For this week's presentation, I found
an article entitled "7 Things You Should Know About Design
Thinking". You can read it here:
I decided to choose it, because I've
never heard about "design thinking" before. Having read the
article, I still don't understand, why it is called "design
thinking" (maybe you can help me with that?), but nonetheless it
is a teaching method practiced in higher education. The single
sentence that best describes it is: "[a] shift from testing
students to having students test their work".
In other words, students are encouraged
to creatively find solutions to problems on their own and without the
fear of failure by trying as many different approaches as they can
and then evaluating the results. For example, teams of students can
take part in a game, where they need to find information from public
records by visiting a government institution, or trying to find it
online and to see what works best. The idea is to focus on doing
rather than discussing or theoretical thinking. According to the
article, this way of practical prototyping and testing results in
faster development of working solutions to real-world problems.
Questions:
1. Would you agree that early failure
leads to better outcomes? Can you give an example of your own?
2. Do you prefer to engage in
brainstorming ideas and trying different ways of solving a problem,
or are you more inclined to first learn about the problem and then
propose the best solution?
3. I think it's difficult to predict
how successful this method can be. There's a risk that it can devolve
into a lot of wasted effort and few results in the end. What do you
think?
4. What classes / subjects can you
think of that would benefit from this approach the most?
Wiktor, I agree with you entirely that “design thinking” must be a new idea.
ReplyDeleteI haven`t heard about it so far. The article`s title you chose is so interesting that I am going to read the paper.
What “design thinking” is?
Having read the article "design thinking" is "structured approach", "the way of creative problem solving", "interdisciplinary approach". We know it from the abstract.
How does it work?
The aim is that the team`s members have to understand the needs of the project. The next step is to solve the problem(s) in a creative way. The open imagination is needed. Then, the brainwave or sudden great idea, surprising, innovative sollution is the key to the solution. To do it the team`s members need to cross the barrier of the standard thinking.
It seams to be clear, isn`t? But what is the difference between "design thinking" and "brainstorm" technique? Any ideas?
Yes, you (and everyone else!) should read the paper, that's part of the task ;)
DeleteMy summary is there just to give a little introduction and start the discussion.
I think your definition of the meaning of the term "design thinking" is correct, but I still struggle to understand what exactly is being designed? Is it the thought process or the output?
Brainstorming seems like a similar technique, but design thinking is more than just discussions and creative ideas. The crucial part is trying things in practice to see what works and what doesn't work and evaluating results. Brainstorming is more about planing what to do or guessing what the solution might be.
Coming back to the first question set by Wiktor, I`d like to give my oppinion.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that early failures lead to better products. There was a task to calculate one of the State Fire Service index. The index have been compiled by somebody else a few years ago. It occured a few months later, that I had made a mistake by chance while compiling the index. It was a chance to take a look on the index again. All in all, we compiled a new, a far better index.
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DeleteIn examples such as the one you gave, the sooner you find the mistake the better, that's clear. But that doesn't mean the final outcome is any better than if you hadn't made that mistake in the first place. Although, I guess it gave you the opportunity to rework and improve the index in other areas which maybe you wouldn't have done otherwise?
DeleteIt gets more nuanced when early failure might discourage you from continuing your work.
Coming back to the second question set by Wiktor personally, or if I were a team lider, I would prefere working base on a brainstorming. The technique gives better results as synergy efect. But if the project team is focused on the best results, first of all team members should take a look on the the problem's basis and plough a lonely furrow ( work on one's own).
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, synergy might be the underlying principle which makes this approach successful.
DeleteComing back to the third question set by Wiktor, it is highly possible that project might change direction. The team leader (moderator) is the person who observes the work products and moderates if it is necessary.
ReplyDeleteOK, so the viability of this method depends on having the right people on your team. A quote straight from the article:
Delete"Design thinking depends on including the right mix of participants: leaders with authority to act, individuals who can brainstorm with verve, and people who can work together effectively."
The better the team, the less likely it will devolve into chaos. But sometimes you have to work with the team you've got rather than a perfect mix of participants. That may be problematic...
