Design Thinking

The Build a Better Book project emphasizes a human-centered design thinking approach, in which participants first need to better understand the specific needs of their end users. The Design Thinking process includes these key steps:

  • Empathize: Learn about the end user and their specific needs, abilities and challenges.
  • Define: Pinpoint the specific problem being addressed.
  • Ideate: Generate diverse ideas to address the problem.
  • Prototype: Build a rough model to generate discussion and feedback in order to futher refine a design.
  • Test: Solicit feedback from end users.

Repeat. This is meant to be a continual, cyclical process of improvement rather than a unidirectional set of steps.

Diagram of design thinking process: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test

 

Play Extraordinaires:

Build a Better Book uses this design game to explore concepts around building empathy, understanding the end user, defining needs, and creative thinking. Challenges can be worked on in teams or individualy. 

Student drawing of a unique vehicle designed for a wizard.

 

Design Thinking Videos

Watch these videos for a fuller explanation of Design Thinking and the iterative design process.

What is Design Thinking? The Stanford University model:

From Prototype to Finished Product - BBB Virtual Conference 2021