What is the first step of the Design Cycle?

The first step of the Design Cycle is to gain empathy and understanding for the group you are designing for. This involves researching and identifying the needs, challenges, and perspectives of the users or audience. By understanding their context and experiences, designers can create solutions that are user-centered and effectively address real problems.

Gaining empathy helps to inform the subsequent steps in the Design Cycle, ensuring that the solutions developed are relevant and meaningful to the intended users. This foundational understanding shapes how designers define the problem and brainstorm ideation, as it provides them with insights into what users truly value and require.

Other steps like defining the problem or ideation are important in the cycle but should be informed by the insights gathered during the empathy phase. Without this critical understanding, solutions may miss the mark and fail to resonate with users.