We believe the best way to learn is by seeing, trying, reflecting, and sharing—all of which are the foundation of our online design thinking courses. We also believe that you need to get out into the world to internalize learning—here are our favorite design thinking books that have helped us deepen our understanding and practice of design thinking. 

As we step into 2025, we’ve refreshed our list with new additions alongside timeless favorites, offering even more resources to inspire and deepen your design thinking practice. From fostering creativity and innovation to exploring real-world applications in specific industries, these design thinking books are here to guide and expand your understanding of what’s possible with design thinking.

Skip to Key Sections:

• Design Thinking Books on Mindset
• IDEO Design Thinking Books
• Design Thinking Books for Social Impact & Inclusion
• Design Thinking Books for Specific Industries
• Analogous to Design Thinking

Design Thinking Books on Mindset

To cultivate a mindset that embraces creativity, collaboration, and empathy, these books explore the core principles of design thinking and how they can shape innovative problem-solving approaches:

1. A More Beautiful Question, by Warren Berger

This book explores the transformative power of asking the right questions. Warren Berger demonstrates how inquiry can unlock creativity, drive innovation, and lead to meaningful change. Drawing on examples from business, education, and everyday life, Berger provides tools and strategies for cultivating a questioning mindset. It's an essential read for anyone looking to foster curiosity and challenge the status quo.

For deeper insights into Berger's perspective, check out his appearance on the Creative Confidence Podcast, where he discusses how asking the right question can lead to breakthroughs. 

2. Designing Your Work Life, by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans

In this sequel to Designing Your Life, Burnett and Evans bring their design thinking principles to the workplace, offering practical tools for navigating career changes, improving job satisfaction, and fostering a sense of freedom in professional life. Readers will learn how to reframe challenges, prototype solutions, and thrive amidst change. For further insights, check out Bill Burnett's episode on Creative Confidence Podcast, where he discusses how these concepts apply to the evolving dynamics of work.

3. Rituals Roadmap, by Erica Keswin

Erica Keswin explores the power of rituals in creating more connected, engaged, and productive teams. This book highlights how integrating meaningful rituals can transform workplace culture and drive positive outcomes for organizations. It provides actionable advice and inspiring examples for leaders looking to humanize their workplace practices.

For additional insights, listen to Keswin's appearance on the Creative Confidence Podcast, where she discusses how rituals can enhance collaboration, foster belonging, and spark innovation.

4. Insight Out, by Tina Seelig

Tina Seelig, a Stanford University Professor, shares how everyone can make imaginative ideas a reality. Learn how to work through the steps of imagination, ideation, innovation, and implementation to ultimately create something complex, interesting, and powerful.

5. Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono 

When you’re working on a team, how do you define your roles? In this design thinking book, you’ll learn about “six thinking hats,” or mindsets that you can adopt to tackle problems and make better decisions. 

6. The Book of Beautiful Questions by Warren Berger

Warren Berger shows us the power of asking the right questions to help us make better choices in four key areas: decision-making, creativity, leadership, and relationships.

7. The Innovator's DNA, by Jeff Dyer 

If you want to strengthen your (and your team’s) innovation capabilities, read this book. Based on learnings from companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google, it will teach you 5 skills that will help you move from an initial idea to lasting impact. 

8. Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans 

Design isn’t just limited to products or services—you can also apply the design thinking mindset to your life. Two Stanford d.school professors share how you can create a life that is meaningful and fulfilling.

IDEO Design Thinking Books

These books, written by the IDEO team, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the company brings design thinking to life, with practical insights and stories to inspire your own creative journey.

9. The Art Of Innovation, by Tom Kelley & Jonathan Littman

The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm by Tom Kelley provides a deep dive into the creative processes behind one of the world’s most innovative companies, IDEO. Kelley shares lessons on fostering a culture of innovation, from encouraging collaboration and experimentation to embracing failure as a learning tool. With inspiring examples and practical insights, the book highlights how anyone can unlock their creative potential and drive breakthrough ideas.

For additional insights, listen to Tom Kelley’s conversation on  the Creative Confidence Podcast, where he discusses the key principles of innovation and creativity. 

10. Change by Design, by Tim Brown

Design thinking isn’t just for creative industries; it can be applied to all types of industries, from healthcare to consumer packaged goods. This is a book for anyone hoping to infuse design thinking into their organization, product, or service. Learn more from Tim in our Leading for Creativity course.

11. Creative Confidence, by David Kelley and Tom Kelley

Anyone can be creative. Use this book to grow your confidence and tap into your own abilities for innovation. Learn more from David in our Hello Design Thinking course.

