• Design thinking is a universal method known for being one of the most effective

ways to innovate by solving problems using a human-centered approach. It starts

by understanding a certain person or community by gathering insights to identify an
issue they may be facing to then be solved through a systematic process.
• The process consists of 5 steps, which are empathize, define, ideate, prototype,
and test.
• This course is project-based for students to have a comprehensive understanding
of how design thinking works. Students will be faced with real people/communities
to identify a problem, which they will then solve together as a group of 5-8 people.
• The output of this project may be a product, system, concept, etc. that is applicable
and innovative according to their study program.
During the process, you will learn about:
• Students will work within each group and will elaborate their specific case. The
groups will work on their case with the expectation each group will initiate different
outcomes.
• It may be in the form of a hypothesis, which responds to the study program or the
society in general.
• These cases will be used for students’ practice in the workshop.
• The outcome may be in the form of a tangible/intangible product, a system, or any
other meaningful outcome.
• A workshop where students will practice the design thinking method will start in
Week #05 of the course.
• Usually in class, a group will have their own board where all their insights and ideas
will be placed using Post-its. Since this is the online, it is still possible to use
supporting web applications, such as padlet.com, trello.com, etc. and use online
meeting platforms for discussions.
Trello.com

Reference:
https://blog.trello.com/how-design-teams-are-using-trell
o-ultimate-guide
Trello.com
Padled.com

And … many more…

“User-centered design means understanding
what your users need, how they think, and
how they behave – and incorporating that
understanding into every aspect of your
process."
• Design Thinking is a set of principles that will help you discover an idea through a
process, with the user's needs at the center of every decision, and a user-test to
prove your solution working.
The empathize stage helps develop understanding towards your potential end-user and will
be the guiding light when you move toward brainstorming solutions. You’ll be asked to
search the basic details of the person you are designing for, such as:
• What is their daily routine?
• What are their goals?
• What do they feel?

Each answer takes you a step closer to finding the right solution whilst also giving you a
deeper understanding of user motivation and needs. Consider the broad spectrum of
people who will be touched by what you design.
Define the user you are designing for

The purpose of this

profile is to frame all
of your ideas and
solutions around the
individual that is most
likely to use it.

• •
•
• •
•
Empathy map The purpose of this profile is to frame all of your ideas
and solutions around the individual that is most likely to
use it.
Expert Tips...
Prepare for
Collecting Data

List of Questions
Things to Do
… …
… …

… …
… …
… …
…
…
…
Get a Data Collection

Observations & Quotes Interpretations

Good design solves problems. What will you solve
for your user?

Using what you learned in the last stage, it's time to

discover a pain point to form a clear challenge that you
can tackle.
• It's all about the end-user: Remember this is more about the people
you're trying to help than technology
• Keep it focused: Make sure the problem you are trying to tackle isn't too
broad or vague
• Check it against the Empathise stage: Refer back to the user profile to
make sure you're on the right track.

Once you've established a meaningful problem, you’ll be

able to brainstorm better solutions around it. Onwards!
 Define the problem you are trying
to solve for the end-user and why
it’s going to be important to them.
Problem Statement Keep referring back to this as you
go.
 …

Define Insights
Insights are a concise expression of what
you have learned from your research and
…
inspiration. They are the “aha!” moments
and unexpected learnings.
…

Sometimes, it can be helpful to write an

insight in the form of a Point-of-View
(POV) statement which makes an insight
specific to a user or user group. A simpler
way to create a POV is through the POV
equation.

user + need + interesting learning

= POV
 …

…
How Might We …
…

Make Insights Actionable

Actionable and successful ideas start with the
right question, which identifies important
opportunities through great INSIGHTS.
Remember, each “how might we” (HMW)
question will only address a portion of your
challenge so you can create multiple HMWs
and prioritize them for ideation.
Generate lots of ideas Now for the fun part! You already know your user and
that might be useful to the problem that needs to be solved. Let's start to
the end-user. brainstorm possible solutions.
• The goal of ideation is to rapidly create enough simple and wild ideas as
many as you can that apply to the problem. So you can have a
discussion to pick the best one.
• Set up your brainstorming rules. Stay focus to the user profile and
problems you defined in the previous stages

• Defer judgement. There are no bad ideas at this

point. There will be plenty of time to narrow them
down later.
Let's get started!
List the user needs and features This forces you to apply the ideas you
created to real user needs. How many
solve the problem your user is facing?
SCAMPER questions to guide your
brainstorm
Describe Your Idea Create a concept description for the idea
that you would like to prototype and repeat
for each idea.
+
This will enable you to ● Prototyping is not about getting it right
share your idea with the first time: the best prototypes change
other people and significantly over time.
discuss how to further
refine it. You can ● Challenge yourself to come up with at
prototype just about least three different versions of your idea
anything. to test multiple aspects of the possible
solutions your team has come up with.
 Functions / Materials :

Prototype Name
Feedback is one of the A good feedback conversation is a mix of
most valuable tools in spontaneous reactions to your prototype as
developing an idea. well as structured questions designed to
Sharing prototypes compare various peoples’ opinions about
helps you see what the same topic. Prepare a question guide
really matters to people that helps you navigate both sides.
and which aspects need
improvement.
Test Result
Prototype Name

List of Questions User Feedback

Test Result Keep

Prototype Name

Increase

Decrease
Final Outcome
Describe It !
• Baret, Pieter. (2015): The Role of Design Thinking
• Marvelapp.: Design Thinking Workshop Kit
• Osterwalder, A., et al. (2015): Value Proposition Design.
• Lewrick, M.,et al. (2018): Design Thinking Playbook
• IDEO.(2012): Designer’s Workbook.