One can understand Design Thinking as a method to solve problems using a process. It is one of the most effective ways to create something new. A process that first understands users, identifies and analyses a problem or need, and researches relevant information, after which ideas are explored and analyzed, until an appropriate innovative solution to the problem or need is arrived at. Hence Design Thinking could be viewed as the process that translates an idea into a blueprint for something useful, whether it's a vehicle, a building, a graphic, a service or a system.
In a nutshell, Design Thinking along with Innovation, combines user requirements, finds creative solutions, explores suitable technology alternatives, and results in a new business enterprise or solves existing problems for an organization.
The Design Thinking process can be applied to solve problems and find creative innovative solutions in any field or domain. For example, you could apply Design Thinking to solve problems in arts, social sciences, law, medicine, engineering, business, etc. It could even be applied to solve problems at home or in your neighbourhood or your place of work. Whether it is a simple problem or a complex problem, a design thinker finds creative ways to tackle them. If everyone could adopt this method to solve problems then we would be moving towards a creative society that finds solutions to many of its problems.
What are the aims of Design Thinking and Innovation Course?
The Design Thinking and Innovation course will help students Identify problems and be able to find solutions and apply Design Thinking processes and methods to solve various problems. The course will help students learn the fundamentals/essentials of the Design Thinking and Innovation process. The students will solve live contextual problems such that it creates awareness in the students through observation, discovery, analysis, experience, collaboration and reflection. The intention is to nurture their curiosity and enhance their explorative abilities and be able to apply it to foster creativity and innovation in students in any field. The students will also be able to realize their ideas as prototypes, test it and get feedback from users so that they can iteratively improve their solutions.
The course is meant for (1) faculty members at both school and colleges who would like to understand this subject, (2) students of higher education (3) professionals in any field who would like to explore creative possibilities in their respective areas of expertise and (4) entrepreneurs. The backgrounds of faculty members, students, young professionals and entrepreneurs could be from science, humanities, engineering, law, medicine, architecture, design and other disciplines.
Note for entrepreneurs: The course will be useful for entrepreneurs who would like to improve their business and are seeking new opportunities and methods to do it. It could be to develop new innovative products or applications, improve their services in novel ways, or to find a solution to an existing problem. These could include SMSE's, Tech Start-ups, Social Innovators, Rural Entrepreneurs, etc.
Design Thinking and Innovation will assume an ever more important role to play in the future of our world. This will help address, identify and solve problems creatively whatever the field of specialization. It should be useful to find solutions to issues both within one's own contexts and to issues at a national or global level. It will also be a useful tool for us to move towards a creative economy in the coming years.
So if you would like to be part of this creative innovative practice, do opt for this subject.
How is the Design Thinking and Innovation course learnt?
The Design Thinking and Innovation course has 4 sections for each of the sessions or module:
1. DT& I Process
2. DT& I Tools
3. DT&I Project
4. DT&I Case Studies
Method of Learning:
- Exposure to different aspects and stages of thinking process
- Solving an identified problem in stages across the 16 weeks (involving the DT&I process and tools)
DT&I Process:
Steps to Creativity and Innovation:
DT& I involves the following five phases in the process of solving a problem:
Phase 1. Observe/Research/Empathize
- Conduct secondary research on existing knowledge and Primary research based on user studies
- The first phase helps you to identify needs and locate issues to be solved through observation and empathy
Phase 2. Understand/Analyze/Define,
- The second phase of the process helps you to understand, define and analyse the problem area
- Analysis of problem with relational mappings and visualizations
Phase 3. Ideate/Alternate/Create,
- The third phase helps you to come out with several alternate creative innovative solutions to the problem
- Creativity, Ideation and Innovation - generating alternate concepts
Phase 4. Build/Prototype/Detail and
- The fourth phase helps you to actualize the solution by building mock-ups, creating scenarios, and then prototyping and detailing
- Final Prototyping Methods with Interface, form and technology details
Phase 5. Reflect/Feedback/Implement
- The last fifth phase is to prepare a business plan, get feedback through evaluation so that the suggestions can be implemented in the final solution.
DT&I Tools:
Exposure to knowledge of Tools for Design Thinking and Innovation:
The program will expose the students to the state-of-art tools to be used as part of the Design Thinking and Innovation problem solving process. The tools are useful in all stages of the design process.
Some listing of the Tools:
Phase 1: Brain-storming, Mind-mapping and Affinity-mapping, SWOT analysis, Contextual Inquiry, Ethnographic Tools, User Mappings, etc.
Phase 2: Activity Mapping, Space – Time Mappings, Artifact Mappings, Concept Maps, Scenarios, Causal Diagrams, Giga System Maps, Life-Cycle Mapping, Journey Mapping, etc.
Phase 3: Brainstorming, Body storming, Lateral Thinking, Synectics, Removing Mental Blocks, SCAMPER, Rapid Idea Sketching, etc.
Phase 4: Paper Prototype, Soft Prototyping, Human Factors Analysis, Information Architecture, etc.
Phase 5: Hi-fidelity prototypes, 3D Modeling and Printing, Detailing, User Feedback Methods, Usability Studies, etc.
Phase 6: Business Models, Presentation Methods, Report Etiquettes
DT&I Project:
Project Based hands on learning Process:
The course will be based on hands-on project based learning where the students will identify and find innovative solutions to a live contextual problem as an open design challenge.
The understanding of DT& I process, use of Design Tools for analysis and exposure to Case Studies will happen simultaneously.
DT & I project is done during the duration of 16 weeks of this course making use of the different phases of the design process in solving the given problem
DT&I Case Study:
Exposure to Case Studies and Experts:
The exposure content will have theoretical and practical inputs from experts in this field as well as experienced professionals from the industry along with exposure to case studies of projects using Design Thinking and Innovation.
Exposure to DT&I Process | 30 minutes |
Knowledge of Tools for DT&I | 15 minutes |
DT&IProject Steps | 15 minutes |
DT&I Case Study example | 30 minutes |
Total duration per week for sessions | 1.5 hours |
Total duration for DT&I project every week: | 4-6 hours |
Project as an Open Design Innovation Challenge:
- Every year, Real-Life Problem Areas (India focused) s an open design challengewould be identified based on contexual needs and given at the beginning of the course. This will be solved by each participant over the next 16 weeks.
Weeks at a Glance:
W1/2 - Understanding Design Thinking and Innovation Process, Identification and selection of DT&I problem to solve
W3/4 - Secondary Research on Problem Space
W5/6 - Primary Research Methods
W7/8 - Analysis of Problem Space through Visualization/Mappings
W9/10 - Ideation, Explorations and Creativity Techniques
W11/12 - Soft and hard Prototyping
W13/14 - Test, Feedback and Iterative Design
W15/16 - Business Model and DT&I Project Presentation/Report
Address:
IDC School of Design
IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
Contact Details:
Chetan Bhuj - 9769577540
Email ID: dsource.in@gmail.com
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