Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) Practice Exam

What is the core characteristic that design thinking relies on?

1. Innovation

2. Collaboration

3. Empathy

4. Efficiency

The correct answer is: Empathy

The core characteristic that design thinking relies on is empathy. In design thinking, empathy involves deeply understanding the needs, experiences, and feelings of the end users for whom a product or service is being designed. This foundational step is critical because it allows designers to step into the shoes of the users, leading to more insightful problem identification and creative solutions that genuinely address user needs. Empathy enables a focus on human-centered design, encouraging designers to gather qualitative data through user interviews, observations, and interactions. This understanding shapes the ideation and prototyping processes, leading to solutions that resonate with users on a personal level. By prioritizing empathy, design thinking fosters innovation as it continuously evolves based on real user feedback, ensuring the solutions created are relevant and impactful.