This document provides an overview and agenda for a Design Thinking session. It discusses forming project groups to tackle problems using design thinking techniques. Examples of project topics include improving the AUW experience, developing new curriculums, or creating informal learning spaces. The document also outlines activities for the session, which include creating personas and customer journeys to represent stakeholders, and developing organizational personas to represent the culture and structure of organizations.

2. What’s the idea? De
• Slower pace
• More (time for) activities
• More breaks
• Barriers to asking questions for guest speakers
Design Thinking –Session 1, Your
Feedback

3. What’s the i? De
• Recap and Review
• Form Design Thinking Project Groups
• Focus Your Empathy (Personas, Customer Journeys)
• ‘Institutions have feelings, too!’: Organizational Personas (
AUW, other educational organization, company, …)
• Guest Speakers 8:30 / 9:15
Plan for Session 2: 6:30 – 9:45 EDT

4. What’s the idea? Design Thinking
• Design Thinking is problem solving method geared to overcome
wicked problems.
• It fruitfully explores different perspectives – i.e., disciplines,
values, interests, needs by framing the problem through
different lenses.
• It always involves ‘thinking with your hands’ – prototyping,
drawing, acting, imagining (embodied cognition)
• It has roots in participatory design and overlap with approaches
such as tinkering, maker spaces and LEGO serious play
Design Thinking – Recap of Session 1

5. What’s the idea? Design Thinking
• Gift Giving Activity
• Guest Speakers: Christian Kohls, Lesley Ann-Noel
Volunteers needed to cover the activity /
lessons learned from speakers – ½ page
All recordings here:
https://bit.ly/designthinkingAUW
Design Thinking – Recap of Session 1

6. Group Projects
 Form groups of 4-6 students
 As a group, pick a problem you want to tackle using
design thinking techniques
 Develop ideas to improve the AUW experience /
curriculum
 Develop a curriculum (e.g., civic education,
sustainability) for secondary schools
 Develop a teaching technique to cover a difficult subject
matter / concept in secondary schools
 Create an informal learning space for students (AUW/
school aged)
 Conceptualize an educational technology (AUW/ school

7. Audience: Pwebsite ersonas
Personas are fictional, yet data-driven, user biographies
that allow design teams to relate to the users’ point of
view instead of focusing on personal experiences and
anecdotes.
Understanding Audiences: Personas

8. Audience: Pwebsite ersonas
2-3 personas per group
Time: 20 minutes
Create Personas that represent your
stakeholders

9. Customer Journey: How does this person move through their day on campus?
Activities: What is happening in this situation? What is your persona doing?
Expectations: What does the person expect in this situation?
Opportunities: What opportunities does this situation offer? How can the School leverage them? Who has the option to implement changes?
Emotional state (red – negative, green - positive), Note down one emotion
Sketch: Scenarios, People, Places
Mind Focus: Is the person focused in this situation? Checking social media? Thinking about dinner?
Name

10. Audience: Pwebsite ersonas
2-3 journeys
Time: 20 minutes
Create customer journeys for your
personas

11. Organizational Personas
Every organization has a
‘personality’, comprising of:
o Organizational culture
o Organizational Structure
o Behavioral patterns
o Trends and events that are
currently affecting the
organization.

12. Organizational Personas
Time: 20 minutes
o Think about the
organization that
your problem
occurs in
o You can make up
an organization,
school or company
or use a real
example.