Design Thinking

Module 1
William Oakes
Learning Objectives
 At the end of this session, you will be
able to:
1. Explain why design is hard for students
2. Describe at least three characteristics of
novice and informed designers
3. List three ways to enhance negotiation
and iteration in design
One of the activities of engineering…
 Design
 Development
 Research
 Test
 Analysis
 Production
 Sales
 Technical Support
 Other
Source: Oakes, Leone, and Gunn (2004). Engineering
Your Future. Okemos, MI: Great Lakes Press.
Many definitions of design…
Design is art
Design as problem solving
Design activity as applying scientific
knowledge
Design is a social process in which
individual object worlds interact, and
design parameters are negotiated.

Source: Dr. Robin Adams ENE 696G course

notes
The Design Process

Few Many
Specifications =====> Specifications

Design Process

Infinite Variety Most -----Least

One Design
of Designs Influential
Choices

Design is done by many disciplines

 Different Problem Types

Logical Story Decision- Diagnosis- Design

Making Solution
Algorithmic Rule- Trouble- Case
Using shooting Analysis

Well-defined Ill-structured
More abstract context Real-world
Single, correct answer Multiple
solutions
Constrained
Information Provided Many unknowns
Source: Jonassen (2000). Toward a Design Theory of Problem Solving.
 Multiple Valid Solutions

Examples:
•Car models
•Aircraft Engines
•Spinner cone design
optimizing on
aerodynamics, inlet
flow characteristics and
ice shedding
Developing Design Expertise

Expert

Novice
Crismond (2007) draws from many sources
in his definition of design as “’goal-
directed problem-solving activity’ (Archer, 1965)
that initiates change in human-made
things (Jones, 1992), and involves optimizing
parameters (Matchett, 1968) and the balancing of
trade-offs (AAAS, 2001) to meet targeted users
needs (Gregory, 1966).”

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and

informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in
engineering design.
I. Explore the Challenge
Contrasting What Beginning What Informed Tools
Strategies Title Designers Do Designers Do
Premature / Delayed Treat design as well- Delay making Functional
Decision Making structured and make decisions in order to descriptions,
premature design explore challenge, Problem Scoping
decisions learn about critical
issues

Skip / Do Research Skip doing research and Do research and Studying prior art,
& Info Searches information searched, information searched Product history
and instead start about the problem, and analysis,
generating design includeing materials, Researching
solutions immediately. prior art, users, users
product histories, etc.
Confounded/ Valid Do few early Do valid investigations Product
Investigations investigations or conduct to help them learn dissections,
confounded tests that quickly about design Product
build little understanding variables, users, comparisons
of the design problem. materials, & how
things work.

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed

designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.
II. Generate, Build & Communicate Ideas
Contrasting What Beginning What Informed Tools
Strategies Title Designers Do Designers Do
Idea Fixation / Fixate on first design Practice idea fluency via Brainstorming,
Idea Fluency ideas, which they brainstorming, sketching, Constraint Relaxation
won’t let go of, and and rapid prototyping, & “Dream Designing”,
work depth-first in and use gestures, words, Database Searches,
developing a single & artifacts to Rapid Prototyping,
plan. communicate these ideas Task Sequencing
Surface / Deep Describe & sketch Make drawings and Alternate Sequencing
Drawing & surface features of models that show how for Sketching,
Modeling device that would not parts connect and Discussions &
work if built. interact well, and models Annotated Sketches,
that test key features. Gestures and Artifacts
as Stand-ins for
Drawings
Unfocused / Have a generalized Use diagnostic vision to Cognitive Training,
Diagnostic Vision unfocused way of focus their attention while Teaching Modeling &
viewing tests and troubleshoot critical areas Coaching
troubleshooting their of the design plans and
ideas. products.