12. Ten Faces of Innovation, by Tom Kelley

What are the different roles that you can play in an organization to help foster new ideas? Learn in this book, as well as how people overcome blocks to innovation in their businesses. 

13. Creating Great Choices, by Jennifer Riel and Roger Martin

Create great choices in your own work and learn a new approach—integrative thinking—that will help you leverage the tension of opposing ideas to create transformative new value.

Design Thinking Books for Specific Industries

Below you'll find design thinking books that dive into how the approach can be applied to specific industries, offering fresh perspectives and actionable strategies for solving challenges in fields like healthcare, education, and more:

14. Service Design: This is Service Design Thinking, by Marc Stickdorn

Everything can be designed—including services. In this book, you’ll learn how to design and market services to create outstanding customer experiences.

15. Environments: Make Space, by Scott Doorley

A lot of creative work is mental, but having a collaborative physical space definitely helps. After reading this book, you’ll gain tools and insights into how to craft spaces that ignite creativity.

16. Business: The Design of Business, by Roger Martin

Businesses rely far too exclusively on analytical thinking. Here’s how they can use innovation to level up and gain a competitive edge. Learn more from Roger Martin, an instructor in our Designing Strategy course.

17. Education: Launch, by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani

Learn a process that can be incorporated into every class at every grade level to help students discover powerful skills—problem-solving, critical thinking, and imagination—that will help them shape the world’s future.

Design Thinking Books for Social Impact & Inclusion

These books explore how design thinking can drive social change and foster inclusion, showing how creativity and empathy can tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges:

18. The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, by IDEO.org

A how-to for practicing human-centered design for social innovation, written for both new and experienced practitioners with applicable methods, worksheets, and case studies. Download free pdf version here.

19. Inclusive Design for a Digital World, by Regine Gilbert

Inclusive design means that your product is created to be accessible to as many different users as possible. This book will share why accessible design is so important, different designs for disabilities on various platforms, and tools and best practices for research and user testing. 

20. Smart Communities, by Suzanne W. Morse

Based on the results of more than a decade of research by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, this book is a guide to strategic decision-making in community planning, development, and collaboration.

21. Mismatch, by Kat Holmes

Inclusive design methods—designing objects with rather than for excluded users—can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all. Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion.

22. Design for Belonging, by Susie Wise

This book offers a practical framework for creating environments where people feel valued and included. Drawing on design thinking, Wise provides actionable strategies for leaders and organizations to build more inclusive, collaborative communities. The book highlights the importance of intentional design in cultivating belonging and explores how such environments can spark innovation, improve relationships, and foster stronger connections across diverse groups.

For additional insights, listen to Wise's appearance on the Creative Confidence Podcast, where she discusses how to design for belonging in various contexts. 

Analogous to Design Thinking

This section features books that, while not explicitly about design thinking, share complementary approaches to creativity, problem-solving, and innovation that align with its principles:

23. Sprint, by Jake Knapp

In just 5 days, you can make significant progress toward solving a big business problem. This book is about the sprint methodology from Google Ventures, which has led to the creation of products within Google Search and Google X.  

24. Playing to Win, by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin

If you enjoyed Designing Strategy, you’ll like this book as well. Our IDEO U instructor, Roger Martin, writes about how leaders can define their strategic goals and guide everyday actions that will lead to business success. 

25. Emotionally Intelligent Design, by Pamela Pavliscak 

We shouldn’t leave the emotion out of design–especially when it comes to technology. This book will inspire you to reconsider the emotional side of technology, and share new ways to design with a blend of human and machine emotional intelligence.

26. Design is Storytelling, by Ellen Lupton

Good storytelling brings ideas to life. Here’s how you can use visual storytelling techniques to create engaging, persuasive, and emotional products, services, and experiences. Pair with Storytelling for Influence and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a master storyteller.

27. Start with Why, by Simon Sinek

People won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the “why” behind it. This book shows the power of asking why—and how it can lead to well-functioning organizations, inspired employees, and even cultural movements. Learn more about leadership in our course Leading for Creativity. 

28. The Culture Code, by Daniel Coyle 

Where does great culture come from? In this book, Daniel Coyle shares a roadmap of the culture-building process, as well as strategies and skills that can generate cohesion and cooperation within a group. Learn more in our course Cultivating Creative Collaboration. 

Unlock Your Potential with Our Design Thinking Foundations Certificate

Join a community of innovators and take the next step in your design thinking journey. Enroll in our Foundations in Design Thinking Certificate to deepen your skills and start transforming how you approach challenges today!

---