Generating customer insights is which of the design thinking stages?

The correct stage associated with generating customer insights is the Empathize stage. In the design thinking process, this initial stage focuses on understanding the needs, experiences, and behaviors of the users or customers. Empathy is central to design thinking, as it enables practitioners to gain a deep insight into the problems and desires of the target audience. Techniques such as interviews, observation, and immersion are commonly used to collect qualitative data and build a comprehensive understanding of users' perspectives. This foundational understanding is crucial for identifying the right problems to solve and fuels the subsequent stages of the design thinking process.

Selecting Test as the answer overlooks the fact that testing primarily involves evaluating ideas and prototypes against user scenarios to gather feedback after solutions have been brainstormed and developed. The Define stage centers on articulating the problem statement based on insights gained, while the Ideate stage is about generating creative solutions and brainstorming ideas, relying on the insights gathered during the Empathize phase. Thus, generating customer insights specifically aligns with deeply understanding users, making Empathize the correct choice.