DES111 Design Thinking & Creativity
This course introduces students to creative, human-centered problem solving used across design, business, technology, and social innovation. Students learn to observe real needs, frame meaningful problems, ideate boldly, prototype rapidly, and test solutions with real users. Through hands-on weekly exercises and a cumulative challenge project, students practice creative confidence, visual thinking, and collaborative problem solving. Students will gain transferrable tools for innovation, critical thinking, and everyday problem solving.
Credits: 3
Student learning outcomes
- Apply human-centered design methods—including observation, interviewing, and empathy mapping—to identify user needs and insights.
- Frame clear and meaningful problem statements that guide creative exploration and define constraints and opportunities.
- Generate and evaluate a wide range of ideas using divergent and convergent thinking tools (brainstorming, mapping, concept sketching).
- Create low-resolution prototypes that communicate concepts and support iterative learning.
- Test and refine solutions through user feedback, articulating how insights shape improvements in desirability, feasibility, and viability.