1 What is design thinking?
Design thinking is a human-centred approach to learning, collaboration, and problem solving (Buhl et al., 2019) and a process through which you can identify a problem, gather information about it, come up with possible solutions, test, and refine your solutions.
The process is usually circular and iterative and at each stage, you reflect on your design thinking process and revise it again. Design thinking is a mindset for thinking and working used by designers when they are trying to innovate in the real world (The Teaching and Learning Lab, 2024).
To illustrate further what design thinking is, Gemini AI (in December 2023) was asked to provide an analogy – here's what it came up with.
Imagine you're baking a cake for your friend. That's design thinking in action! But instead of frosting and sprinkles, you're using empathy, creativity, and a bit of trial-and-error to solve a problem: making a friend happy with a delicious cake.
Here's the recipe:
- Empathy: Ask your friend what kind of cake they love – chocolate, fruity, maybe even carrot spice? Get inside their head and understand their needs.
- Define the problem: What makes the perfect cake for them? Is it moistness, decoration, or a specific flavour? Focus on solving their specific problem, not just baking any old cake.
- Get creative: Brainstorm tons of ideas! Maybe a layered chocolate cake with hidden berries, or a carrot cake shaped like a flower. Think outside the box and let your imagination run wild.
- Prototype: Don't wait for perfection, bake a quick, smaller version of your best idea. It can be messy, but it gets the testing started.
- Test and improve: Give your friend a bite! Ask for their honest feedback. Is it too sweet? Not moist enough? Use their feedback to adjust your recipe and bake an even better cake next time.
That's it! Design thinking is just like baking a cake. You use empathy to understand the problem, get creative with solutions, test them out, and keep improving until you reach the perfect outcomes.
For teachers:
- Use this cake analogy to explain design thinking to your students.
- Break down projects into smaller, manageable steps like the design thinking process.
- Encourage experimentation and learning from mistakes, just like in baking.
- Celebrate creativity and innovative solutions, not just ‘correct’ answers.
Remember, design thinking isn't about baking the perfect cake every time. It's about the journey of learning, adapting, and creating something productive and meaningful together!
Next, go to 1.1 Why is design thinking important?
