The original Wiley design thinking series
Six books, more than 350 tools and templates, read by over 3 million people in 25+ languages. From the Stanford roots of design thinking to ecosystems, metrics, humanity and Agentic AI.
By Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link and Larry Leifer
The series
Each book takes design thinking one step further: from teams and tools to business ecosystems, measurable impact, a better future and your own life.
Mindful digital transformation of teams, products, services, businesses and ecosystems.
Lewrick · Link · Leifer
“Worthwhile because of the authors, the structure and the contents. Despite the playful presentation, a surprisingly profound book.”Harvard Business Manager
Powerful tools to manage creativity, OKRs, product and business success.
Lewrick
“Creative activity, innovation and performance metrics, long considered to be polar opposites, turn out to be essential complementers. Flying blind is no way to go into the future!”Bill Fischer, Professor Emeritus, IMD, and Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan
New
Five books in one box: mindset, methods, metrics, growth and purpose. The complete methodology for the full innovation lifecycle.
Tools Quickfinder
Every book has its own Quickfinder: which tool fits which phase, and on which page you find it. Scan the QR codes in the book, or get all templates in the template shop.
Not sure which tool to start with? The Cortex Facilitator, our Agentic AI built on these templates, picks the right tools for your challenge and works through them with your team.
Meet the CortexInhouse training and capability building
We build design thinking capability inside organisations: hands-on programmes on your real challenges, with the tools from the books and international certification from Basic to Master.
A capability build programme, level by level
Mindset, process and core tools in a hands-on dry run. Everyone knows the why, what and how.
Project-based learning on a real business problem, in interdisciplinary teams, with results that matter.
Leaders learn to sponsor projects, measure impact and lead innovation teams.
Co-facilitation, observed workshops and individual feedback to build your own trainers.
Deep dives into measurement and ecosystem design, research and new tools at eye level.
Professor Emeritus Larry J. Leifer, Stanford University. Died on August 29, 2026.
In memoriam
"All design is human-centric."
Technology is only ever an enabler, never the goal. Solutions begin and end with real people.
Larry changed the way generations of engineers and designers think about their work. He founded Stanford's Center for Design Research in 1984, was a founding member of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the d.school) and served as Stanford Director of the Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Program.
He brought rare intellectual rigour to what many now casually call design thinking. Above all, he was a teacher. As co-author of The Design Thinking Playbook, The Design Thinking Toolbox and The Design Thinking Life Playbook, he shaped this series from the very beginning.
What set him apart was his generosity: the time, attention and energy he gave to students, colleagues and collaborators around the world. He will be dearly missed.
The evolution of design thinking
Design thinking never stood still. With every book, the authors took the mindset to a new level and adapted it to the questions organisations face today.
Roots
Larry Leifer and colleagues build the foundations of design thinking at Stanford and the d.school.
2018
Design thinking as a mindset for digital transformation of teams and organisations.
2019
Design thinking for your own life, career and personal change.
2020
The most popular methods, based on the largest international survey on design thinking.
2022
From single products to business ecosystems and scale.
2023
Making creativity, OKRs and innovation measurable.
2026
Futures, systems, ecological and exponential thinking for a better future.
Today
The Design Thinking Cortex brings 350 templates to every team as an AI facilitator.
The authors
Lead author · Founder of Lewrick & Company
Founder and managing director of Lewrick & Company. Keynote speaker, facilitator and advisor. Thinkers50 nominee 2022 and 2023, former Chief Innovation Officer at Swisscom and Head of Innovation Labs at Deloitte. He keeps developing the design thinking mindset together with new technologies, from ecosystems to Agentic AI.
LinkedIn
Co-author · Professor, entrepreneur, founder
Professor of Product Innovation, entrepreneur and founder. Patrick believes that mindset matters more than process, and that design thinking and agile approaches share the same mindset. He co-authored The Design Thinking Playbook and The Design Thinking Toolbox. His latest book addresses sustainability and innovation.
LinkedIn
Co-author · Professor · Founding director d.school, Stanford University
Founding director of Stanford's Center for Design Research and a founding member of the d.school. For Larry, "Think different" meant to think differently: not simply doing what is expected. He was a close mentor and friend of Michael Lewrick. Together they built the latest views and frameworks of the series.
