Applying Design Thinking B2B

Start every B2B project with this foundation:

1. Draft 3 primary buyer personas in 2 minutes
2. Write one "How Might We..." statement
3. Set 3 constraints for ideation
4. Sketch 6 concepts in 6 minutes
5. Pick validation criteria before choosing direction

Progress:

• Empathize: Research buyer personas and pain points
• Define: Create HMW statements and design brief
• Ideate: Generate solutions within constraints
• Prototype: Build wireframe-first concepts
• Test: Validate with heuristic evaluation

Phase 1: Empathize

Buyer Personas Template:

[Role Title] - [Company Size]
Goals: 3 business objectives
Frustrations: 3 specific pain points
Decision Process: Who else is involved?
Content Preferences: How do they consume info?
Success Metrics: How do they measure wins?

Pain Point Investigation:

• What keeps them up at night? (emotional)
• What slows down their process? (functional)
• What makes them look bad? (social)

Phase 2: Define

HMW Statement Formula: "How might we help [specific persona] [achieve specific goal] while [acknowledging constraint]?"

Design Brief Checklist:

• Target persona defined
• Core problem statement (1 sentence)
• Success metrics identified
• Business constraints listed
• Timeline and scope boundaries

Phase 3: Ideate

Constraint-Based Brainstorming: Set exactly 3 constraints before starting:

1. Channel constraint (email, web, social, etc.)
2. Resource constraint (budget, time, team size)
3. Brand constraint (tone, visual limits, compliance)

6-3-1 Method:

• 6 minutes: Generate ideas individually
• 3 minutes: Build on others' ideas
• 1 minute: Select top concepts

Phase 4: Prototype

Wireframe-First Approach:

1. Sketch user flow (boxes and arrows only)
2. Define information hierarchy
3. Add copy/messaging
4. THEN consider visuals

Lo-Fi Prototype Checklist:

• Clear value proposition in first 3 seconds
• Logical information flow
• Obvious next steps
• Addresses primary pain point

Phase 5: Test

B2B Heuristic Evaluation:

Clarity:

• Value prop clear within 5 seconds?
• Next steps obvious?
• Jargon minimized?

Credibility:

• Social proof included?
• Professional appearance?
• Contact info accessible?

Relevance:

• Speaks to persona's goals?
• Addresses stated pain points?
• Appropriate for decision stage?

Example 1: Input: SaaS company wants new landing page Output:

• Persona: IT Director at 100-500 person company, frustrated by security compliance overhead
• HMW: How might we help IT Directors demonstrate compliance readiness while reducing manual audit prep time?
• Constraint: Must work on mobile, $5K budget, launch in 3 weeks
• Wireframe: Hero focuses on "compliance dashboard," not product features

Example 2: Input: Need email campaign for product launch Output:

• Persona: CFO evaluating cost reduction tools, pressured by board for Q4 savings
• Pain Point: Needs ROI proof before purchase approval
• HMW: How might we help CFOs confidently present ROI projections to their board?
• Test: Does email lead with calculator tool rather than product demo?