critical features, or pivots. Just don’t expect to solve world hunger in 5 days. Most "Design Sprints" are just long meetings with fancy names. Real sprints require dedicated time and clear decision-makers.
5. Lean UX
“Think big, test small, learn fast.”
Lean UX applies startup principles to design. Build the smallest thing possible, test it, then improve or kill it.
- Think: Start with clear hypotheses
- Make: Create minimal viable solutions
- Check: Test with real usage data, validate assumptions or pivot
Spotify used Lean UX to quickly iterate on new features like Discover Weekly. Small experiments led to major product successes all without waiting for perfect specs.
No 40-page requirements doc. No pixel-perfect mockups. Just rapid experimentation based on user behavior.
Pros:
- Agile and iterative
- Focuses on learning, not deliverables
- Works great for in-house product teams
Cons:
- Can lead to sloppy execution if rushed
- Needs tight collaboration with devs
- Harder to document for stakeholders
Best for: In-house product teams and rapid iteration
Lean UX is ideal for fast-moving product teams where experimentation is encouraged and failure is tolerated. I’ve used it when building 0-to-1 features and needed to validate direction before investing heavily in polish.
Choose the framework that fits the problem
These frameworks aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, the best designers learn to blend them.
You might start with Design Thinking to generate ideas, run a Design Sprint to validate one, then apply Lean UX to build and iterate fast. Or you might use Double Diamond to structure a client project and embed HCD principles throughout.
The key is understanding what each framework is good for and when it’s likely to break.
Final thought: What I use most
10+ years in UX, and it taught me: Frameworks aren't magic bullets. They're scaffolding. That’s why I created UX Playbook. To give designers scaffolding for their careers.
My go-to process looks like:
- Empathize with Interviews
- Get aligned with Design Sprint Workshops
- Co-create solutions together
- Create minimal viable solutions
- Learn directly from users
- Iterate
But every project is different, I love to remix this when I can.
Your users don't care which process you followed. They care whether you solved their problem. Good designers know when to build with frameworks and when to tear them down.
Pick the framework that gets you there fastest, then get out of your own way. The real work happens when you stop following steps and start listening to what the data tells you.
Most importantly? No framework survives contact with real users unchanged. Stay flexible, stay curious, and remember that the best process is the one that disappears when you don't need it anymore.
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