Dt Methods

MicrosoftOfficialPublished by Microsoft

Skill
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Business and productivity
MIT
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From the author

Design Thinking method coaching knowledge across all nine methods including per-method techniques, deep expertise, and industry context (energy, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit and social impact, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, professional services, public sector, retail and CPG)

— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The dt-methods skill provides a structured reference system for AI agents to coach teams through the Design Thinking process. It organizes guidance into three layers: core method references for day-to-day activities, deep references for advanced facilitation and recovery, and industry-specific context to tailor vocabulary and constraints. The skill covers nine major industries, including energy, healthcare, and financial services, ensuring that coaching is grounded in the specific operational realities and regulatory environments of the user's sector.

What it does

Provides step-by-step guidance for nine core Design Thinking methods.
Offers advanced facilitation techniques and recovery strategies for complex scenarios.
Maps Design Thinking concepts to industry-specific terminology and constraints.
Integrates telemetry expectations for session artifacts to ensure observable outcomes.
Supplies industry-specific empathy tools and stakeholder considerations.
Supports tailoring of coaching based on the active method and identified industry context.

When to use it

When facilitating a Design Thinking session and requiring method-specific guidance.
When a team needs advanced troubleshooting or recovery techniques during a workshop.
When applying Design Thinking within a specific industry to ensure relevant vocabulary and constraints are respected.
When defining telemetry or audit trails for Design Thinking session artifacts.

Advantages

Ensures consistent coaching across the entire Design Thinking lifecycle.
Reduces friction by using industry-appropriate language and concepts.
Provides a clear path for scaling from basic methods to advanced facilitation.
Integrates operational and regulatory awareness into the design process.

Usage examples

“How should I facilitate a brainstorming session for a team in the energy sector?”: The agent will load the brainstorming method reference and the energy industry context, providing guidance that uses energy-specific terms like 'reliability concern' and 'forced outage rate' while emphasizing safety and regulatory constraints.
“We are stuck during the user research phase; what advanced techniques can we use?”: The agent will access the deep reference for the Design Research method to provide advanced facilitation strategies and recovery techniques to help the team overcome their current roadblock.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/dt-methods/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip dt-methods.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

Design Thinking Methods Skill

Entrypoint for Design Thinking method coaching knowledge. The dt-coach agent loads the method reference matching the active method in coaching state, the matching deep reference when advanced technique is needed, and the industry reference when an industry context applies.

How to use this skill

Read the method reference for the method currently active in coaching state to ground day-to-day coaching.
Read the matching deep reference when the conversation needs advanced facilitation, recovery techniques, or expert frameworks beyond the core method guidance.
Read the industry reference when the team has identified one of the nine covered industries as their context, and weave its vocabulary, constraints, and empathy tools into method-specific guidance.
Read dt-coach-telemetry.md when DT session artifacts need observable telemetry expectations grounded in telemetry-foundations.

Method references

Method	Name	Core reference	Deep reference
1	Scope Conversations	method-01-scope.md	method-01-deep.md
2	Design Research	method-02-research.md	method-02-deep.md
3	Input Synthesis	method-03-synthesis.md	method-03-deep.md
4	Brainstorming	method-04-brainstorming.md	method-04-deep.md
5	User Concepts	method-05-concepts.md	method-05-deep.md
6	Low-Fidelity Prototypes	method-06-lofi-prototypes.md	method-06-deep.md
7	High-Fidelity Prototypes	method-07-hifi-prototypes.md	method-07-deep.md
8	User Testing	method-08-testing.md	method-08-deep.md
9	Iteration at Scale	method-09-iteration.md	method-09-deep.md

Industry context references

Load the matching reference when the team identifies its industry context.

Reference	When to load
industry-energy.md	Energy-sector vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-financial-services.md	Financial services vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-healthcare.md	Healthcare vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-manufacturing.md	Manufacturing vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-nonprofit-social-impact.md	Nonprofit and social impact vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-pharmaceuticals-life-sciences.md	Pharmaceuticals and life sciences vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-professional-services.md	Professional services vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-public-sector.md	Public sector and government vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.
industry-retail-cpg.md	Retail and consumer goods vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and reference scenario.