LinkedInCo-author of The Design Thinking Life Playbook: Jean-Paul Thommen.
Lewrick & Company
Lewrick & Company, founded by Michael Lewrick, is the partner to bring the playbook into your organisation. Most clients start with a keynote, continue with a masterclass and end up building with us.
For conferences, leadership summits and all-hands meetings, on AI, innovation and design thinking.
Keynote topics on lewrick.ch EnableYour teams work on real challenges with the tools from the books, facilitated by Michael.
Programmes on lewrick.ch DeliverFrom AI strategy and business ecosystems to measurable innovation, with senior experts and local partners.
Advisory on lewrick.chTemplate shop
Every tool from the books as a ready-to-print premium template, with a quick guide, the book page and a QR code. Perfect for workshops, sprints and team rooms.
Exclusive for visitors of the Design Thinking Playbook: all templates are already 80% off when you arrive in the shop. No code needed.
Questions & answers
Design thinking is a user-centred, iterative approach to innovation that helps teams solve complex problems and develop new products, services, processes and business models. It combines a mindset, interdisciplinary teams and a flexible process.
A solution is considered successful when it is desirable for users, feasible technically and organisationally, and viable as a business. The design thinking micro-cycle described in The Design Thinking Playbook has six phases: understand, observe, define a point of view, ideate, prototype and test.
The approach has strong roots at Stanford University, where Larry Leifer helped shape it, and the Wiley series by Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link and Larry Leifer translates it into practice for organisations.
Start with The Design Thinking Playbook if you want the mindset, principles and the complete process. Choose a different book of the Wiley series depending on your goal:
All five core books are also available together as The Design Thinking Library boxset.
The Design Thinking Playbook explains the why, what and when of design thinking: mindset, process and transformation. The Design Thinking Toolbox explains the how: concrete methods with step-by-step instructions for workshops.
| The Design Thinking Playbook | The Design Thinking Toolbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Mindset, process, strategy, transformation | Methods, tools, workshop execution |
| Key question | How do we think user-centred and steer innovation? | Which tool do we use in the next workshop hour? |
| Content | Concepts, case studies, process models | Method profiles with templates, timings and tips |
| For | Beginners, leaders, product managers, strategists | Practitioners, facilitators, agile coaches |
The two books are designed to complement each other.
The Design Thinking Cortex is an orientation model by Michael Lewrick that shows how design thinking works together with other methods, from first idea to scaled business. Inspired by the human brain, it connects creative, divergent thinking with analytical, convergent execution in three phases:
The model helps teams decide when exploratory design methods fit and when data-driven scaling frameworks fit. It is also the foundation of the Cortex Facilitator, an Agentic AI that guides teams through the 350 templates of the series.
Michael Lewrick developed or shaped several frameworks published in the Wiley design thinking series. They connect design thinking with business ecosystems, metrics and artificial intelligence:
Yes. Lewrick & Company offers in-house training, capability building programmes and certification for organisations, teams and individuals, signed by Michael Lewrick. Programmes cover:
Every programme combines the frameworks from the books with work on real challenges. For in-house rollouts or custom curricula, contact info@lewrick.ch.
Yes. Michael Lewrick is available for keynotes, executive masterclasses, corporate workshops and strategic advisory on design thinking, business ecosystem design and AI transformation. Requests go to info@lewrick.ch or through the contact form on this page. More about formats and topics is on lewrick.ch.
Dr. Michael Lewrick is the lead author of the Wiley design thinking series, read by more than 3 million people in over 25 languages, and the founder of Lewrick & Company. He was nominated for the Thinkers50 in 2022 and 2023. He was Chief Innovation Officer at Swisscom and held a global role as Head of Innovation Labs at Deloitte.
He holds an MBA and a PhD and has collaborated with Stanford University for more than 15 years. In business ecosystem design, he is a senior expert at the Drucker School. His work connects design thinking with business ecosystems, innovation metrics and Agentic AI. The book Design Thinking for Humanity carries an endorsement by Don Norman.
Work with the authors
Inhouse trainings that build lasting skills, from first steps to your own trainers.
Michael Lewrick on design thinking, ecosystems, metrics and Agentic AI.
International certification from Basic to Master, for teams, facilitators and leaders.