Abstract
A cross-University group of undergraduate and graduate students who are (mostly) new to product development participated in a semester long course meant to help them understand innovation focusing on projects in the area of social justice. This course comprised students from different disciplines: engineering, architecture and psychology, plus environmental, graphic, and industrial design. From these different perspectives students inspired each other through cooperation using design thinking and empathic methods. Students practiced how to observe and research the area of focus; develop a deep and more holistic understanding of possible target audiences; identify questions, problems and opportunities; and come up with innovative solutions.
The aim of the semester long course is intended to allow students the opportunity to apply information gained to the process of solving problems in their own professional fields by using methodologies of design thinking that include cultivating systematic design abilities that support problem identifying, solving and subsequent solutions that have deep meaning for potential users and audiences.
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Thomas, J., Chen, X., Lee, I., Wang, J., Yang, Y., Strickfaden, M. (2021). Learning Design Thinking Through a Collaborative Focus on Social Justice. In: Shin, C.S., Di Bucchianico, G., Fukuda, S., Ghim , YG., Montagna, G., Carvalho, C. (eds) Advances in Industrial Design. AHFE 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 260. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80829-7_24
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