A better approach
I enrolled in the Design thinking course as part of my electives towards completing my certificate in professional management. My initial intuition upon sighting the course title was to register for it immediately. Having my background in architecture and construction, I felt it was just the right thing to take a course with the word “Design” in it. Further reading on the course description, however, solidified my opinion on enrolling for this course. Problems are the everyday norm in the construction industry, and I did not want to pass up the opportunity to learn unique approaches in addressing them.
I must also not fail to mention that this was my first encounter with the term “Design thinking,” I had not heard of it before now. The introduction to the course was very inviting; I especially took a liking to the “Why people believe they can’t draw” video content provided by Kris in the course introduction. This video sort of neutralized my thinking that creativity is only meant for a particular set of individuals, it made me realize that it can be learnt. This learning approach to creativity is evident in the design thinking process. Identifying the Problem, Human Centred Design, Ideation and Prototyping are all the processes that can be learnt and bring about very creative solutions to problems.
At the beginning of the course, though, I was finding it a bit difficult to grasp the process; however, as it continued and with the materials (videos, articles, e.t.c) made available by Kris, I began to have a better understanding of the design thinking process. The individual creative project gave me an in-depth understanding of how empathy plays a significant role in the design thinking process. My empathy interview for the individual creative project was beneficial to a better understanding of how to apply this method in looking for innovative solutions to a problem.
Other takeaways from this course include learning how to use Mural for collaborating with others and bringing to the knowledge that all ideas are as important as the other. No matter the idea, it can be built on to be better.
In conclusion, the Design thinking course has been very beneficial to me. During the course weekly takeaways through research, I have seen how design thinking can be applied in my industry (Construction) — adopting empathy when designing and how to brainstorm to get the best out of a team properly. I would recommend this course to anyone as the application of design thinking cuts across all industries in our present day.
References
Shaw, Graham. [TEDxHull]. (2015). Why people believe they can’t draw. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_shaw_why_people_believe_they_can_t_draw
