This blog post was updated in September 2026 to reflect the most recent information, data, and insights available at the time of publication.
“That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
That simple phrase has been the death knell for countless innovations that never materialized.
After all, the status quo may be comfortable, but it’s never catalytic. And according to Designalytics’ data, it’s not very effective—only 40% of industry redesigns actually increase purchase conversion potential.
Design thinking pushes against the orientation toward complacency and questions the assumptions that underpin it.
Design thinking, embraced by brands like Nike and Apple and taught to students at Stanford and Harvard, has been a pivotal framework for creative development. The approach questions assumptions, prioritizes the experience of the end user, and embraces experimentation.
On a more fundamental level, we’re all familiar with design thinking because we use it. Essentially, it’s a reliable, repeatable way of solving problems. “Design is everywhere,” said Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO and creator of the term design thinking. “And inevitably everyone is a designer.” Design thinking has become such a powerful and popular method because its principles are proven to create more impactful results.
Yet the CPG industry struggled to apply this groundbreaking concept to package design. These days, though, there are cutting-edge tools available that dovetail perfectly with the design thinking process and allow CPG brands to benefit.
By mapping the principles of this philosophy to a data-driven methodology, we can take the guesswork out of the package design process.
Changing established procedures can be daunting. The good news is that incorporating design thinking into the creative process just requires a) an openness to trying it, and b) the right tools. It’s possible to save money and time while undergoing a more thorough (and successful) design process.
Empathize
Proponents of design thinking often call it a human-centered discipline because it seeks to solve problems with the user in mind. The idea is to step outside of your perspective with curiosity and a bit of humility. When creating a package design, this means starting with the consumer: Taking steps to understand what motivates them, how they use the product, and what’s really important from their point of view.
Before they even start the brief, brands can achieve this through choice-driver ranking research and claims optimization research. By identifying which specific claims and attributes drive purchasing decisions, the project starts rooted in the consumer's actual priorities, rather than internal assumptions.
Define
This part of the process requires defining the problem more clearly. To craft a clear, strategic creative brief, you have to objectively measure the starting line and the competitive landscape.
In this phase, a Baseline 360 assessment of the current design, a comprehensive category audit, or an Edge membership allows you to gain an understanding of your current design and the competitive landscape from the perspective of the consumer. Discover strengths and weaknesses, spot opportunities, and monitor risks with the confidence that comes from objective data (not subjective feedback).
Ideate
This is the stage at which creativity is given free rein. Quality takes a back seat to quantity here: The more ideas that flow, the better.
By grounding creative teams in the robust data from phases 1 and 2, we empower them to push boundaries. While the status quo may be comfortable, it's rarely catalytic. Armed with strategic insights rather than subjective opinions, brands and agencies can challenge complacency and explore bold, adventurous options without the fear of designing in a vacuum.
Prototype
In the package design world, most agencies create many more design concepts than they present to their clients. The problem is that they often discard ones that are riskier or more “out there” before some of the bolder (and possibly most profitable) options ever get a chance with consumers. That leaves potential winners in the proverbial circular file.
This is where our Versus design screening bridges the gap, providing speedy, actionable feedback on pre-market design concepts. We’re not testing in the pass/fail way here, at least not at first. This is an opportunity to learn, not win. With each new test, you glean more about what works and what doesn’t. Iteration creates innovation. By screening concepts early and often, teams can test broadly, refine constantly, and gather solid consumer research to support changes before finalizing the design.
This isn’t simply a box to check off; it’s an ongoing process of engaging with consumers so you can incorporate their feedback into the creative process.
Test & Launch
In the traditional CPG design process, there is generally only one test at the end of the process.
Brands and agencies have long noted their frustrations with traditional design testing: it is cost-prohibitive, crunches timelines, often returns inconclusive results, and, perhaps most frustrating, comes at the end of the process with little helpful feedback for the creative team.
However, if the design has been empathized, defined, ideated, and refined all along the way, this step doesn’t need to be a stressful gamble. Our 360 confirmatory testing of final design(s) is a final confirmation of a design’s likelihood to drive sales.
Using this continuous, phased research approach, brands end up launching a design they are supremely confident in, because they know they’ve created a design that resonates with consumers. While this may sound like it lengthens the process, brands have found that it's actually faster (and more cost-effective) since it helps them hone in on the best solution faster and avoid rework.
As one industry design leader put it: “If you’re validating your approach continuously throughout the process, there’s no big mystery at the end—you just know whether something is going to be a success in market."
The CPG industry has been hearing about design thinking for a long time. By pairing it with today’s iterative testing tools, brands have a flexible, decisive, and predictive engine of innovation that can be used at any stage of the design process with faster turnaround times.
Take the guesswork out of your next packaging redesign—request a demo to see how our design testing tools can empower your team to design smarter, faster, and more effectively.