Design Thinking

Design Thinking

Middle School

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Learning Objectives

• Define the purpose of the design thinking process.

• Describe the six stages of design thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test, and Share.

• Explain how each stage helps you creatively solve a problem.

Key Vocabulary

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Empathize

Understand the point of view of others to see how a problem truly affects them.

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Define

Clearly state the specific problem that needs to be solved based on user understanding and research.

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Ideate

Brainstorm and generate a wide variety of creative solutions and innovative ideas for the defined problem.

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Prototype

Create a simple, inexpensive, and testable model or representation of a solution to explore its potential.

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Test

Evaluate the prototype's effectiveness by gathering user feedback and data to see if the solution works.

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What is Design Thinking?

• It is a creative way to solve different kinds of problems effectively.

• This process always begins by understanding the people you are designing for.

• It helps create new solutions that are made to fit people's needs.

• It focuses on understanding others' feelings to solve real-world problems for them.

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Multiple Choice

What is the primary focus of the design thinking process?

• Developing solutions that people love by starting with their needs.

• Building a final product as quickly as possible.

• Focusing only on the technical aspects of a problem.

• Creating the most profitable product possible.

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The Stages of Design Thinking

• Empathize: Understand your audience’s point of view, like how plastic pollution affects people.

• Define: Clearly state the problem you want to solve, like reducing plastic pollution.

• Ideate: Brainstorm creative solutions, like the Mr. Trash Wheel Family for water pollution.

• Prototype: Create a simple model to make your solution idea tangible.

• Test: Use math-based data and graphs to see if your prototype will work.

• Share: Communicate your final plan and solution to your audience in a presentation.

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Multiple Choice

In the design thinking process, what stage comes immediately after you Define the problem?

• Empathize

• Ideate

• Test

• Prototype

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Common Misconceptions About Design Thinking

Misconception	Correction
Design thinking is only for designers.	It is a problem-solving method anyone can use to create new ideas.
The steps must be followed in a strict order.	The steps are flexible and can be repeated as you learn more.
Prototyping means building a finished product.	A prototype is a simple model for testing ideas, not a final product.

Multiple Choice

Why is the Empathize stage considered the crucial starting point of the design thinking process when tackling a problem like plastic pollution?

• It is the quickest way to define a problem and start brainstorming.

• It is the stage where the final solution is built and shared with the world.

• It ensures the solution is based on a real understanding of how the problem affects people and the environment.

• It allows you to immediately start building a prototype without research.

Multiple Choice

Based on the design thinking process, what is the key difference between the Ideate stage and the Prototype stage?

• Ideate involves sharing the final product, while Prototype involves understanding the user.

• There is no significant difference; the terms are used interchangeably.

• Ideate focuses on generating a wide range of ideas, while Prototype focuses on creating a testable model of one idea.

• Ideate is for testing solutions, while Prototype is for brainstorming.

Multiple Choice

Imagine the Test phase for a 'Mr. Trash Wheel' prototype revealed it only collected 10% of the targeted plastic. According to the design thinking process, what would be the most logical next step?

• Return to the Ideate or Prototype stage to refine the solution based on the test data.

• Abandon the project entirely since the first test was not perfect.

• Immediately Share the results, because the process is complete.

• Skip the Empathize and Define stages and build a new, bigger version.

Multiple Choice

How does the final Share stage contribute to the overall success of a design thinking project?

• It marks the beginning of the Empathize stage for a new project.

• It is where you build the first physical model of your idea.

• It is the only stage where you get to decide what the problem is.

• It allows for communicating the solution and the journey, potentially gaining support and inspiring others.

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Summary

• Design thinking is a creative process that starts with empathizing with your audience.

• Clearly define the problem before you brainstorm or ideate potential solutions.

• Build a simple prototype and test its effectiveness using data like proportional relationships.

• The final step of the design process is to share your solution with an audience.

Poll

On a scale of 1-4, how confident are you about applying the design thinking process to a problem?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4