The design thinking stages


​​​​​​​​​​​​1. EMPATHISE

In the first stage of the Level IV design thinking process, the student-designers learn about the design topic that they are undertaking and try to empathise with their users — the people for whom they are designing. At the end of this stage, they will have learnt enough about the design topic to continue on to the next stage, and they will know what is important to the users of the product or system that they are designing.

• Introduce the EMPATHISE stage.
  • Students may work individually or in groups. (Whether this is a group project or not, the students may come together to work in groups at times, such as during the EMPATHISE stage.)
  • Explain that this is the first stage of the design thinking process.
  • Remind them of their respective Design Topics.
• This is an ideal opportunity to draw a Mind Map (IV) to plan the EMPATHISE stage.
  • The chosen design topic is the subject of the map.
  • This mind map will help the students understand the scope of the topic, and which aspects of the topic they will need to investigate to improve their understanding.
  • Ask questions about the topic to spur their thinking and to help draw the map: “What is a (topic)?” “What is it for?” “What is the history of the (topic)?” “What are the different parts of a (topic)?” “How to find answers to these questions?” “Where to look?” “Whom to ask?”
  • The students draw their mind maps individually or in groups.
  • They should note down, on their mind maps, questions about the topic that require answers.
• Drawing a Stakeholder Map (IV) gives an overview of the people who have something to do with the design topic.
  • The students now consider the stakeholders of the product or system that they are designing. Some stakeholders are more important than others, indeed, some may even have a say in the design of the product or system.
  • Ask questions as they draw the map: “Who uses a (topic) or, where do you find a (topic)?” “Why do they use a (topic)?” “Who are the stakeholders?”
• The students should note down any questions about the design topic that require answers in the Research Questions (IV) form.
  • The questions are things that they should know before they proceed with designing. The form has space to note down the answers as they are found.
  • They can add more questions to the form, as they come up. The form is a memory aid.
• As the teacher, you should indicate which resources on the topic will be available for the students to use: the internet has excellent resources for most design projects, and learning to discern good information from bad is an important part of the journey for students at this level. Students may also have access to a good library to help in their search for answers.
• Distribute the Desk Research (IV) handout and discuss.
  • The student-designers search for answers to the questions noted on the mind map.
  • They may do an image search on the topic, where necessary.
  • Encourage the students to keep records of the EMPATHISE stage as notes and documents stored in a physical folder, a folder on their computer, or in a notes app.
• Distribute the User Research (IV) handout and discuss.
  • Understanding the users is an important part of the design thinking process at this level. It is what is meant by ‘empathise.’
  • User research means interviewing users, but also observing them using the product or system, depending on the design topic.
  • Where the topic is speculative, or it is impossible to observe directly, then students will need to find other ways. For example, to design a Mars habitat, students would need to observe astronauts at work. As such a thing would be rather improbable for a student project, what else could be done?
• Each student or group reviews what they have found on the topic by explaining their mind map to the class, their questions, and the answers that they found.
  • Discuss their mind maps and ask questions.
• Once the students have discussed the results of their EMPATHISE stage, the teacher should confirm that their project is on track.
  • Ask: “How do you feel?” “Are you ready to proceed to the next stage of the project?”
  • The students might have some outstanding questions that they will need to resolve. Indeed, they might even have developed doubts about the choice of design topic itself.

2. DEFINE

Having gained sufficient understanding of the design topic, in the second stage of the design thinking process for Level IV, the student-designers DEFINE what is essential, what is optional, and what is undesirable to the product or system that they are designing. (For example: imagine that they are designing a dining room chair. They may decide that the chair must have legs, a seat, and a seat back; it may have armrests; but must not have wheels.) At the end of this stage the student designers will have a clear statement of the problem that they are trying to solve, and therefore, what it is that they are designing.

• Discuss the Design Principles (IV) handout.
  • These practical design principles are important ideas to guide designers to make the right choices when designing.
  • Discuss the questions from the handout.
• Explain the Problem Statement (IV) form.
  • Problem statement is a form that the student-designers complete by answering a series of questions to determine the important feature of their design thinking project. The problem statement will help the students reflect on their findings in the EMPATHISE stage, and it will guide them in the next stage.
• Each student or group discusses their problem statement with their teacher (or the same panel of teachers from the beginning of the project may reconvene at this point).

