This document provides an overview of a crash course in design thinking presented by Cathleen Galas at Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The course introduces design thinking principles including defining problems from an empathetic user perspective, ideating creative solutions, building prototypes, and testing ideas iteratively. It outlines the design process and includes examples of student teams applying the process to redesign the gift giving experience for a partner. The goal is to help participants learn human-centered innovation techniques that focus on the user and collaborative prototyping.

1. Crash Course in Design Thinking
Cathleen Galas
Universidad Nacional de Quilmes
Buenos Aires, Argentina
November 8 ,2013

2. Design
is Inquiry

3. Pay attention to the
source of innovation that
is
YOU

4. • Enable you to work more
human
• More iterative
• More innovative

5. • FAST PACED
• It’s going to feel
like I’m not
giving you
QUITE ENOUGH
time to do what
I’m asking you
to do

6. TRY to…
• Trust me
• Lean into the
process
• Have a bit of fun

7. Design Process
From the Design School at Stanford Univeristy

8. What is empathy?
• Immerse
– Become the user
• Observe
– What, how, why?
• Engage
–
–
–
–
Listen
Seek stories
Ask why
Build relationships

9. Design Process

10. Define
1. To develop a deep understanding of your users
and the design space.
2. To create an actionable point of view (POV) which works as the
foundation for brainstorming.

11. What does she need?
• Book, ladder, more
books?
• DIG DEEPER
• Insights
(Observation + Intuition)

12. Bloom’s Taxonomy

13. Ideate
Brainstorming
One conversation at a time
Go for quantity
Headline!
Build on other’s ideas
Encourage wild ideas
Be visual
Stay on topic
Defer judgement: NO BLOCKING!
http://dschool.stanford.edu/wp-content/themes/dschool/methodcards/brainstorm-rules.pdf

14. Design Process

15. Prototype

16. Design Process

17. Test

18. Design Process

19. Redesign the
gift giving
experience
for your
partner

20. Gain Empathy: Interview and Observe

21. Sample Interview/ Empathy Sheet

22. Empathy Interviews
• A interviews B
• 4 minutes
• B interviews A
• 4 minutes

24. Empathy RE-Interviews
• A interviews B
• 4 minutes
• B interviews A
• 4 minutes

25. 3. Individual Reflection
a b 3 min, ba 3 min.
• Catalog
• Inventory
– The needs
•
•
•
•
Show love
Express themselves
Be appreciated
Be important
• insight
• Unexpected nuggets
– Handmade more
meaningful than store
bought
– Gift giving more about
them than the person
they are giving it to

26. Reframe the Problem

27. 4. Move 3 to 4
Problem Statement
Come up with a Point of View
3 Minutes
• Look at your list of
needs and insights
• Plug in
• Colorful language to
describe the user
• CONCISE problem
statement

28. Sample Reframe the Problem

29. 5. Five Minutes- sketch, as many as possible

30. How many did you sketch?
•
•
•
•
Change places
A show to B your ideas
PROBES
Learning, not validation
for your ideas
• Sketches are artifacts
• Not trying to have them
like it
• Feedback
4 Minutes A to B
4 Minutes B to A

31. Ideate: Generate Alternatives

32. Sample Ideate and Share

33. Iterate: 3 minutes

34. Build a tangible prototype for your user 10 min.

36. Test your prototype

37. Sample Build and Test, 4 min. a/b

38. Reflect
• 1. What are two ideas you would prototype
next?
• 2. How do you feel about your point of view
from step 4? Look back at your POV. Does it
still fit following the feedback you got from
your partner?

39. Sample Reflection

40. Reflection & Takeaways
All prototypes in center of room
Even in an hour …….
Quick exposure to
DESIGN THINKING

41. Sample Prototypes from univesity students

42. Design Process/Innovation
• Focusing on your user
• The goal is to focus on yourself and your
ability to innovate
• Different than the way you usually work?
• Innovation requires a different way of working

43. Work Design Team Style
•
•
•
•
•
Be human-centered
Prototyping in everything you do
Get ideas OUT OF YOUR HEAD!
Test what works and what doesn’t
Be more collaborative—have more diverse
teams
• Have a bias toward ACTION! Get up and try
things out!!

44. Discussion
• How did engaging with a real
person and testing a prototype
with a real person change the
direction your prototype took?

45. Discussion 2
• What was it like showing
unfinished work to another
human being? This may be
unfamiliar to a lot of us. What
was it like?

46. Discussion 3
• How did the pace feel? These were
quick, iterative cycles. How did that
feel relative to how you normally
work?

47. Design Thinking
• Iterative
• Self-directed
• Directed by your ideas about what you should
explore more
• Based on what you learn, it informs what you
should do next

48. Partner Problem
•
•
•
•
•
•
Think
What would you do with your partner now?
Gain more empathy?
Redefine problem?
Ideate more solutions?
Craft a new prototype?
• If you could take one principle, what would
you infuse into your work tomorrow?

49. Design Process

50. Congrats on completing experience!
• Put what you’ve learned to work as soon as
possible
• Have a heart for this creative way of
working, teach others
• Forever consider yourself a student of
INNOVATION and continue to invest in
yourself

51. Thanks to the D. School,
Stanford University,
Palo Alto, California
for the Gift Giving Project.
This is a 90 minute project that goes through
the full design cycle.
https://dschool.stanford.edu/groups/designresources/wiki/ed894/