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Design Thinking. What's that?



What's that?

Design thinking is human centered design, referring to a "context driven, problem-solving process that emphasizes creative ideation, learning from failure, prototyping and design for real world" (Buckley). It is a process for problem-solving with an optimistic mindset.  

Why?
Different from analytical thinking, design thinking is more "emotional". There are five main steps in design thinking methodology: empathy, define, ideate, prototype, test. It starts from empathy so designers should have empathy with the user's perspectives to solve users' needs. Before moving to design stage, define the problem precisely is very important. Otherwise, we may stray from the right path. Remember to keep an optimistic mindset, and brainstorm as many ideas as we can to open up imagination. Make it! Test the prototype with users. Don't be afraid of failure. Learning from failure. 

Journey Map?


In order to get more in-depth sights and to be more empathetic with users, one tool is journey map. Designers can ask users to map out their journey when using the service/ product. It can be used to see what customers truly want and help designers think systematically. Maps can reveal the risks and opportunities from users' perspective. 

Design Thinking + Education = 
A much better system is possible. Design thinking can be an effective approach to facilitate learning. It can be applied in various ways in different settings. For example, it can help students to personalize their learning journey. The element of empathy in design thinking can be applied to solution-based learning. 
Every educator is a designer and leader. We should believe in ourselves. 




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