Skill layout

.
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    ├── method-01-scope.md
    ├── method-01-deep.md
    ├── method-02-research.md
    ├── method-02-deep.md
    ├── method-03-synthesis.md
    ├── method-03-deep.md
    ├── method-04-brainstorming.md
    ├── method-04-deep.md
    ├── method-05-concepts.md
    ├── method-05-deep.md
    ├── method-06-lofi-prototypes.md
    ├── method-06-deep.md
    ├── method-07-hifi-prototypes.md
    ├── method-07-deep.md
    ├── method-08-testing.md
    ├── method-08-deep.md
    ├── method-09-iteration.md
    ├── method-09-deep.md
    ├── industry-energy.md
    ├── industry-financial-services.md
    ├── industry-healthcare.md
    ├── industry-manufacturing.md
    ├── industry-nonprofit-social-impact.md
    ├── industry-pharmaceuticals-life-sciences.md
    ├── industry-professional-services.md
    ├── industry-public-sector.md
    ├── industry-retail-cpg.md
    └── dt-coach-telemetry.md

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer871 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md6.5 KiB
references/dt-coach-telemetry.md1.5 KiB
references/industry-energy.md9.1 KiB
references/industry-financial-services.md10.7 KiB
references/industry-healthcare.md7.7 KiB
references/industry-manufacturing.md6.7 KiB
references/industry-nonprofit-social-impact.md15.6 KiB
references/industry-pharmaceuticals-life-sciences.md20.1 KiB
references/industry-professional-services.md14.0 KiB
references/industry-public-sector.md12.1 KiB
references/industry-retail-cpg.md16.5 KiB
references/method-01-deep.md10.4 KiB
references/method-01-scope.md10.2 KiB
references/method-02-deep.md15.6 KiB
references/method-02-research.md7.0 KiB
references/method-03-deep.md13.9 KiB
references/method-03-synthesis.md8.9 KiB
references/method-04-brainstorming.md13.6 KiB
references/method-04-deep.md16.5 KiB
references/method-05-concepts.md17.1 KiB
references/method-05-deep.md17.7 KiB
references/method-06-deep.md16.3 KiB
references/method-06-lofi-prototypes.md17.2 KiB
references/method-07-deep.md10.9 KiB
references/method-07-hifi-prototypes.md9.8 KiB
references/method-08-deep.md15.0 KiB
references/method-08-testing.md11.5 KiB
references/method-09-deep.md17.2 KiB
references/method-09-iteration.md11.9 KiB

references/industry-manufacturing.md

title: Manufacturing Industry Context description: Manufacturing industry context, vocabulary, and constraints for tailoring Design Thinking methods to this sector.

Load this file when the team identifies manufacturing as their industry context. It provides manufacturing-specific vocabulary, constraints, empathy tools, and a reference scenario that the coach weaves into method-specific guidance.

Industry Profile

Sector: Discrete and process manufacturing
Key stakeholders: Operators, shift supervisors, maintenance engineers, quality engineers, safety/compliance officers, plant managers, union representatives, IT support
Decision cadence: Shift-level (8-12 hours), daily stand-ups, weekly production reviews, quarterly/annual capital investment
Regulatory environment: OSHA, EPA, ISO 9001/14001, industry-specific standards (FDA for pharma, IATF 16949 for automotive)
Missing voices to seek out: Night/weekend shift workers, seasonal or temporary staff, new hires, contract workers

Vocabulary Mapping

Bridge DT language and manufacturing language bidirectionally. Use manufacturing terms when coaching manufacturing teams.

DT Concept	Manufacturing Term
Stakeholder map	RACI chart, responsibility matrix
Pain point	Downtime cause, production bottleneck
User journey	Production workflow, value stream
Observation / field study	Gemba walk, operator ride-along
Prototype	Pilot run, trial batch, proof of concept
Iteration	Continuous improvement, Kaizen cycle
Empathy	Gemba (go and see), operator perspective
Success metric	OEE, MTTR, first-pass yield, downtime minutes
Workflow mapping	SOP review, value stream mapping
Risk assumption	FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)
Constraint-driven design	Poka-yoke (mistake-proofing)
Alert system concept	Andon (signal for help)
Integration timing	Takt time

Constraints and Considerations

Safety

Safety is non-negotiable scope, not a preference. Safety and compliance officers hold effective veto power over solutions affecting worker safety or regulatory status. Changes involving safety, environmental controls, or quality certification require regulatory review before deployment.

