How to Create a Double Diamond Diagram for Your Design Process
This skill teaches you how to visually map your design process onto the Double Diamond diagram so you can communicate project phases, activities, and progress clearly to stakeholders and team members.
To create a double diamond diagram, draw two adjacent diamond shapes representing four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. The first diamond widens to show divergent research then narrows at the problem definition. The second diamond widens again for ideation then converges on the final solution. Label each phase with specific activities, milestones, and deliverables relevant to your project.
Outcome: You can produce a clear, customized double diamond diagram that maps your real project activities to each phase, making it easy for stakeholders to understand where you are in the design process and what comes next.
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of the Double Diamond framework and its four phases
- Familiarity with divergent and convergent thinking concepts
- Access to a diagramming tool (Figma, Miro, FigJam, or even pen and paper)
Overview
The double diamond diagram is the most recognizable visual in design process communication. Originally developed by the British Design Council in 2005, the two-diamond shape elegantly captures how design work alternates between expanding possibilities (divergent thinking) and narrowing focus (convergent thinking). But a generic diagram downloaded from a blog post won't help your stakeholders understand your project.
This skill teaches you to go beyond copying a template. You'll learn to construct a double diamond diagram that's customized to your actual project — populated with your specific research activities, decision points, deliverables, and milestones. The result is a communication artifact that serves as a shared reference for your team and a powerful narrative device for stakeholder updates.
Whether you're presenting a design process to executives who need a high-level roadmap, onboarding new team members who need to understand the project structure, or running a retrospective to evaluate what happened in each phase, a well-crafted double diamond diagram becomes the backbone of your process communication. This skill connects directly to the broader Double Diamond methodology and complements skills like mapping divergent and convergent thinking modes.
How It Works
The double diamond diagram works because it encodes two fundamental principles of design into a single visual: the rhythm of divergence and convergence, and the distinction between problem space and solution space.
The first diamond represents the problem space. It starts at a narrow point — an initial brief or challenge — then expands outward as the team explores broadly during the Discover phase. The widest point represents maximum ambiguity: you've gathered many insights, user needs, and perspectives. The diamond then narrows as the team synthesizes findings and converges on a clear problem definition.
The second diamond represents the solution space. It begins at the defined problem statement, then expands as the team generates multiple possible solutions during the Develop phase. Again, the widest point represents maximum possibility. It narrows as the team tests, iterates, and converges on a final solution to deliver.
The visual power comes from the shape itself: stakeholders intuitively grasp that the wide parts mean 'we're exploring' and the narrow parts mean 'we're deciding.' This is far more effective than a linear timeline or a Gantt chart for communicating a design process, because it honestly represents the messy, non-linear nature of design work while still showing forward progress.
When you customize the diagram with your project's actual activities, deliverables, and current position, it transforms from an abstract model into a living project map. The shape provides structure; your annotations provide specificity.
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Define Your Project's Four Phases
Before touching any diagramming tool, write down what each of the four Double Diamond phases means for your specific project. For Discover, list the research activities you've done or plan to do (user interviews, competitive analysis, data mining). For Define, note how you'll synthesize findings into a problem statement. For Develop, capture your ideation and prototyping plans. For Deliver, specify testing, iteration, and launch activities.
This step forces you to move beyond generic labels. Instead of just writing 'User Research' under Discover, you might write '12 contextual inquiry sessions with enterprise buyers' or 'Analysis of 2,000 support tickets from Q3.' The specificity is what makes your diagram useful rather than decorative.
Tip: If you're mid-project, audit what you've actually done versus what was planned. The diagram should reflect reality, not just the original plan.
Step 2: Draw the Two-Diamond Framework
Create two diamond shapes side by side, sharing a middle point. Each diamond is essentially two triangles: the left triangle widens (divergence) and the right triangle narrows (convergence).
In most diagramming tools, the easiest approach is to draw four diagonal lines forming two connected chevron shapes, or use two rhombus shapes positioned so they share a vertex. The horizontal axis represents time moving left to right. The vertical axis represents the breadth of exploration — wider means more options being considered, narrower means more focus.
Label the four phases clearly: Discover (first diamond, left half), Define (first diamond, right half), Develop (second diamond, left half), Deliver (second diamond, right half). Place labels above or inside each section. Add a horizontal line through the center to create a clear baseline.
