Design thinking books can be the most influential asset you can own this year. With so much demand for interactive online digital platforms, design thinking books have gained so much attention. Design thinking books are not just about getting beautiful design ideas, but it is a method of solving problems with innovative solutions. These books might contain innovative and problem-solving methods.
But are you familiar with how a design gets popular, and the best way you can learn more about this approach? The main goal is to make you familiar with some of the best design thinking books from some of the best-known writers. Here, in this article, we will learn more about design thinking books and many more.
What Is Design Thinking?
Design thinking is an iterative human-centered approach for problem solving, focusing on understanding users’ needs to create innovative solutions, redefine problems, and challenge assumptions. Design thinking mainly focuses on the following.
- Users’ need is interpreted through empathy
- The approach is based on defining the core problem and generating numerous ideas
- Design thinking is concerned with developing physical or digital prototypes for potential solutions
- It also tests the potential solution, gathers feedback, and refines the solution.
The main focus of design thinking is developing a user-centered solution for complex problems.
12 Design Thinking Books Everyone Must Read
Let us check some of the best design thinking books for a designer enthusiast below.
1. Design Thinking Playbook by Michael Lewrick
This design thinking book is an actionable guide for businesses, giving you the right tools and framework to excel in digital transformation. Learn about the principle of design thinking with step-by-step instructions and real-world examples to learn the concept and apply it in real life. Also, get to understand the latest advancements in design thinking from Stanford’s School.
Key Highlights
- Learn how to apply design thinking tools and methods in the right way
- Learn to create Minimum Viable Ecosystems for digital processes
- Get to combine design thinking with systems thinking and big data analytics.
2. A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger
This book has around 4.4-star rating on Amazon from 1500+ reviews. The main focus in this book is kept around the power of asking the right questions at the right time. Warren Berger demonstrates how, with simple enquiry, you can unlock creativity and get to meaningful change. Warren Berger highlights the importance of “how crucial it is to question every aspect of our lives”.
Key Highlights
- Warren Berger, in this book, highlights the importance of inquiry and questioning.
- He also demonstrates this context by highlighting real-life examples behind the scenes of the workings of industry-leading companies.
- Learn how simple inquiry or questioning can trigger innovative ideas
- Berger offers tools and strategies to develop a questioning mindset in every aspect of life.
3. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
Donald A. Norman, a well-known contributor in the UI UX design field, is an expert in implementing design thinking in digital designs. This book has a 4.4-star rating from 8000+ readers. This is a quick guide to human-centered design, which shows how usable design is possible with simple rules like focusing on visibility, smart use of constraints, and more.
Key Highlights
- This book will help you understand why some products become successful in satisfying customers while others fail.
- Also, you will learn how to take the right action on the right control at the right time.
- This is one of the popular design thinking approaches to explore the concepts of the workings of everyday objects like doors, switches, mobile phones, TVs, and more.
- If you are a UI UX designer or engineer, then this book will offer you a good understanding of the fundamental designs
4. Rituals Roadmap By Erica Keswin
This design book by Erica Keswin explains the workplace rituals, protocols of the human workplace, and how to foster connection with one another at the workplace. This book revolves around the concept of employee engagement and methods of creating more productive and connected teams.
Key Highlights
- You will learn how workplace rituals can help you boost productivity.
- Get actionable advice with real-life examples of leaders for best workplace practices.
5. Change by Design by Tim Brown
Tim Brown, who is the CEO of IDEO, wrote a book to let people know all elements of design thinking and also learn how design thinking goes beyond product design and can be applied in a wide range of fields like business, processes, and even society.
This book highlights the transformative power of design thinking and demonstrates how it can be a driving force behind innovation. You will get compelling case studies. Also, Brown shows how human-centered design can be used to tackle complex challenges.
Key Highlights
- Learn how design thinking can drive innovation in business and social enterprises.
- Get to learn about IDEO’s real-life applications of design thinking.
- Understand the importance of empathy and user-centric design.
- Get to explore design thinking as a strategic advantage for organizations.
Join Our UI/UX Telegram Channel
Join Our UI/UX WhatsApp Channel
6. Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley & David Kelley
This book is written by the founders of IDEO, which inspires readers to unleash their creativity and overcome the long-lasting fear of failure. The authors clearly explain that creativity is not just limited to designers, but is a skill that can be developed and applied by anyone in any profession. With practical stories and tools, this book will build the confidence to approach complex problems with innovation and fresh perspectives.
Key Highlights
- You will learn how to build creative confidence and remove self-doubt.
- Gain strategies to embrace experimentation and failure as part of learning.
- Get knowledge of practical tools to unlock innovation in daily work.
- Read about the inspiring real-world stories from IDEO’s projects.