Shifts

Day shifts have management oversight and support resources. Night and weekend shifts operate with reduced staffing and develop workarounds invisible to day management. A solution scoped entirely from day-shift observations may fail during off-hours. Include representatives from multiple shifts in stakeholder mapping and testing.

Unions

Union representatives are stakeholders with effective veto power alongside regulators and safety officers. Labor agreements can constrain process changes and technology deployment. Engage union representatives early in the coaching process.

Physical Environment

Noise: 85-90 dB on production floors prevents normal voice interaction and requires hearing protection
Contamination: Greasy or chemical-coated hands prevent touchscreen use; solutions need glove-friendly or hands-free interaction
Lighting: Factory lighting affects screen readability and QR code scanning
Space: Production line constraints limit device placement and prototype testing areas

Data Sensitivity

Machine sensor data, production metrics, and maintenance logs contain operational IP. Telemetry collection requires alignment with plant management and IT. Performance reports used for synthesis may have access restrictions.

Empathy Tools

Gemba Walk

Structured observation on the factory floor. Walk the production line during active operations. Observe what workers actually do versus documented SOPs. Note workarounds, informal communication channels, and environmental constraints. Conversations are most productive during natural work pauses, not interruptions. Respect PPE requirements and designated observation areas.

Shift Handoff Observation

Watch shift transitions to identify information loss, miscommunication, and undocumented workarounds. Shift handoff is a frequent source of scope-relevant problems. Compare what day shift documents versus what night shift actually receives.

Operator Shadow

Follow an operator through a complete shift or task cycle. Observe actual workflow, not the documented version. Use progressive questioning: start with "walk me through your typical day" before drilling into specific tasks. Watch for moments where the operator hesitates, improvises, or works around a limitation.

Safety Incident Narrative

Use anonymized incident reports and near-miss data as empathy artifacts. These reveal the operator's experience under pressure, failure cascade patterns, and gaps between documented procedures and real conditions. Emergency procedures often surface the highest-value use cases.

Reference Scenario

Context: A manufacturing plant experiences quality variance across shifts. Day shifts consistently outperform night shifts on first-pass yield.

Discovery (Methods 1-3): Scope conversations reveal the initial request is "build a quality dashboard." Gemba walks on both shifts and shift-handoff observations uncover the real problem: information asymmetry. Night-shift operators have the same equipment and SOPs but lack the informal knowledge transfer, rapid-response support, and management oversight that day shifts enjoy. Workers spend 10-15 minutes finding manual sections while actual repairs take 5-10 minutes.

Solution (Methods 4-6): Brainstorming generates four solution themes: hands-free interaction, visual guidance, collaborative knowledge sharing, and proactive assistance. Lo-fi prototypes reveal touchscreen contamination, QR code lighting issues, and production-timing conflicts — constraints invisible from a desk.

Implementation (Methods 7-9): Hi-fi prototypes validate industrial-grade microphones for 85-90 dB environments and glove-friendly interfaces. User testing across four operator types shows 40% higher adoption with glove-friendly design. Shift-change usage spikes lead to dedicated transition features. Emergency stop procedures are used 300% above forecast, revealing safety as the highest-value use case.

All DT coaching artifacts are scoped to .copilot-tracking/dt/{project-slug}/. Never write DT artifacts directly under .copilot-tracking/dt/ without a project-slug directory.

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: GitHub Copilot, Claude Code

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Claude Code frontmatter

Security

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Attribution and licence

Published by

Microsoft

Publisher

Microsoft (Official)

Source

microsoft/hve-core · .github/skills/design-thinking/dt-methods · commit f425e94

Licence

MIT License (redistribution allowed)

LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)

Synced

2026-11-09

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Microsoft.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download dt-methods.zip