Design thinking is characterized by which approach?

• A. Design a single product for mass markets
• B. Design standardized processes for efficiency
• C. Design many things for one customer
• D. Design offerings for internal use only

Answer: (C)

Design thinking centers on a deep understanding of a specific user and developing multiple concept ideas to meet that user’s needs, followed by rapid prototyping and testing to learn what works best. This approach is about exploring many possible solutions for one customer rather than delivering a single product for a broad market, or optimizing internal processes or efficiency.

So designing many things for one customer matches this mindset: you generate multiple concepts to address that particular user’s situation, then refine through feedback. The other approaches miss the user-centric, iterative, exploratory nature of design thinking—mass-market focus, standardized efficiency, or internal-only use.