Design thinking

Change is happening with increasing speed. Solutions to complex problems developed in the past no longer serve us today. Traditional linear, rational responses don’t always yield the best outcomes in contemporary situations. Wicked problems, with their entangled, often contradictory or confusing contributing factors are especially challenging.

Design Thinking is a set of strategies and tools, driven by a specific mindset, that aims to surface innovative and creative solutions to these new challenges we face. Successful entrepreneurship leverages Design Thinking methodologies to validate ideas, align innovation with sustainable practices; and explore expansive possibilities through iteration and human-centred research.

Guided by empathy (for people and the planet); inclusion (identifying responses that meet human and environmental needs); and collaboration (involving end-users in problem-identification and responses-formulation) Design Thinking works through a specific process that begins with problem-identification and works toward generating multiple possible responses.

Design Thinking is learned by doing, and in this unit of study you will work through the process addressing a significant wicked challenge.