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed

designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.
III. Test & Evaluate Solutions, Reflect on Practice
Contrasting What Beginning What Informed Tools
Strategies Title Designers Do Designers Do
Ignore / Balance Ignore or pay too much Balance systems of Design decision charts,
Benefits & attention to constraints benefits and tradeoffs Design Guidelines,
Tradeoffs in and focus on + or – when making design Heuristics & Rules-of-
Making Decisions aspects of ideas decisions, and use Thumb
without also thinking of guidelines and rules-of-
benefits and tradeoffs. thumb to make these
choices.
Haphazard, Linear Design in a haphazard Do design as an iterative Project & Time
/ ways, working on process, improving ideas Management, Design
Iterative, whatever problems based on feedback, and Process Knowledge
Managed Design emerge, or treat design use strategies in any and Support
as a set of steps to be order, as needed, in a
done once in linear managed way.
order.
Tacit / Reflective Do tacit designing Practice reflective thinking Design Notebooks and
Thinking* when they think with by keeping tabs on design Portfolios, Computer-
little self-reflection & work in a metacognitive supported structured
monitoring of actions. way. reflections
Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed
designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.
*Self-monitoring is associated with higher levels of design performance and product
quality (Adams & Atman, 2000).
Characteristics of Designers

Good designers have the ability to:

Tolerate ambiguity that shows up
in viewing design as inquiry or as
an iterative loop of divergent-
convergent thinking
Maintain sight of the big picture by
including systems thinking and
systems design
Handle uncertainty
Dym, Agogino, Eris, Frey, and Leifer (2005)
 Characteristics of Designers

Good designers have the ability to:

Make decisions
Think as part of a team in a
social process
Think and communicate in the
several languages of design

Dym, Agogino, Eris, Frey, and Leifer (2005)

Designer’s challenge: Not exhibiting the
“Novice concepts of design”
Newstetter and McCracken (2001, p. 67-
68) list five, but I would like to challenge
you on three of them!
Design arrogance – Students do not
place their designs in the context of the
environment in which the design will
reside. The “arrogantly” ignore the
constraints of the user (whether that is a
machine or a person). They often
design for themselves.
Designer’s challenge: Not exhibiting the
“Novice concepts of design”, cont.
Design shutdown – Students tend to focus
on single point solutions to problems once
beyond the ideation stage. In other words,
once they have an idea, they stop considering
alternative and focus all their energy on that
one solution regardless of its feasibility.
Design routinization – Students act as
though designing is a serial/linear process.
The way they deal with design problems
resembles the linear parsing of the algebra
problem. Iteration, revisiting past decisions
and evaluating alternatives is not in their
process model.
 Good design…
 Good designs involve diverse perspectives
and expertise
 IDEO – industry leader in design and
innovation
o Design thinking is a crucial business asset—one
that can, indeed, move a company forward and
improve the bottom line. To optimize this impact,
(we) advise thoughtfully structuring the innovation
process. They stress working on projects that
improve people’s lives..

- Ryan Jacoby and Diego Rodriguez, Innovation, Growth, and Getting to

Where You Want to Go, Design Management Review Vol. 18 No. 1
 Usability
The extent to which a product can be
used by specific users to achieve
specified goals in a specified context
of use with effectiveness, efficiency
and satisfaction (ISO 9241-11)
Usability Testing

Is it usable?
Does it make sense?
Is it appealing?
Is it fun?
Is it educational?
Does it meet the need?
Have we considered all users?
Usability Testing

Prototype
Test the prototype
o Ask people who fit the user demographic(s)
to try out the prototype
o Watch: What errors? What works well?
Refine the prototype
Repeat
Research Results: People and Technical
are Related
Technical: Design, Complexity,
Ambiguity
Interacting with People
Design users, team

Expert
Students
members

Need
Experience
s that
Integrate
People and
Novice Technology

Traditional Education
Learning by doing

Students learn by making mistakes,

reflecting and trying again
 Prototypes
Prototyping….rough, quick, very
iterative
o IDEO working with Gyrus ACMI to design
new apparatus for operating on delicate
nasal tissues
o Prototype:

http://cataligninnovation.blogspot.com/2008/11/prototyping-foundational-competency-of.html
Prototyping – Both Important
 Prototyping….  Prototyping…
o Communication o Proof of technology
device o Testing technology
o Interaction and
teasting with users

http://cataligninnovation.blogspot.com/2008/11/prototyping-foundational-competency-of.html
Promoting Negotiation and Iteration
Representations promote feedback that
promotes negotiation and appropriate
iteration
o Visual – drawings, sketches, CAD
o Functional – mock up or prototype
o Intermediate or component
• Partial prototypes

Community partners who do not have

the answers
o They know when they “see” it
Hmmmm…

CAUTION: don’t rely on the user (or one

single user) too much
Questions/Discussion