Coming back to the last question set by Wiktor, "design thinking" has many practical application. Frankly speaking, for all subjects where creative approach is required it can be applied.
ReplyDeleteLet me see some more comments please, don't wait till the last minute :)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and making a quick search on google, I found that "design thinking" isn't really a fresh concept with first traces of the notion pointing to Gerbert A. Simon's book titled "The Sciences of the Artificial" published in 1969. There is even a Wikipedia page on this subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking and also a polish portal about it: http://designthinking.pl/ .
ReplyDelete1. Would you agree that early failure leads to better outcomes? Can you give an example of your own?
It depends on the individual. As Wiktor mentioned in one of his previous comments it can lead to demotivation and abandoning of the project. This depends on the level of determination that someone posses to achieve success. It is sometimes observed in young students who are unsure of the educational path that they want to pursue, usually when they fail early they quit and chose a different one. On the other hand if we consider a fairly determined individual who has some experience in dealing with failures, an early failure might bring more positives by forcing him to rethink the design of an element that otherwise would bring a lot of problems in the future (just like Robert mentioned the recompilation of the State Fire Service index).
2. Do you prefer to engage in brainstorming ideas and trying different ways of solving a problem, or are you more inclined to first learn about the problem and then propose the best solution?
I usually try to learn about the problem as much as I can and also try to decompose it into smaller ones. Then I find simpler solutions to its parts which later form the more complex solution to the whole. Of course most problems don't have one solution so I try to brainstorm and provide pros and cons for each proposed method. Only then I try to apply the solution in practice, unless it's a trivial problem that I have previous experience in dealing with.
3. I think it's difficult to predict how successful this method can be. There's a risk that it can devolve into a lot of wasted effort and few results in the end. What do you think?
I think that there might be cases of problem categories and individual types using this method in solving them that will provide better results than using another method. In example, if we let students test their own work, we need to make sure that they will evaluate it correctly. This method is good for teaching students how to generally cope with problems. But it's not the best method for teaching them how to complete a project (where failures might appear), because in this case there might be more time wasted on practicing faulty solutions than on practicing the correct methods of doing it.
4. What classes / subjects can you think of that would benefit from this approach the most?
As mentioned in my answer to the previous question I would see it most fitting in a subject dealing with methods of generic problems solving. Teaching students how to cope with problems and failures that might occur.
Thank you for doing some background research. The fact that it is a well established method adds more credibility to it.
DeleteI also think that while it's good to learn from your own mistakes, it's better to learn from someone else's mistakes. If there is a proven method of doing something, students should learn that first. However the article mentions multi-domain problems as one area where indeed design thinking has a stronger potential for finding a successful solution.
There is a quite good explenation of design thinking definition on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking as Michał wrote. I took a look on it. According to the source "Design thinking is a formal method for practical, creative resolution of problems" (...) "with the intent of an improved future result", (...) "starting with a goal (a better future situation) instead of solving a specific problem" (like is in brainstorming), (...) "by considering both present and future conditions and parameters of the problem".
DeleteI recommend "Design Thinking Example Video" too where the method is well visualised. Take a look on it. There is 5 key elements of design thinking:
1. Learn from people.
2. Find patterns.
3. Design principles.
4. Make tengible.
5. Iterate relentlessly.
Thanks for the video recommendation. It's indeed a nice source that helps to further understand the concept by providing a real life example of use.
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ReplyDeleteLike Robert I haven`t heard about it so far but it seems to be very interesting topic.
ReplyDelete1. Would you agree that early failure leads to better outcomes? Can you give an example of your own?
I'm thinking that it depends on the personality of certain person.Failure motivates some people to work harder and to solve the problem while the other failure discourages and leads to discouragement so it really depends on the personality and character
2. Do you prefer to engage in brainstorming ideas and trying different ways of solving a problem, or are you more inclined to first learn about the problem and then propose the best solution?
Personally, I prefer both approaches first learn about the problem and understand it and then participate in a brainstorming which will help to find of the best solution.
3. I think it's difficult to predict how successful this method can be. There's a risk that it can devolve into a lot of wasted effort and few results in the end. What do you think?
I agree with you that this approach can be very risk. But I think that it depends on the group of people. If we chose good group people it can be very good approach to solve problems.
