For me, the process of design thinking starts from research. It’s important for me to understand the ‘what’ and the ‘why’. What is the project about and why are we designing what we are designing. For example, ‘why are we designing the feature, and do we need it at all?’ I consider both user and system while designing.
Do reach out to me if you want to discuss work, product design, typography or want to know about biriyani :D