Schools are filled with problems. Traditional education programs often focus on learning all the questions and then knowing the right answers. In this setting, teachers are giving problems to students to solve. Usually, there are a few ways of solving the problem, but the solutions are controlled by the teacher. However, the future of education may be less about just seeking out the right answers and more about first seeking out the right problems.
Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that puts the observation and discovery of human needs at the head of the innovation process. The Design Thinking approach to problem-solving is a little different than problem-based learning. In Design Thinking, first and foremost, the idea is for students to become problem seekers, who are able to interview, ask questions, and look at the problem from a different perspective. This is so students, not teachers, may create authentic and creative solutions to problems.
There are 6 components to Design Thinking: Empathy, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test, and Share/Implement. Below, each of the steps are highlighted to show how design thinking was used by a student in the classroom.
Empathy
A middle school student was tasked with “making an elderly person’s life easier”. The student who is working within the framework of design thinking first tries to relate to the elderly person. They ask questions, observe, and discuss problems that this elderly person may have. This is the first step in becoming a problem seeker – being able to demonstrate empathy and walking in the other person’s shoes.
Define
The student then takes the interview and observation to begin finding a way to make life easier for this elderly person. During the observation and interview the student noticed how hard it was for the elderly person to get up and down out of a chair. Perhaps this was a problem for the elderly person that could be solved. This mindset is to become a problem seeker. The problem was identified, and now puts the control of the problem and solution in the student’s hands.
As we move through the process of design thinking to ideate, prototype, and test, the goal now shifts to finding a solution, making it, and then testing it. If it works, one shares the solutions, and if it doesn’t return to ideation and repeat the process.
Ideate
Ideation is just a fancy word for coming up with as many solutions to the problem as possible. Grand ideas, small ideas, out-of-the-box ideas, are all welcome in this part of the process. Create a massive list of creative ways to solve your defined problem. In this case, the solution was creating a retractable cane that would allow the elderly person a little more support standing up from the chair and sitting down. The idea was to create a button on the cane that would allow it to raise and lower the height depending on the needs of the individual.
Prototype
This is where the rubber meets the road, or where ideas are turned into working prototypes. Cardboard, hot glue, and razor blades can be found in mass quantities during this step to make cheap versions of solutions. Making an adjustable cane meant figuring out how to create a button that would allow it to raise and lower in height. This student worked through the design and came up with the idea to use a suitcase’s retractable handle, as the basis for the design.
Test
After the prototype is built it’s time to test the creation. In many cases, the prototypes fail, and students need to go back to ideation and pick a different solution that solves the problem in which they defined. During this phase of Design Thinking students also learn valuable information about their prototype. What worked, what didn’t, did it solve the problem? It turned out that the first prototype was not strong enough and required the student to go back and redesign and stronger version to withstand the test. In the end, the final version was a working adjustable cane.
Share/Implement
When one finally comes up with a working prototype, it’s time to implement the design and see if it works for the user. Sharing allows others to critique the work done, and/or add to it to make it better.
Design thinking is meant to motivate students to tackle real-world problems that are innovative, clever, and human-centered. This process is used all the time in business, companies, and many organizations to reinvent and change their direction towards being user-centered. Teaching this process now to students at school prepares them to be problem seekers and problem solvers.
Billy Rech,
Technology Integrationist
Kyiv International School
