Stanford d.school Bootleg

Download here.

What This Is 🤔

A foundational design thinking toolkit developed by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school). It brings together a broad collection of practical tools that support human-centered innovation, learning through action, and iterative problem solving.

What It’s For 🎯

This toolkit is used to help individuals and teams:

• Understand real human needs

• Navigate ambiguous or complex challenges

• Generate and explore new possibilities

• Learn quickly through prototyping and testing

It is especially useful when problems are not yet well defined.

What You’ll Find Inside 🧰

The Bootleg includes tools spanning five core modes of design work:

• Empathizing with people and contexts

• Defining meaningful problem frames

• Generating ideas broadly

• Prototyping concepts early

• Testing to learn, not to validate

The tools are modular and adaptable, meant to be combined based on context rather than followed as a fixed process.

How to Use It 🧭

Think of this toolkit as a reference library, not a recipe. You can start anywhere, pick the tools that fit your situation, and return to others as the work evolves.

It works equally well for:

• Short workshops

• Multi-week projects

• Teaching and learning design thinking

• Team-based innovation work

Key Takeaways 💡

• Innovation improves when teams learn directly from people

• Making ideas tangible early reduces risk and debate

• Iteration is a source of insight, not a sign of failure

• Good framing matters as much as good ideas

Pro Tips 🧠

• Don’t try to “do the whole toolkit” — pick intentionally

• Spend more time in empathy and framing than feels comfortable

• Use low-resolution prototypes to learn faster

• Treat the modes as a shared language, not a linear process