Abstract
Design thinking has been increasingly used to craft innovative solutions to complex problems. It is a creative human-centred process that most often occurs through collaborative models. One such example is the Double Diamond model, which consists of four phases to discover, define, develop, and deliver solutions to the public sector. Open innovation is another method through which an organisation may acquire innovative ideas from external parties. It is also comprised of four main phases: idea generation, selection, development, and diffusion. In both public and private sectors around the world, online platforms allow citizens to share their innovative ideas. However, there is a lack of literature on how open innovation can be combined with design thinking processes to bring in external ideas. Design thinking research has been confined to a select type of stakeholder. Open innovation, on the other hand, is not restricted any one group. This study proposes two possible scenarios to integrate the Double Diamond model to apply the open innovation process through online platforms in public sector. The current research will use a qualitative method to test the proposed frameworks by conducting interviews with two open innovation teams in the Saudi public sector. The findings will elucidate how the open innovation process is applied to the Double Diamond model and assist future open innovation teams to use the both models.