3. IDEATE

IDEATE is an intensely creative stage where the student designers explore potential solutions to the design challenge defined in the problem statement. The students employ various creative methods to come up with ideas which they note down or draw on paper; they discuss their ideas with each other; and they gain from the experience as they evolve and improve their design concept. At the end of this stage, the student designers will have combined their best ideas into a single design concept, and will have a plan for the thing that they intend to prototype in the next stage.

• The students work in groups seated around tables.
• Remind them to keep at hand the problem statement, which they completed in the DEFINE stage.
• Distribute the Improve Your Creative Ability (IV) handout.
  • Tips on how to nurture your creativity.
• Explain the Brainstorming (IV) method.
  • Brainstorming is a way for groups of designers to generate ideas.
  • Monitor the brainstorming in progress; encourage them to keep exploring; prompt them to think about a detail of the (topic) that they might be overlooking.
• Explain the Brain Sketching (IV) method.
  • Brain sketching is like brainstorming using sketches.
• Optional: explain the Idea Matrix (IV) method.
  • Offer this method if it applies to the design topic.
  • Idea matrix is a way to split a big and complicated problem into a few smaller and simpler problems.
• Optional: distribute the SCAMPER (IV) handout.
  • This method has prompts to change and experiment with your design concept.
• Once the student-designers have used a few of the creative methods above, get them to select their three best ideas, and show them to the class.
  • Optional: congratulate the group or individual who had the most ideas based on the number of drawings that they did during this stage.
• Explain the If I Were You (IV) method.
  • If I Were You is a way for the student-designers to discuss their design work with their classmates and learn from each other.
  • Use this method at any time to discuss the results of the Brainstorming (IV), Brain Sketching (IV), or the Idea Matrix (IV) methods.
• Encourage the students to combine their best design ideas. (Note that some ideas will be incompatible and cannot be combined.)
• Allow the students time to re-work their ideas by drawing.
  • They should work towards one final idea.
  • Encourage them to work on problems or shortcomings to their ideas without getting discouraged.
• Optional: explain the Dot Voting (IV) method if the students are working in groups.
  • Dot voting is a way for groups to choose their favourite ideas.
• At the end of the IDEATE stage, the young designers should have narrowed their ideas to one final design concept for their (topic).
  • Ask them to estimate the overall sizes of their (topic) and to add measurements to a drawing of their final idea.
  • A clear drawing (or drawings) of their design concept with dimensions will be essential for the next stage.

4. PROTOTYPE

The PROTOTYPE stage is when the student-designers actually construct a model of the thing that they are designing. This trial-and-error stage is creative, just like the IDEATE stage. Prototyping something in a physical form will be challenging for most students of this age group. Some design topics are complicated to prototype and will need to be closely monitored by the teacher. The teacher should ensure that the requisite materials and equipment are at hand, and they should supervise the students to ensure that the PROTOTYPE stage is done safely. At the end of this stage, the young designers will have constructed a prototype of their (topic) and will be ready to test it.

Note: A prototype or model is a physical or virtual thing that designers build to demonstrate their design concept. Designers rarely build the actual thing that is intended for the end-user, that happens during production. Production is when products are manufactured in factories, or software is coded and developed, or buildings are constructed on site, and so forth. Designing precedes production for most designed artefacts. So, designers build accurate prototypes to show other stakeholders, including those who will decide whether to produce it. Therefore, the purpose of a prototype is to effectively demonstrate the designer’s concept to other stakeholders.

