Design Thinking has emerged as a transformative and influential approach to innovation and change, empowering individuals and organisations to tackle complex challenges and develop human-centered solutions that prioritise the needs of people. This module aims to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of Design Thinking as a mindset, along with practical skills to apply it effectively in various contexts and diverse domains.
Using a variety of Design Thinking mindsets and methods, learners will gain transferrable skills highly valued across disciplines and sectors. The module emphasises hands-on learning through interactive tutorials and workshops, enabling participants to develop key skills such as creative problem-solving, collaboration, ideation, research and analysis, prototyping, evaluation, communication and agility.
Introduction to Design Thinking
• Design Thinking principles and theoretical foundations, and relevance in business, social, and innovation contexts• The mindset and core values of Design Thinking and its applications across industries and sectors • Developing creative confidence• The role of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the Design Thinking process
Empathy
• Developing empathy and understanding of customer and user needs, aspirations, and challenges• Human-centred research methods to gain insights into people's experiences and behaviours• The influence of personal values and cognitive bias on empathy
Problem Definition and Ideation
• Techniques for problem framing and redefinition • Divergent and convergent Ideation techniques• Critiquing, evaluation and prioritising ideas• Abductive reasoning techniques to identify and interpret potential solutions
Prototyping and Evaluation
• Rapid prototyping and developing low-fidelity prototypes• Evaluation and validation techniques examining the suitability, usability, and sustainability of solutions through critique, testing, critical analysis, impact analysis and reflection
Collaboration and Communication
• Strategies for implementing Design Thinking in organisational, community or civic contexts• Techniques for facilitating Design Thinking workshops and collaborative sessions• Communicating research insights and and design solutions
Learners will engage in a combination of theoretical lectures, interactive workshops, sprints, case studies, and hands-on projects to develop a deep understanding of Design Thinking methods and their potential impact across diverse domains.
Assessment for the module is suitable for integration with complementary modules, or with an external business, community or civic sponsor.
Assessment outputs may be suitable for inclusion in a digital design portfolio.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |