Design Thinking for Social Innovation: My Learnings and Areas for Growth
The Design Thinking for Social Innovation course was an eye-opening experience that taught me valuable skills and insights on how to approach complex social problems with creative solutions. I gained knowledge of the various phases of the design thinking process throughout the course, such as empathizing, defining the issue, ideating, prototyping, and testing. I also developed my teamwork skills, my ability to relate to end users, and my ability to use feedback to improve my designs.
The significance of empathy in the design thinking process was one of the course’s main lessons. I discovered that it’s critical to put myself in the position of the end user, comprehend their needs and issues, and design with them in mind in order to produce meaningful solutions. For instance, we were instructed to create the ideal wallet that would make another student in the class’s life easier during our very first class activity in Week 1. I had to put myself in my classmate’s position, ask her really detailed questions that I would not ordinarily ask, consider her daily routine and activities, and build the ideal wallet to meet her requirements. I learned from this assignment how crucial it is to fully understand the end user and how doing so can result in creative and useful solutions.
The importance of brainstorming, prototyping, and iteration in the design thinking process was another important takeaway. I discovered that prototyping enables us to test our ideas rapidly, receive feedback, and improve our designs. As part of our group project, we had to come up with a plan to help people feel more part of the Nova community and integrated. Our first goal was to increase both the sense of inclusion and reciprocity among Nova SBE students and the Carcavelos community. However, we discovered while we were interacting with locals and businesses in Carcavelos that the kind of solution we were looking to create was already in use. After some more discussion, we settled on the fundamental notion of concentrating solely on the Nova community. After that, we created a prototype and tested it with prospective users. We improved our design and created a better prototype based on their input. We were able to develop a more workable and successful solution thanks to this iterative procedure.
In terms of my strengths, I discovered that I am good at generating ideas and thinking creatively. I was able to generate a number of concepts and ideas during the ideation phase that later evolved into workable solutions. I also discovered that I enjoy empathizing with others and am a good listener. I was able to pay close attention to the end users’ desires and challenges.
But I also discovered several areas where I need to improve. For example, I often rush through the prototyping and defining phases, which results in incomplete or inefficient solutions. I must take my time and slow down to make sure I fully comprehend the issue at hand and that my answer has been thought through and put to the test.
Overall, the Design Thinking for Social Innovation course was an amazing experience that gave me valuable knowledge and perspectives on how to tackle challenging societal issues. It helped me discover my strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, it was excellent training for strengthening our collaborative and social abilities. I’m looking forward to using these skills in my upcoming projects and learning more about the design thinking approach.
