DESIGN THINKING

WORKSHOP

1. Learn about design thinking

2. Experience some of the tools, methods, and methodology of design thinking

3. Consider how you might use design thinking in your senior design project

4. Have fun!

Goals

design

thinking

Human-centered & creative

Learning and growth

Scaffolded

Wealth of resources

Collaborative

What is design thinking?

Sanders, 2008

What is design thinking?

Methods &Methodology

• Series of phases (with some overlap)• Frequent iteration• Convergence and divergence

What is design thinking?

Mindsets

What is design thinking?

Tools

Do Say

Think Feel

Personas

Empathy Map

Abstraction Laddering

Creative Matrix

• Team

• Organization/school

• Department

• Profession

• Nation

• …What else?

What is design thinking?

Culture

How might you use design thinking?

Plug and play as neededGet “unstuck”

Awareness of where you are in the processAdapt based on context and situation

Developed over time and in contextWhat you uniquely bring

Let’s try it out!

Goals:1. Learn about users and

their contexts

2. Engage users in the

process to build trust

3. Develop insights that

inform problem

definition and concept

development

empathy: what?

when you FEEL and UNDERSTAND what the other person is feeling and experiencing. When you can MIRROR their expression, their opinions, their hopes.

Designers approach empathy…

without judgment

with a beginner’s eyes

with curiosity

optimistically

respectfully

empathize: how?

Designers build empathy by…

talking with stakeholders

observing people in their daily lives

collecting artifacts

role-playing and building personas

co-constructing problems and concepts

empathize: who?

many different people may use or be affected by what you design, beyond the obvious (e.g., your direct client)

what they need might not be immediately obvious or fit your/their initial expectations

Empathy: how?

1

2

3

4

Building a persona

• Identify a target userWhose needs are most important to consider in your project?

• A persona typically represents a composite of your users, but can refer to a single user

• Fill out the template as best you can. It’s okay if you don’t know something, you can learn this later (e.g., through interviewing the stakeholder).

Photo/Picture

Do Say

Feel Think

Insights about user needs

Tool: Empathy Map If you don’t know something about your users, list what you don’t know and come up with a plan to learn more.

If you don’t know something about your users, list what you don’t know and come up with a plan to learn more.

Goals:1. Identify user needs and

core issues

2.Focus design work on a

specific target

3.Reframe the problem to

reflect new knowledge

and perspectives

usergirl

needbook, lower shelves, a safety device, etc.

insightshe commonly reaches for books on high shelves without paying much attention to balance

A 10-year old girl who just

moved into a new house

She needs a way to play and explore

in her new home

While she likes to read, she enjoys the

adventurous aspect of reaching books on

the higher shelves as she becomes

accustomed to her new home (surprising

finding rooted in empathy work)

are human physical, cognitive, and emotional necessities

capture the goals and motivations of the person for whom you are designing (which may be different than you initially think)

are verbs, not nouns (opportunities, not solutions: ladder vs to reach)

Needs…

You may continue to iterate and reframe throughout the project

What does your user need?

1

2

3

Abstraction laddering

1. Start with your needs statement

2. Ask ‘why’ questions to identify deeper, broader problems

3. Ask ‘how’ questions to identify more specific issues to address

4. Build a ‘ladder’ with as many problems as you can identify (ideally with users)

5. Select a problem to address

Goals:1. Generate a lot of

ideas

2.Go beyond the obvious

3.Engage everyone in the

process

Ideate

ideate: how?

Tool: Lotus Blossom

General approaches

1. Place the need at the center

2. Identify potential approaches to address the problem

3. Identify specific ways to implement those approaches

4. Generate as many ideas as you can, adding levels as needed

NOTE: If you’re having trouble getting started, identify a few ideas and generate the approaches from there.

Volume, wild ideas,

NO evaluation!

More specific ways to implement that approach

Goals:1. Develop rough

models to share

with users

2.Frequently iterate

and improve

3.Learn from “failure”

Prototypes come in many forms

StoryboardLabeled sketch

Physical model

Product simulation

Timeline

Rapid Prototyping and Testing

Choose the most promising concept(s) to develop.

Describe a scenario where the solution would be used.

Add details that demonstrate functions and features

Test prototype with your personas.

Iterate on the solution as you prototype.

Some things to consider

Think beyond what users say they want

Consider whether your insights come from assumptions or authentic user perspectives

Find the appropriate scopeDon’t be afraid to reframe

Don’t worry about feasibility yetTake some time and push yourself

Prototype early and oftenUse a variety of prototype formats

Some things to think about…

How did it go?• E.g., what was surprising? Why?

How might you use design thinking in your project?

Any questions or final thoughts?