• The student-designers will now PROTOTYPE their design concepts as full-size, physical, three-dimensional models.
  • Each student or group must prototype one final model of their (topic). In some cases, they may build different versions to discover which works better.
  • The students may modify or improve their design ideas as they are building them. That is a normal part of designing. Indeed, this stage is for improving the design concept.
• Note: If a full-size, physical, three-dimensional prototype is not feasible or right for the topic, then do the following:
  • Build a small-scale physical prototype of your design concept;
  • or prepare careful final drawings to show your design concept;
  • or make a virtual computer model or drawing of your design concept.
• Distribute materials for prototyping the (topic). Ensure that tools and other equipment required for model making are at hand.
  • Students working in groups will have agreed to prototype the design concept that they voted for in Dot Voting (IV).
  • If they cannot agree, they will need to talk about it and make up their minds. The teacher may help the students decide, if necessary.
  • Check each student and group: does their plan make sense? Is their plan feasible, or not?
• Wherever possible, the student-designers should prototype full-size, working models of their (topic). A full-size model is important to show and to perceive a designed artefact.
  • If a prototype cannot be made because it is too difficult or there is a lack of materials available, the students may make a final drawing (with dimensions) instead.
  • Prototypes, especially large things such as furniture, may be built full-size out of light-weight substitute materials, if necessary.
  • Prototypes might not work, but will show the basic dimensions and arrangement of parts and possibly some working features too, to allow people to judge the design concept.
  • Very large, architecture-sized design projects are normally shown by constructing small-scale models.
• Monitor the progress of the students during this stage.
  • Is their prototyping going well and on course?
  • So long as there is sufficient time, you may ask questions of their design concept, and point out any aspects that they might have overlooked.

5. TEST

The TEST stage is where the student-designers verify their design concept, normally by having users test the design prototype and give their feedback. It is vitally important for the students to get the opinions of the people for whom they are designing. At the end of the TEST stage, the students will understand the extent to which their design concept has succeeded, or not.

• Distribute the Test Checklist (IV) method.
  • The students show their design concept to their users, and have them test the design prototype.
  • The checklist has questions about function, size, and materials, and so forth.
  • The students ask questions from the form, and note down the users’ responses.
• The students discuss the results of the test stage with their teacher and classmates.

Exhibition
The student-designers then exhibit their finished design prototype or final drawings to an audience of teachers and classmates. The exhibition counts as a part of the TEST stage, as it is an opportunity for the students to demonstrate their final design concept and prototype, and to elicit feedback from even more people. Having parents/guardians attend the show will be a bonus. The students should display the design process that they undertook in a slide show or other form, for everyone to appreciate the effort that they put into the design project. Use the Design Project Presentation (IV) handout as a guide.

• Each student or group shows their design concept in turn. They must explain:
  • Purpose: Who is it for? Where is it used? How is it useful?
  • Function: What does it do? How does it work? What features does it have?
  • Size and materials: What is it made of? What tools or techniques were used?
• Have a select group of members of the audience give their feedback using the I Like, I Wish, I Wonder (IV) method.
  • Each member writes their feedback on sticky notes and places them on a whiteboard under columns labelled: I like, I wish, and I wonder.
• Once the students have completed their presentation, invite questions from the audience. The audience plays an important role.
  • They should be considerate when giving their opinions, as harshly critical and excessively negative comments can humiliate and upset the students, with potentially negative consequences.
  • Balance a negative opinion with a positive one.
  • Nor should the audience praise student work when it is not warranted.
  • Ideally, the audience should be interested and respectful, honest and kind.
• Encourage applause from the audience after each student or group has presented.

​​​​​​​6. REFLECT

In the final stage of the design project, the student-designers REFLECT on the project to learn from their experiences. Individual designers will ponder what went right and what went wrong; and team members can also reflect on how their group worked together. At the end of the REFLECT stage the students will have undertaken and completed a design project, reflected upon it, and benefitted from the experience.

• Explain the Reflect on Your Design Project (IV) handout. It offers three approaches to reflecting:

1. Reflection through conversation. Kick-off the REFLECT stage by engaging the students in a class discussion, ask:
   a. “What have we learned from doing this design project?”
   b. Note down the salient points on the class whiteboard. Encourage the students to take notes too.
   ​​​​​​​c. Try to include everyone’s opinions and feedback, but don’t let the session descend into recriminations.
2. Written reflection. Individual students write their reflections based on the handout. The students’ written reflections may be graded for marks.
3. Reflection through conversation and a written reflection. By combining the two methods above, the conversation will precipitate the reflection process for everyone, while the written method will allow for the individual students’ perspectives.