Design thinking, a problem-solving approach centered on comprehending user needs and crafting solutions from their perspective, follows a 5-stage process. The stages are as follows:

1. Empathize: Conduct audience research to grasp their needs, frustrations, and expectations.
2. Define: Clearly articulate the user-centric problem that your team will address.
3. Ideate: Generate a range of ideas, including unconventional ones, as potential solutions.
4. Prototype: Develop visual prototypes for the most promising ideas to undergo testing.
5. Test: Validate assumptions, utilizing user feedback to refine solutions before committing to development.

The design thinking process is not strictly linear and often involves revisiting prior stages for refinement. This iterative approach ensures the most effective and user-centric solution.