Tip: Use a subtle fill color for each diamond half — for example, shades of blue for the problem space diamond and shades of green for the solution space diamond. This color coding reinforces the problem/solution distinction at a glance.
Step 3: Annotate Each Phase with Activities and Deliverables
Now populate each phase section with the specific activities you identified in Step 1. Position items along the widening or narrowing slope to indicate whether they're part of the divergent or convergent motion within that phase.
For example, in the Discover phase, place 'Stakeholder Interviews' and 'Field Studies' near the widening slope to show they're expanding understanding. In the Define phase, place 'Affinity Mapping' and 'Problem Statement Workshop' near the narrowing slope to show convergence.
Include key deliverables at the transition points between phases. At the center of the first diamond (the narrowest point between Define and Develop), place your problem statement or design brief. At the end of the second diamond, place your final deliverable — whether that's a launched product, a validated prototype, or a design specification.
Keep annotations concise. Use short labels (3-5 words) with optional supporting details in a legend or appendix. The diagram should be scannable in under 30 seconds.
Tip: Place the most important deliverables directly on the diamond's outline at transition points. Place supporting activities inside the diamond shape. This visual hierarchy helps stakeholders distinguish between milestones and day-to-day work.
Step 4: Mark the Current Project Position
If you're using the diagram for project communication (not just process education), add a clear marker showing where the team currently sits in the process. This could be a vertical dashed line, a highlighted section, or a 'You Are Here' indicator.
This single addition transforms your diagram from a static process model into a dynamic project status tool. Stakeholders can immediately see what's been completed, what's in progress, and what's ahead. It also sets expectations about what kind of work is happening now — if you're in the wide part of Develop, stakeholders understand that the team is intentionally exploring multiple options rather than converging prematurely.
Update this marker regularly (weekly or at each sprint review) to show progress. Over time, stakeholders develop an intuitive sense of the project's rhythm.
Tip: When presenting to executives, add estimated time ranges below each phase. This connects the abstract shape to concrete timelines without sacrificing the diagram's visual clarity.
Step 5: Add Decision Gates Between Phases
At each transition point between phases, add a decision gate — a visual marker (often a diamond shape or checkpoint icon) that represents the criteria for moving from one phase to the next.
Between Discover and Define, the gate might be: 'Sufficient research data collected to begin synthesis.' Between Define and Develop, it's typically: 'Problem statement validated by stakeholders.' Between Develop and Deliver: 'Lead concept selected and validated through user testing.'
Decision gates serve two purposes. First, they give stakeholders confidence that the process has built-in quality checks — you're not just exploring endlessly. Second, they give the team clear criteria for when to shift modes from divergent to convergent thinking, which is one of the hardest judgment calls in design work.
Tip: Frame decision gates as questions the team must answer 'yes' to before proceeding. For example: 'Do we have a clear, evidence-based problem statement?' is more actionable than 'Problem defined.'
Step 6: Tailor Visual Complexity to Your Audience
Create at least two versions of your double diamond diagram: a high-level version for executive stakeholders and a detailed version for the design and product team.
The executive version should have clean lines, minimal text, four phase labels, key milestones, the current position marker, and a timeline. It should fit on a single presentation slide and be understandable without narration.
The team version can include all activities, deliverables, methods used in each phase, team member assignments, and links to related artifacts (research reports, prototypes, test results). This version works well as a Miro or FigJam board that the team references throughout the project.
Both versions should use the same core diamond shape and color scheme so they're instantly recognizable as the same process map at different zoom levels.
Tip: For the executive version, follow the 'three-second rule': a stakeholder should be able to identify the current phase and overall progress within three seconds of seeing the diagram.
Step 7: Iterate and Update the Diagram Throughout the Project
A double diamond diagram is not a one-time artifact. As the project progresses, update it to reflect what actually happened — activities that were added, phases that took longer than expected, pivots in direction.
This living document becomes invaluable for retrospectives. By comparing the original diagram with the final version, teams can identify where the process diverged from expectations and discuss why. Did the Discover phase take twice as long because the problem space was more complex than anticipated? Did the team skip a proper Define phase and jump into solutions too early?
