ABSTRACT
Design thinking refers to the strategies applied to solve design problems by placing the user at the center of the process, while recognizing that this user has human capabilities and limitations. And it starts by understanding what the real issues are. It’s a mindset allowing for human-centered design. “Human-centered design (HCD) is the process of ensuring that people’s needs are met, that the resulting product is understandable and usable, that it accomplishes the desired tasks, and the experience of use is positive and enjoyable,” says Don Norman (2013). Of course, when it comes to games, the product also has to be fun, or engage-able. In the game industry, HCD is sometimes called the player-centric approach (Fullerton 2014) and can be described as considering the user experience during the development process. This approach entails an iterative cycle that will be repeated until the design is satisfying. It entails (but is not limited to) prototyping ideas, testing them with a representative sample of your audience, and iterating.
