Design Thinking

With rapid change in an already complex world, knowing what problems to solve and how to approach solution development are increasingly challenging. Internal and external factors of uncertainty, disruption, and chaos often make it difficult to focus on long-term solutions rather than specific symptoms for current problems. One of the approaches the Innovation Lab seeks to employ in our work is design thinking, a mindset, and a human-centered approach to problem-solving. Design thinking is a structured framework for understanding complexity and pursuing innovation while at the same time gaining stakeholder buy-in by designing for actual people–our learners, faculty, and staff. By placing humans at the center of the solution design process, we build an understanding of their behaviors, preferences, and challenges they face. In turn, a human-focused approach builds empathy for the individuals we are designing for and assists in removing our personal biases from the equation.

Inspiration & Further Reading

IDEO. Design Thinking Defined. IDEO. (n.d.-b).

Liedtka, Jeanne. (2024, February 16). Why design thinking works. Harvard Business Review.