75% More Efficient: Why Every Idea Needs a Design Solutions Process (Ai Prompt + Toolkit)

Bounty VEGAH
Sep 12
4 min read

Most innovation frameworks are either too abstract for real-world application or too tactical to inspire fresh thinking. What if your next brainstorm didn’t just produce ideas, but turned into solutions 75% faster? (IBM).With The Creative Solutions Canvas, creativity isn’t left to chance. It’s a structured way to channel imagination into impact, giving teams the clarity, speed, and focus to bring bold ideas to life.

Ai Prompt

"You are an award winning Creative Innovation Agency, apply the Creative Solutions Canvas [attached] to solve [insert challenge or promblem]. Show step by step thinking through Discover → Define → Reverse → Refine. At each stage, generate at least 5 bold yet practical ideas using SCAMPER, Design Thinking, and Double Diamond principles. Clearly link each idea to customer or business value, highlight 1–2 standout solutions that are most viable for rapid prototyping.’

What is a Design Solutions Process?
Why It Matters for Every Business
Core Components: What a Good Process Looks Like
How to Build / Introduce One in Your Business
Common Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them
FAQ: Your Questions Answered

1. What is a Design Solutions Process?

A Design Solutions Process is a structured, repeatable way of taking a business challenge (e.g. improve conversion, launch new service, fix user frustrations) and turning it into a well tested solution.

Key traits:

Grounded in real user/research data
Iterative: you create, test, refine
Involves multiple perspectives (designers, stakeholders, users)
Transparent and measurable

In other words: it’s not “let’s throw together whatever looks good”, but “let’s solve a problem with evidence, test, adapt, and deliver with confidence”.

2. Why It Matters for Every Business

Here’s why every business large or small benefits from having a solid design solutions process.

Benefit	What You Get	How It Helps You Personally (SME/Freelancer/etc.)
Less waste, fewer mistakes	Early validation means you avoid working on things that don’t solve real problems.	Saves time & money; you don’t build features no one uses.
Better alignment & clarity	Everyone knows what you’re solving, why, and how you’ll measure success.	Stakeholders don’t pull in random directions; less friction.
User-centred outcomes	You build with actual user feedback & needs in mind.	Happier customers, fewer support issues, better reputation.
Faster iteration	Small, manageable cycles/fixes → early wins.	You can test, adjust, scale up without risking big failures.
Stronger brand & trust	Consistency, polish, usability all increase trust & loyalty.	Word of mouth, repeat sales, better referrals.
Improved ROI & measurable growth	Data & feedback let you know what works (and what doesn’t).	Spend budget more wisely; show real impact.

3. Core Components: What a Good Process Looks Like

Here’s what your design solutions framework should include. You can adapt to your size or sector, but these are foundational.

Discovery & Research
- Talk to customers / prospects
- Gather analytics / usage data / feedback
- Competitive & market research
Define Goals & Metrics
- What problem are you solving?
- What does success look like? (KPIs)
Ideation & Concepting
- Brainstorm possible solutions
- Sketch, wireframe, prototype
User Testing & Validation
- Usability tests, A/B testing, feedback loops
Design & Build
- Produce high-quality deliverables: UI, UX, technical implementation
Launch & Measure
- Deploy with tracking
- Monitor metrics; compare with benchmarks
Iterate & Improve
- Use post-launch feedback and data
- Refine features, fix issues

4. How to Build / Introduce One in Your Business

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your own design solutions process (or improving your current one).

Start small: pick a single project (a landing page, a feature, social media campaign) to try out the process end-to-end.
Define your team & roles: who researches, who designs, who tests, who executes. Even if that's just you + one other person.
Set clear goals & metrics: decide what success looks like up front.
Schedule in iteration points: timeboxes for testing, feedback, adjustments.
Use tools & shared spaces: shared drive, version control, feedback tools. Transparency is key.
Document everything: learnings, what worked, what didn't, why. Use this for future projects.
Scale & refine: once comfortable, embed the process in more of your work. Adjust based on what you learn.

5. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Pitfall	Why It Happens	Solution / Prevent it
Skipping discovery or user input	Pressure to move fast; assuming you know what users want	Always schedule research/internally test; even simple feedback or survey helps.
No clear metrics or goals	Vague objectives (“make it look good”, “get more traffic”)	Define what “more traffic”, “better conversion” etc. mean in numbers.
Over designing before testing	Investing heavily without proving concept	Use prototypes and small tests first; iterate.
Not iterating after launch	Thinking the job is done once live	Build in post-launch reviews and ongoing optimisation.
Lack of alignment among team / stakeholders	Different people have different priorities; no shared process	Communication, check-ins, shared documentation, visible goals.

6. FAQ: Your Questions Answered

Q: Is a design solutions process just for big companies? A: Not at all. In fact, small businesses gain even more, because they have less room for waste. A structured approach can be lighter weight for SMEs/freelancers but just as effective.

Q: How long does this process take? A: Depends on project size. A simple landing page might go through full cycle in 1-2 weeks. A more complex product/service could take months. It’s more about discipline and feedback than time.

Q: Do I need expensive tools or designers? A: No. You need someone with design thinking mindset, the willingness to test, good communication, and tools appropriate to your business (could be very simple).

Q: How do I measure impact? A: Use KPIs like conversion rate, drop-off rates, customer satisfaction, time on task, bounce rate, referrals etc. Before you start, gather baseline metrics so you can compare.

Final Thoughts

Design isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about solving real problems. When you build a design solutions process, you:

Reduce risk
Improve your ability to deliver what your customers actually want
Save money & time by reducing waste and re-work
Create trust with your audience through consistency and quality

If you’re ready to take the next step, Empowered Digital is all about supporting SMEs and freelancers to build these processes. Let’s have a discovery call and see how this could work for your business.