Introductory description

This interdisciplinary postgraduate module offers an in-depth introduction to Design Thinking research and practice and focuses on its uses in the field of "social change" in the context of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Design Thinking for Social Impact is an effective way to gain insights into pressing human problems and you will acquire skills to develop impactful and sustainable solutions. We will focus on participatory design and the development of design capabilities in communities (communities solving pressing problems for themselves as opposed to solving them for communities). We will draw upon a body of academic and professional knowledge to apply theory, creative practice, and design thinking methods. We will develop a deeper understanding of the world and, together, we will devise ways to transform it for social good.

You will learn how to undertake the challenge of participatory innovation projects that use design thinking approaches with real, diverse communities to deliver real social impact. We will work together in a work-like environment where you will be equipped with a range of practical skills commonly used in industries ranging from the largest corporations to small startups. These skills, highly sought after by employers, are particularly effective when working in small diverse groups where equitable contributions from everyone are fostered. This module aims to be a transformative experience.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module explores Design Thinking in a way that allows you to build your knowledge, skills and confidence when using Design Thinking for Social Impact.

Sprint: Foundations in Design Thinking - this is a student led real life simulation addressing a sustainability challenge with guidance and support

• Empathise: developing an awareness for the importance of empathy and user needs.
• Define: explore the way in which key design questions and challenges can be sharpened using user insights and empathy. We use case studies to illustrate the value of understanding the need and focusing the efforts and limited resources to make the right impact.
• Ideate: we engage diverse stakeholders and challenge ourselves to think outside the box.
• Prototype: we focus on ideas that have the potential to make a greater Social Good and develop them further.
• Test: we then test ideas and solutions and so continuing to co-create and create shared ownership of designs. Throughout, we encourage an iterative approach and value and use feedback. We also incorporate storytelling for impact, influence & inspiration.

One of the key skills we emphasise is to coach each other into becoming independent change agents and facilitators of design thinking for social impact. We introduce various facilitation techniques and leadership skills to create change and impact.

The sprint guides you through working on a particular UN Sustainable Goal or any other social goal of your choosing. We draw on expertise from external speakers who are all making social impact and using various aspects of Design Thinking to create social value and change.

Throughout the module we explain how to develop solutions with the communities and individuals involved and how collaborations with different sectors (government, academia, NGOs, not-for-profit organisations, as well as the private sector) lead to better and more enduring change. The solutions may be relevant in many ways, from establishing new business models, new social enterprises or to develop new policies.

We reference a variety of Design Thinking frameworks and compare and contrast the various methodologies and practices.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Describe, creatively analyse and critique challenges, experiences and environments and use design thinking methods to re-imagine them.
• Work effectively in a multidisciplinary team, in a collegial and professional environment, applying and executing a range of design-thinking methods to engage with a real-world sustainability challenges.
• Identify and critically evaluate the ethical implications which the contemporary field of Design Thinking can bring to various social and environmental real-world challenges alongside its contribution and value.
• Critically evaluate the activities and actors involved when working with and involving diverse communities and users in participatory innovation and enhancement projects.
• Practice reflection and self-directed learning to articulate how design thinking can transform the student's own 'world view' and evaluate their leadership style.
• Demonstrate a critical engagement with design thinking theory and methodology and also their engagement with appropriate literature relevant to their real-world sustainability challenge.

Indicative reading list

Indicative reading list

Essential
Brown, T. (2008) “Design Thinking”
Buchanan, R. (1992) “Wicked Problems in Design Thinking”
Brown, T. (2009) Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation
Caroline Criado Perez (2019) Invisible Women
Allende, Sam Conniff (2018) Be more pirate: or how to take on the world and win
Conniff, Sam. Barker, Alex. (2020) How To: Be More Pirate
de Bono, Edward (1999) Six Thinking Hats
Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow
Kelley, T. (2001) “Prototyping is the Shorthand of Design”
Kelley, T., and Kelley, D.M. (2013) Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential in us All
Kelley, T., and J. Littman. (2004) The Art of Innovation
Kelley, T., and J. Littman. (2016) The Ten Faces of Innovation
Knapp, J. (2016) Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
Ku Bon, Lupton Ellen (2022) Health Design Thinking
Lupton, Ellen (2017) Design is Storytelling
Lupton, Ellen and Julia … Design Your Life: The Pleasures and Perils of Everyday Things
Norman, D.A. (1988) The Psychology of Everyday Things
Norman, D. A. (2007a) Emotional Design. Basic Books
Norman, D. A. (2007b) The Design of Future Things
Ries Eric (2011) The Lean Startup