Read More: 8 UX Design Process: An Effective Beginner’s Guide to Creating User-Friendly Products
7. Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp
This book was introduced by a team at Google Ventures, which is a practical guide for fast problem-solving. This book has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon from over 4000+ reviews. It gives readers a completely tested five-day framework to design, prototype, and test new ideas with customers. The book is very much suited for startups, product managers, and innovation teams looking to rapidly validate solutions without wasting resources.
Key Highlights
- Get to learn design thinking using a structured 5-day sprint framework to solve problems.
- Learn how to create interactive prototypes quickly and effectively.
- Gain insights from Google Ventures’ experiences with startups.
- A perfect handbook for teams adopting agile and lean practices.
8. Design a Better Business by Patrick Van Der Pijl, Justin Lokitz & Lisa Kay Solomon
This book by Patrick Van Der Pijl will take you through the complete design journey, covering everything from the basics to the advanced. It is a visually rich book that combines design thinking with strategy and business innovation. It includes over 50 tools, templates, and visual frameworks to help teams innovate ideas into design more effectively. The book is practical for entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who want to design business models, customer experiences, and long-term strategies through design thinking.
Key Highlights
- You will have access to over 50 visual tools and frameworks for innovation.
- Learn how to design business models and customer journeys.
- Read case studies from leading companies applying design thinking in unique ways.
- This is a perfect guide for entrepreneurs and strategists.
9. 101 Design Methods by Vijay Kumar
This book can be your first step guide for the successful planning of innovation in an organisation. This book will serve you as a comprehensive toolkit for design thinkers. It breaks down the entire innovation process into practical, step-by-step methods. You will get a clear framework, which helps professionals move from research to ideation and then to prototyping and execution, making it ideal for both beginners and advanced practitioners.
Key Highlights
- Get to learn structured methods for every stage of the design process.
- Also, get to work step-by-step guides for innovation projects.
- This book covers research, ideation, strategy, and prototyping.
- It will be best suited as a reference guide for designers and managers.
10. This Is Service Design Thinking by Marc Stickdorn & Jakob Schneider
This is a must-read book for anyone in the service industries, and this book focuses on how to design customer-centered services using design thinking principles to provide a better customer experience. It provides you with knowledge of practical tools like personas, service blueprints, and journey maps, and emphasizes co-creation with stakeholders. It’s an excellent resource for UX designers, consultants, and service managers.
Key Highlights
- You will learn how to apply service design principles like personas and service blueprints.
- Get to collect knowledge on practical tools for mapping customer experiences.
- Get your complete focus on co-creation and collaboration with users.
- This is an essential guide for service-driven organizations.
11. Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation by Idris Mootee
This book will provide you with the best design thinking strategies that are very different from what you learn in college. You get to explore how organizations can leverage design thinking as a tool for strategic innovation.
This book blends business strategy with creative problem-solving, offering frameworks to generate breakthrough ideas. With practical cases, it’s very useful for corporate teams aiming to build a culture of innovation.
Key Highlights
- Get to learn about design thinking as a strategic business tool.
- Learn important methods to develop breakthrough ideas.
- Get your knowledge from case studies from industries applying design thinking.
- Also, focus on applying design for corporate growth.
12. The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design by IDEO.org
This book is a hands-on manual with practical exercises, worksheets, and guides to implement human-centered design. It is carefully designed for social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and innovators looking to tackle global challenges with empathy-driven solutions.
Key Highlights
- You will get a complete step-by-step method for applying human-centered design.
- Learn from real-world case studies from social impact projects.
- Get highly visual and accessible for teams of all sizes.
- Learn from practical exercises to apply them directly to your projects.
Also Read:
- Learn Figma in 2025 – Useful Guide to Master UI/UX Design
- UX Design Courses Online in 2025 – Top 12 Picks for Beginners & Prosux design courses
- Interaction Designer: The Creative Force Behind Intuitive Digital Experiences
- Effective Mobile UI Design Guide: Best Practices, 5 Modern Trends, and Real App Examples
Build your Skills in UI UX Design With PW Skills
Become an expert in creating appealing user interface designs and gaining positive user experience feedback with PW Skills all in one UI UX Design Course. Gain deeper insights into the fundamentals and principles of designs.
Master advanced tools like Figma, Sketch, and more. Learn the concept and roles of web development frameworks in web designs and more. Build real world projects and strengthen your concepts with practice exercises and module assignments only on pwskills.com
Design Thinking FAQs
Q1. What are design thinking books?
Ans: Design thinking books contain practical advice and suggestions, along with case studies from experts in the field. You will learn how to use design in innovation, brand building, and design for a better customer experience.
Q2. What are the five types of design thinking?
Ans: The five types of design thinking are empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
Q3. What are the four C’s of design thinking?
Ans: The four C’s of design thinking are collaboration, security, critical thinking, and communication. You can address various challenges effectively when you are working on new solutions for your community, classroom, or others.
Q4. What is UX thinking?
Ans: UX Design thinking is a method for solving complex problems by taking users' preferences as top priority. It allows developers to brainstorm and research ideas that deliver products with a good user experience.
