These slides were prepared to introduce district leaders to the design thinking process. The design challenge we worked on during this day-long introduction was to redesign high school media centers. These slides were used to step participants through each phase of the design thinking process.

1. District 227:
Intro to Design Thinking
Molly B. Zielezinski PhD
July 29, 2018

2. Hello!
I am Molly B. Zielezinski
I am here because our future
depends on the capacity of this next
generation to tackle some of the
world’s most persistent problems.
If we want our teachers to prepare
students to solve these problems,
we must teach and model the skills
they will need.
2

3. Objectives
1. You will become familiar with the phases of the
design thinking process.
2. You will practice then learn about the tools and
mindsets used by design thinkers.
3. You will leave with ideas for bringing these tools
and mindsets to life in your work.
3

4. But first…
Let’s get warmed up.
4

5. TRANSPORTATION WARS
5
Future of Transportation: YouTube

6. 6

7. 7

8. The Problem Space:
Modernizing School Libraries
8

9. 9
Building Background:
Early Libraries

10. “
10
The real difficult in changing any
enterprise lies not in developing new
ideas but escaping from old ones.
-John Maynard Keynes

11. What exactly are the functions
of the modern library?
Hadley Junior High

12. 12
PLAY
IMAGINATION
CURIOSITY

13. LIBRARY AS…
CURATED COLLECTIONS
13
MostPP.Org
Ron Clark Academy

14. LIBRARY AS…
MENTOR & GUIDE
14
RosanBosch.com
Providence Public Schools

15. LIBRARY AS…
CUTTING EDGE ACCESS
15
Jennison High School

16. 16School Library Journal
LIBRARY AS… COMMUNITY HUB
Ron Clark Academy

17. 17
MODERN LIBRARIES: Reflection
Think about media centers in your school or district, rank order the
elements of modern libraries from least to most represented.
1. Invites imagination, curiosity, & play
2. Dispenses resources from curated collections
3. Offers mentorship & guidance for a wide variety of learners
4. Serves as a welcoming
hub for the community
Pembroke Pines CharterRon Clark Academy

18. Stages of a Design
Challenge

19. EMPATHY:
Creating designs that meet
people’s needs

25. EMPATHY:
Contextualizing

26. “
◎Clip 1: Biotech & Respect
26

27. LIBRARIES FOR LEARNING

28. “
◎Clip 2: I just google it…
28

29. Accommodates work
preferences well
Fails to accommodate
work preferences
Thinking about LIBRARY
with a 2x2
Quadrant 1
Quadrant 2Quadrant 3
Quadrant 4
Stifles exploration Invites exploration

30. Besides building background,
how do we practice empathy?

31. Interviewing:
Capturing what was learned
Who did you meet? Describe your user.
What was the most surprising story you heard?
What did he/she care about the most?
What frustrates him/her?
What is he/she hoping for?
1. Have a “notetaker” write notes during the interview.
2. Each answer the following questions.

32. “
◎Interview: Blocked websites
32

33. DEFINE: Empathy Maps

34. EMPATHY:
Unpacking Interviews with Empathy Maps
bit.ly/District227StudentVoice

35. 35

36. WHY DEFINE?

37. DEFINE:
Extrapolating Needs

38. IDEO

39. IDEO

40. DEFINE:
Check Your Work
Hidden
Insights?
Uncovering the
words left
unsaid….
No Implied
Solution!
Verb to
start the
second
blank?
Deep
Descriptions
?

41. 41

42. IDEATE:
Rules for BrainstormingHidden
Insights?
Uncovering the
words left
unsaid….

43. Rule #1: Do not judge ideas!

44. “If at first an idea doesn’t sound absurd, then there’s no hope for it”
Albert Einstein
Rule #2: Wild ideas!

45. Rule #3: Build on the ideas of others

46. Rule #4: One conversation at a time

47. Rule #5: Be concise

48. Rule #6: Capture all the ideas

49. Rule #7: Use drawings and sketches

50. Rule #8: Lots of ideas!

51. IDEATE:
Brainstorm Solutions…
go! Go! GO!!!

52. IDEATE: Selecting Your Solution

53. 53

54. PROTOTYPE

55. PROTOTYPE

56. PROTOTYPE

57. PROTOTYPE

58. 58

59. TESTING
ITERATING

60. SHARING

61. The Design Thinking Process
61
Picture from julien_susan @ testeach

62. 62

63. Rarely linear…
63
Picture from Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford

64. Frequently A La Carte
64

65. Design Mindsets
Design thinkers embrace empathy.
The process of solving problems is human-centered.

66. Design thinkers are radical collaborators.
Diverse teams use a variety of skills and
perspectives to solve sticky problems.
Design Mindsets

67. Design thinkers linger in ambiguity.
Before posing an answer, design thinkers immerse themselves in the
problem space and seek to view it from every angle.
Design Mindsets

68. Design thinkers embrace experimentation.
Don’t get stuck on a single “perfect” solution. They try a few!
Exploration, examination and inquiry lead to insight and innovation.
Design Mindsets

69. Design thinkers fail forward.
They reclaim failure as a positive experience and aim to fail early & often.
They know that each failure carries insights towards the next success.
Design Mindsets

70. Mindshifts:
From Traditional School Values to Design Mindsets
70
• Value on efficiency à Value on exploration
• Top down decision making à Value stakeholder insights
• Rigid structures & processes à Flexible structures & processes
• Solutions are complete & finalà Fail forward, ongoing improvement
• Teachers as subordinates à Teachers as collaborators
• Students as outcomes of education à students as users of education

71. Preview:
School Site Design Challenges
71
1. Fall 2018 (2 video conferences): naming your problem space, tools for
gaining empathy into stakeholder insights
2. Winter 2019 (in person workshop): defining problems, brainstorming,
picking your prototype
3. Spring 2019 (in person workshop): School site challenge
presentations, design thinking next steps

72. Design Thinking Resources
72

73. Homework 1:
Brainstorm Ideas for Your School Site Challenge
73
1. Do you have the power to innovate? (i.e. Not district mandates)
2. Does it make sense for the timeline? (testing solutions winter &
spring)
3. Do you already have a set solution in mind or an open mind?

74. Homework 2:
Cultivating a Design Mindset with Your Staff
74
1. Pick a design mindset or value to focus on
• Human centered problem solvingà stakeholder input
• Building background à research before resolution
• Uncensored brainstormingà value wild ideas
• Reclaim failure à let solutions evolve through experimentation
• Students as usersà valuing student voice when problem solving
2. List out applications of this mindset in your collaborations
3. Weave the mindset into conversations informally
4. Choose one or more opportunities to be explicit with staff (Explain:
this is what we are doing, this is why we are doing it, here is the
timeline)

75. Reflection
75

76. Thanks!
Questions?
Need to check in before our next meeting?
You can find me at:
molly@mbzlabs.com
774-239-8740
76

77. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and released
these awesome resources for free:
◎ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
◎ Photographs by Unsplash & Death to the Stock Photo
(license)
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78. Presentation design
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79. SlidesCarnival icons are editable shapes.
This means that you can:
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Examples:
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80. Now you can use any emoji as an icon!
And of course it resizes without losing quality and you can change the color.
How? Follow Google instructions
https://twitter.com/googledocs/status/730087240156643328
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