4. What classes / subjects can you think of that would benefit from this approach the most?
I think similar to Michail that this approach can be good for solving some generic problems
For those who would rather avoid failure this method might still be helpful, because failure is almost built into this process. It is treated as something natural. So if one accepts this method and follows it, then perhaps it makes it easier to cope with failure?
DeleteI think that subject is really interesting. I see design thinking as addressing the specific needs of the customer when working on the problem. I see it compatible with agile way of software development. Don't build features nobody needs right now. Focus on need. I think it is especially important when working on startups.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I have to say that term “design thinking” is very mysterious also for me. I have very little idea of what is behind that.
1. Would you agree that early failure leads to better outcomes? Can you give an example of your own?
I agree totally although we need to learn how to fail. That is the way we should be tough from childhood. So that when we do something wrong in adulthood we know how to react, feel ok about it and treat it as a necessary experience for growth. The main idea about developing good ideas in both science and business is to not be afraid to fail. Designing a good solution of a problem is very often based on failures.
I’m working on developing business ideas and I generally focus mostly on checking if a problem and solution a failure from design or not. I totally embrace it.
2. Do you prefer to engage in brainstorming ideas and trying different ways of solving a problem, or are you more inclined to first learn about the problem and then propose the best solution?
Brainstorming is good when problem and target are well defined. When you are sure you understand the problem, you know it nature and consequences. What is essential is testing the solution and introducing improvements.
3. I think it's difficult to predict how successful this method can be. There's a risk that it can devolve into a lot of wasted effort and few results in the end. What do you think?
Article states that proposed ideas and solutions are tested. If the iterations on ideas are short and designers can learn from feedback it is a good approach.
4. What classes / subjects can you think of that would benefit from this approach the most?
I think in every class where there is a product or project applying such way could be beneficial. Although the approach could be applied to any class in education. It is just a matter of approach to learning. I can see it in both humanistic and engineering studies. The only thing that changes is the problem and methods.
Let me first address your questions and then comment on the presented approach in general.
ReplyDelete1. Would you agree that early failure leads to better outcomes? Can you give an example of your own?
In principle, early failure should lead to better final results as it provides early hints and feedback with regards to current results of your work. The sooner your get your feedback, the earlier your can use it in the rest of your work. There are some caveats though. You have to be mentally ready for this type of approach. Some people get quickly discouraged by failures. Others might overreact and change their current solution entirely as a result. That is why implementation of design thinking should be the part of education program so that students practice various scenarios and get used to it.
2. Do you prefer to engage in brainstorming ideas and trying different ways of solving a problem, or are you more inclined to first learn about the problem and then propose the best solution?
These two approaches do not contradict each other entirely. You should be prepared for a brainstorming session to be more effective – know the background and propose more accurate ideas. Moreover, brainstorming is good only in certain business situations such as feasibility study, workshops with customer or internal troubleshooting. In other situations there are better approaches, e.g. Delphi method.
3. I think it's difficult to predict how successful this method can be. There's a risk that it can devolve into a lot of wasted effort and few results in the end. What do you think?
That is true – effective brainstorming is really hard to achieve. You need to have a very skilled facilitator that will lead the meeting in a productive way. The most common risks include discussions on topics not related to the desired outcome, people not contributing because of the peer pressure or the other extreme – people contributing even when they do not have any value to add at the moment. That is why moderation is the key to the successful brainstorming session.
4. What classes / subjects can you think of that would benefit from this approach the most?
Design thinking seems to be a very practical approach and in my opinion this should be used in wherever applicable. This includes most IT areas and business-related subjects. I believe that there are some areas where this is not applicable (e.g. human sciences) but there are in minority and the approach could be used in more classes that it would seem at first.
Note: The design thinking seems to be the educational application of the already existing business approach described as ‘agile’. Agile management is based on an iterative approach where people from various backgrounds work closely together (often using brainstorming) and release the outcome of their work in regular short cycles. Obviously, in early cycles the output will be usually the prototype of their solution. This sounds like the description of approach in the article, right? That is the reason that I fully agree this applying this method in education wherever possible.