Finding clarity in the design process with the Double Diamond model

Nicola Wilson | 5 min read

I spent most of my twenties in the wide-open field of "what if". A thousand ideas, endless tabs, notebooks full of half-thoughts, a wallpaper of post its, sparks of something. It looked like creativity. It felt like a block.

I had not suffered from the same extensive overwhelm at school. I was focussed and enthusiastic. But behind the scenes of my creative pursuits at university and my initial design career I could feel a sense of stuck-ness in the first half of every project. The messy, exciting, but ultimately paralysing stage of idea generation. I struggled to commit to a single path. I worried that picking one idea meant killing all the others. So I’d stay in the swirling soup of possibility.

I suffered from the usual dichotomy of low confidence and ambition, always striving for perfection, never feeling like any single route was good enough. Committing felt so visible. It was safer to swirl.

Then I did a course. Nothing fancy, just one of many I took while tooling myself up. I was hungry to sharpen my practice, get more human-centred, learn new frameworks, and build confidence in my process. Much of the course simply articulated things I didn’t realise I already knew. But that’s when I discovered it.

The Double Diamond.

If you’re not familiar, the Double Diamond is a model created by the British Design Council. It maps the creative process into four stages: Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. Two diamonds; one for the problem space, one for the solution space. Each with a divergence (expanding, exploring, gathering) followed by a convergence (narrowing, synthesising, deciding).

I saw it and something clicked.

Suddenly, I could locate myself.

That overwhelm I’d been feeling? That was just the “Discover” phase. The mess was allowed. It was necessary. But so was the “Define” phase, the moment of synthesis. I wasn’t stuck, I just had to learn one of many catch phrases seen on instagram posts; "Done is better than perfect"…etc etc and push through.

This simple visual changed how I designed but it also changed how I lived.

Because the truth is, we all have a phase we cling to when we’re uncertain.

Some people sit in idea generation forever, afraid to commit (that was me.) Others skip too quickly to neatness, picking one idea just to escape the discomfort of ambiguity. I see this a lot with designers early in their career. They want to be decisive, efficient. But they miss the richness of going wide first.

I now try to show them how to follow and trust the process.

It’s not just a product design model. It’s a tool for all creative projects and for life. 

I know an exceptionally talented and successful comic. Like many supreme creatives, he has ADHD, and I’ve spent hours with him riffing on wild, brilliant ideas. Sometimes I can see the overwhelm rise in him, the weight of too many things to say. And in those times we have discussed the diamond. Go wide. Then go narrow. Then go wide again. It gives the chaos shape. It gives the magic a map.

And now?

When I feel overwhelmed, I don’t spiral like I used to. I mentally zoom out and place myself on the diamond.

“Ah. I’m in divergence,” I tell myself. “It’s supposed to feel messy.”

Or: “Time to move to convergence. You’ve got enough now. Pick a path.”

I am a deep researcher and idea generator, but for years, I didn’t know how to hold that without drowning in it. Discovering the Double Diamond was a game-changer. I’ve come to realise I have a strong affinity for pattern spotting and synthesis, and for the past decade, I’ve been embracing the creative process with far less fear and so much more enjoyment. It’s helped me hone my superpowers, and taught me how to help others hone theirs too.

The educational takeaway?

You don’t have to fear the mess. It’s not a failure, it’s a phase.

Knowing where you are in the process allows you to keep moving through it. It’s not about speed. It’s about trust. Trust in a cycle that expands and contracts. Trust in yourself to know when to gather, and when to choose.

Whether you’re designing a brand or rethinking your career, making a big decision or just getting through Tuesday, use the diamond.

You don’t have to feel lost if you know where you are.