Version your diagrams (save snapshots at key milestones) so you can tell the story of your project's evolution. This practice builds organizational learning about how design processes actually unfold versus how they're planned.
Examples
Example: Double Diamond Diagram for an Enterprise Onboarding Redesign
A product design team at a B2B SaaS company is redesigning their enterprise customer onboarding experience. They're three months into a six-month project and need to present their process and progress to the VP of Product at a quarterly review.
The team creates a double diamond diagram with the following customizations:
First Diamond (Problem Space):
- Starting point labeled: 'Enterprise churn rate 3x higher than SMB in first 90 days'
- Discover phase activities: '23 churned customer interviews,' 'Onboarding funnel analytics review,' 'Competitive onboarding audit of 5 competitors,' 'Support ticket analysis (1,200 tickets)'
- Decision gate: 'Research synthesis complete — 4 key friction themes identified'
- Define phase activities: 'Affinity mapping workshop,' 'Jobs-to-be-done framework applied,' 'Problem statement co-created with CS team'
- Center point labeled: 'Problem: Enterprise admins cannot configure the product for their org structure without manual CS intervention'
Second Diamond (Solution Space):
- Develop phase activities: 'Design sprint week 1: Self-serve configuration wizard,' 'Design sprint week 2: Guided setup with AI assistance,' 'Design sprint week 3: Modular onboarding paths,' '5 concept tests with enterprise admins'
- Decision gate: 'Guided setup with AI assistance validated — 4/5 participants completed setup independently'
- Deliver phase: 'Hi-fi prototyping,' 'Engineering handoff,' 'Beta with 10 enterprise accounts,' 'Iterative fixes,' 'Full rollout'
A 'You Are Here' marker is placed in the early Deliver phase. The diagram uses blue for the first diamond and green for the second. A timeline beneath shows months 1-6 with the current month highlighted.
The VP of Product can immediately see: the problem is well-researched and clearly defined, three solution concepts were tested (not just one assumed), and the team is on track for the planned rollout.
Example: Lightweight Double Diamond Diagram for a Sprint Planning Kickoff
A UX designer at a startup needs to explain the design approach for a new feature to engineers at the beginning of a two-week sprint. The audience has limited exposure to design process frameworks.
The designer draws a quick double diamond diagram on a whiteboard (or a single FigJam frame) with minimal annotations:
First Diamond: 'Understand the Problem'
- Left side: 'Talk to 5 users this week about their workflow'
- Right side: 'Narrow down to the #1 pain point by Wednesday'
- Center point: 'Clear problem statement'
Second Diamond: 'Build the Solution'
- Left side: 'Sketch 3 different approaches Thursday'
- Right side: 'Pick the best one, build it Friday-next week'
- End point: 'Tested prototype ready for review'
The designer adds a note: 'The wide parts = we're exploring options on purpose. The narrow parts = we're making decisions. This is why I'll have multiple sketches on Thursday, not one final design.'
This 5-minute diagram sets expectations that the designer won't produce pixel-perfect mockups on day one, and gives engineers a mental model for when their input is most valuable (at the convergence points). It leverages the Double Diamond shape without requiring the audience to know the framework by name.
Best Practices
Always populate the diagram with project-specific activities rather than generic labels — 'Contextual interviews with 15 hospital nurses' communicates far more than 'User Research.'
Use consistent color coding across all project communications: one color family for the problem space (Discover/Define) and another for the solution space (Develop/Deliver).
Position the widest point of each diamond at approximately 40-60% of that diamond's width to visually emphasize that divergence is a deliberate, substantial activity — not just a quick brainstorm.
Include a brief legend or key that explains what the diamond shape represents (divergent vs. convergent thinking) for audiences unfamiliar with the Double Diamond framework.
Add a horizontal timeline beneath the diagram with approximate dates or sprint numbers to anchor the abstract shape in real project time.
When presenting the diagram, narrate the story of the project by 'walking' through the shape from left to right — this narrative structure is more engaging than explaining each phase in isolation.
Common Mistakes
Using a generic double diamond template without customizing it for the specific project
Correction
Always populate each phase with your actual activities, deliverables, and milestones. A diagram that could apply to any project communicates nothing about yours. Even 15 minutes of customization dramatically increases its communication value.