Wider Reading List
Alexander, C. (1965) “A City is Not a Tree”.
Argyris, C. (1977) “Double Loop Learning in Organizations”.
Brooks, F. (1986) “Essence and Accident in Software Design”.
Dovey, K. (1990) “The Pattern Language and its Enemies”.
Eisbach, K. (2003) “How to Pitch a Brilliant Idea”.
Leonard, D. and Rayport, J. F. (1997) “Spark Innovation Through Empathic Design”.
Suchman, L. (2011) “Anthropological Relocations and the Limits of Design”.
Teece, D. (2007) “Explicating Dynamic Capabilities: The Nature and Microfoundations of (Sustainable) Enterprise Performance”.
Weiser, M., R. Gold, and J. S. Brown. (1999) “The Origins of Ubiquitous Computing Research at PARC in the Late 1980s.”
Students will be directed to explore the many articles by Dori Tunstall on “decolonized design anthropology and designing”: https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-dori-tunstall-105620/articles and a movement called Decolonising Design http://decolonisingdesign.com/, led by Ahmed Ansari particularly articles Abdullah et al. (2019) A Manifesto for Decolonising Design and Schultz et al. (2018) What Is at Stake with Decolonizing Design? A Roundtable.

A High Resolution series of video interviews with designers and design theorists: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzBkNPSxw15qrW_Y8p-oCUw

Books (that students can refer to for specific needs to explore further and deeper):
Alexander, C. (1977) A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction.
Amabile, T. et al. (1999) Harvard Business Review on Breakthrough Thinking.
Bilton, C. (2006) Management and Creativity: From Creative Industries to Creative Management.
Chapman, J. (2005) Emotionally Durable Design.
Clark, H., and D. Brody. (2009) Design Studies.
Cross, N. (2007) Designerly Ways of Knowing.
Cross, N. (2011) Design Thinking.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009) Flow.
Gunn, W., Ton, O., and Smith, R. C. (2013) Design Anthropology: Theory and Practice.
Jencks, C., and N. Silver. (2013).
Krug, S. (2009) Don't Make Me Think.
Lawson, B. (2005) How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified.
Lewrick, M. (2017). The Design Thinking Playbook: Mindful Digital Transformation of Teams, Products, Services, Businesses and Ecosystems.
Margolin, V., and R. Buchanan. (1995) The Idea of Design.

Research element

Student will be exposed to design thinking and design research and will be tasked with reading materials. The module will challenge students to go beyond the content covered and explore resources from a variety of sources. Design studies and the final group assessment will challenge students to create their meanings, draw their conclusions, and ultimately create new knowledge. The social impact angle of the module will seek to empower students to be designerly change-makers and use their skills to research user insights as part of the design process.
Using various technology (e.g. Miro) we foster a culture of sharing inspirations and insights, which covers research articles and other resources that students find interesting. This additionally allows us to create a culture of intellectual curiosity and research on the module.

Students will be encouraged to demonstrate their particular research interests in their reflective essays.

Interdisciplinary

Design Thinking is inherently interdisciplinary. It connects multiple strands of design research, psychology, sociology, organisational studies, etc. This module will have a specific focus on social impact and students will be exploring design thinking from the point of view of UN Sustainable Development Goals, looking to make impact locally. This will allow them to draw on multiple disciplines and viewpoints to solve wicked problems effectively.
We additional envision that the module will involve external expertise from guest speakers that make social impact through their work. Exposure to diverse voices will further student interdisciplinary experience on the module.

International

Similarly to Interdisciplinarity, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals and exposing students to global challenges faced by humanity will allow us to broaden their viewpoint, understanding and application of design thinking. The ethos of the module is Think Global, Act Local. As such, students will be focusing on solving global challenges locally, using the knowledge and tools from the module.
The module is also likely to attract students from various backgrounds and we encourage students to share their stories and bring their backgrounds into the discussions, both during the introduction community-building activity, as well as throughout the rest of the module.

Subject specific skills

1. Empathising (ability to connect with target audience and draw valuable and in depth insights from user research to inform action).
2. Working with failure and uncertainty (design thinking challenges to build on past failures and pushes to learn from positive and negative experiences. Working with wicked problems such as Sustainable Development Goals
   encourages students to develop tolerance to uncertainty and risk, where no previous solutions exist or no longer work).
3. Innovation and social impact (ability to recombine and come up with ideas that are radical, innovative, creative, whilst being focused on the target audience and on making an impact).

Transferable skills

1. Research skills (familiarising with methods such as ethnography and interviewing techniques, as well as develop broader academic research mindset and skills).
2. Interdisciplinary problem solving with a focus on making a social impact, applying the concepts and tools of design thinking to solving complex problems and make more impactful change.
3. Problem solving (interdisciplinary problem solving with a focus on creating value and making a social impact).
4. Creative thinking (ability to look at familiar problems, experiences and environments and re-imagine them in a new way).
5. Critical thinking (ability to deconstruct arguments and ideas, avoid bias, create informed arguments).
6. Leadership (ability to lead design thinking processes and teams of people in problem-solving scenarios; ability to provide thought leadership to communities in need).
7. Storytelling (ability to mobilise communities and inspire action with stories that are meaningful and powerful; ability to develop compelling arguments and presentations).