In an era where employee experience, agility and innovation are business differentiators, HR leaders are increasingly turning to design thinking to drive better outcomes for both employees and the organization. But what does design thinking actually look like in HR? And how does it differ from traditional problem-solving approaches?
Let’s explore how design thinking is reshaping HR and why adopting this mindset can help elevate your entire people strategy.
What is design thinking?
At its core, design thinking is a creative, iterative approach to problem-solving that puts people at the center of every solution. It’s not exclusive to designers or product teams; it’s a proven framework for tackling complex, ambiguous problems across all parts of a business.
The five basic stages of design thinking include:
- Empathize – Understand the needs, motivations and challenges of the people you’re designing for.
- Define – Frame the problem in a human-centric way.
- Ideate – Brainstorm a wide range of possible solutions without judgment.
- Prototype – Develop low-risk, small-scale versions of your ideas.
- Test – Get feedback and iterate before rolling out a final solution.
Benefits of applying design thinking in HR
Many traditional HR processes are built for efficiency or compliance – but not necessarily for experience. This can lead to initiatives that look good on paper but fall flat in practice.
Design thinking flips that. It asks: What do employees really need to thrive? Then it works backward to build solutions that are intuitive, inclusive and effective.
When HR teams use design thinking, they’re better equipped to:
- Build more employee-centric programs
- Solve people challenges with creativity, not bureaucracy
- Make data-informed changes based on real feedback
- Adapt faster in the face of change or disruption
Steps to implement design thinking in HR
Design thinking isn’t a one-time project, it’s a mindset. But there are clear steps HR teams can take to begin applying it in practical ways:
Empathize: Understand employee needs
- Employee interviews: Talk to employees across levels, departments and demographics. Ask open-ended questions to uncover pain points and unmet needs.
- Empathy mapping: Visualize what employees think, feel, say and do during a particular experience (e.g., onboarding or benefits enrollment). These maps can reveal hidden disconnects and opportunities.
Define: Identify core HR challenges
- Problem statement: Synthesize what you’ve learned into a clear, people-centered problem statement. For example: “New hires feel overwhelmed during onboarding and don’t know where to go for help.” This becomes the foundation for your solution.
Ideate: Brainstorm potential solutions
- Brainstorming sessions: Bring together cross-functional HR team members to generate ideas without judgment. Quantity over quality is key at this stage.
- Divergent thinking: Encourage unconventional ideas. The goal is to break free from “the way we’ve always done it” and surface fresh perspectives.
Prototype: Develop potential solutions
- Prototyping: Start small. This might look like a reworked training module, a new feedback form or a revised onboarding checklist – anything that can be tested quickly and, preferably, cheaply.
- Iterative development: Use feedback from employees to refine and improve your prototype. Don’t aim for perfection, aim for progress.
Test: Validate solutions with employees
- Pilot programs: Run small-scale pilots with a test group of employees. Monitor engagement, collect feedback and look for signs of improvement.
- Gather feedback: Conduct follow-up interviews or surveys to understand how the pilot was received and what needs to be adjusted before wider implementation.
Real examples of design thinking in HR
Here’s how HR leaders can apply design thinking across common initiatives:
1. Onboarding
Instead of assuming what new hires want, design thinking starts by interviewing recent hires to learn what helped them succeed – and what didn’t. Then, HR can co-create an onboarding journey that’s both practical and supportive.
2. Performance reviews
Employees and managers often see performance reviews as time-consuming and unhelpful. By prototyping new feedback models and gathering real-time feedback, HR can reinvent performance management in a way that adds value, not stress.
3. Employee experience
Whether it’s improving internal mobility, redesigning benefits or addressing burnout, design thinking empowers HR teams to deeply understand employee pain points and test solutions before investing heavily in a change.
How to bring design thinking into your HR team
You don’t need a complete overhaul to start thinking like a designer. Try integrating these tactics into your current approach:
- Shadow employees or host empathy interviews before launching a new policy.
- Use “How might we…” questions to reframe challenges.
- Run small pilot programs before scaling an initiative company-wide.
- Encourage cross-functional collaboration and include employees from different departments when brainstorming solutions.
Summing it all up
When HR applies design thinking, the benefits ripple out across the organization. Employees feel seen and heard. Programs actually get used. And HR becomes a proactive partner in driving innovation, retention and engagement.
Design thinking won’t replace strategic planning or compliance, but it will make HR more responsive, more human and more effective.
Want to see how design thinking fits into a larger people strategy? Download our free e-book to learn how to build a people-first approach that drives real business results.