Making both diamonds the same size when the phases were not equally weighted
Correction
Adjust the relative size of each diamond to roughly represent the time or effort invested. If Discover/Define took 60% of the project time, make the first diamond proportionally larger. This honest representation prevents stakeholders from assuming equal phase distribution.
Treating the diagram as a linear, one-way process with no loops or iteration
Correction
Add small loop arrows or iteration markers within phases to show where the team cycled back. The Double Diamond is iterative in practice even if the shape suggests linearity. Acknowledging this in your diagram builds credibility with anyone who's actually done design work.
Overloading the diagram with too much detail, making it unreadable at presentation scale
Correction
Create separate versions for different audiences. The presentation version should have no more than 3-4 items per phase. Save the comprehensive version for team wikis or Miro boards where people can zoom in.
Forgetting to show the starting point and ending point of the process clearly
Correction
Label the far-left point with your initial brief or challenge statement and the far-right point with the final outcome or deliverable. These bookends give the diagram narrative structure and help stakeholders understand the transformation from ambiguous challenge to concrete solution.
Other Skills in This Method
Converging on Solutions in the Deliver Phase
How to evaluate, test, and iterate on concepts to select and refine the final solution for implementation in the Deliver phase.
Synthesizing Insights to Define the Problem
How to apply convergent thinking in the Define phase to analyze discovery findings, create problem statements, and narrow focus to the right challenge.
Facilitating Divergent Ideation in the Develop Phase
How to run structured brainstorming, co-design workshops, and prototyping sessions to generate a wide range of potential solutions in the second diamond.
Mapping Divergent and Convergent Thinking Modes
How to deliberately switch between expansive exploration and focused decision-making at each stage of the Double Diamond process.
Conducting Discovery Research in the Discover Phase
How to use divergent thinking techniques like user interviews, desk research, and observation to broadly explore the problem space in the first diamond.
Choosing Between Double Diamond and Design Thinking
How to compare the Double Diamond with other design frameworks like Stanford d.school Design Thinking and Lean UX to select the right approach for your project.
Adapting the Double Diamond for UX Design Projects
How to apply the Double Diamond framework specifically to UX workflows, integrating user research, wireframing, usability testing, and iterative design.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools should I use to create a double diamond diagram?
For collaborative team diagrams, use Miro, FigJam, or Mural where team members can contribute annotations. For polished stakeholder presentations, use Figma, Sketch, or even PowerPoint/Keynote with basic shapes. For quick team communication, a whiteboard photo or simple drawing tool works perfectly. The tool matters far less than the content you put in the diagram.
How is a double diamond diagram different from a design thinking diagram?
The double diamond diagram specifically visualizes two connected diamonds representing problem and solution spaces with divergent-convergent rhythm. Design thinking diagrams typically show five sequential stages (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test) in a linear or circular layout. You can explore the differences further in our guide on choosing between Double Diamond and Design Thinking.
Can I use a double diamond diagram for agile or sprint-based projects?
Yes. You can either map the overall product discovery to the full double diamond diagram and show how individual sprints fit within specific phases, or use a mini double diamond within each sprint to show the diverge-converge rhythm of weekly work. Many teams adapt the Double Diamond for UX design projects that operate in agile environments.
How do I explain a double diamond diagram to non-designers?
Focus on the shape's intuitive meaning: 'The wide parts are where we explore many options on purpose, and the narrow parts are where we make decisions.' Avoid jargon like 'divergent thinking.' Instead say 'we cast a wide net first, then focused in.' Relate each phase to business outcomes stakeholders care about, not design methods.
Should the two diamonds in a double diamond diagram be the same size?
Not necessarily. If your project invested significantly more time in research and problem definition, make the first diamond larger. The relative proportions should honestly represent how effort was distributed. Equal-sized diamonds are a fine default, but resizing them tells a more accurate story about your specific project.
How often should I update my double diamond diagram during a project?
Update the 'current position' marker weekly or at each sprint review. Do a full content update (adding completed activities, adjusting phase boundaries) at each major phase transition. Save versioned snapshots at these milestones so you can reference them during retrospectives and compare planned versus actual process.