Design Thinking Activity Weekly Blog

Introduction to Design Thinking Module

The workshop 1 provided an introduction and overview to the design thinking module. In this section we were informed about the key concepts, theories, practices and their inter relationships and how can we think about the Design Thinking modules and show to make the weekly blog entries. The workshops were conducted by experienced tutors from Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. The workshop focused on discussions about the application of design, innovation and diffuses theories at each stage of innovation; how to conduct needs analysis for design improvement; developing ideas for new designs and innovations; discussion and application of design methodologies; developing solutions for the innovations ideas and how to work in collaboration of a team. The sessions were pivotal to develop understanding on the flow of the workshops, the activities that it would encompass, and how participating in the activities can help to develop my skills and competencies.

On the second week, the workshop provided an introduction to design prototypes. The workshop covered aspects such as rapid prototyping for early and later prototypes and techniques for prototyping followed by a group assessment which helped to assess our understanding (Macdonald et al., 2014). The workshop helped us to understand the concepts of rapid prototyping, and how it can be used for the design phase. Lessons on the four phases of design process such as ‘what is’, ‘what if’, ‘what wows’ and ‘what works’ and the phase in which rapid prototyping can be used increased the understanding of the flow of the overall design process and thus was important to understand the actions that needs to be taken at each phase. This also helped to develop a strategic approach towards conducting the design activities. Our group however faced challenges designing the prototypes on a timely manner.

The third workshop focused mainly on the models and theories related to Design technology (DT) such as logic or reasoning, divergent and convergent thinking, triple loop learning, philosophical worldview, action research, creative learning spiral as well as co creation and co-design of the prototypes and models. Additionally, the importance of reflective thought processes and blogging were also impressed during the workshop. Understanding the key theories and models associated with DT helped us understand how they can be effectively used to develop an effective design, solve design related problems and challenges, support effective decision-making and develop effective knowledge through the engagement in the workshop activities. The reflective writing practice was vital for me to critically evaluate my own learning experience and outline what I was able to learn from the activities, which could then be written in the blog posts.

The fourth workshop was based on various design problems which can be faced during the design process. During the workshop were informed about strategies of problem solving and problem finding, how problems can be identified through careful observations, how visualizations and observations can be used as a tool for design thinking and how ‘persona’ can be used as a tool during this process. The workshop helped me to understand the difference between problem solving and problem identification and how Design Thinking can be used to solve problems encountered during the activities. I also learnt that all these aspects comes under the ‘what if’ phase of the design process. Additionally, I was able to understand the significance of brainstorming as well as keen observation to identify problems (Popescu et al., 2017). However, we faced some challenges while using observations to identify problems as we did not understand what we truly needed to observe.

Design Prototypes and Rapid Prototyping

The fifth workshop further helped to improve understanding of the design problems and how to identify and address those problems. Concepts such as journey mapping and brainstorming were further elaborated in the workshops. The journey mapping is an effective strategy which helps to assess progress through the activity, identify the activities that were completed and those that still needs to be undertaken. Additionally, the principles of Design Thinking such as ability to solve critical problems, developing a human centered approach, using effective observation skills, ability to visualize problems, prototyping strategies, active learning and mind sets of beginners were also emphasized upon (Turner, 2017). This is a vital aspect that helped in further development of problem solving and decision making skills which can be utilized in the module activities. Due to effective communication strategies and teamwork we were able to quickly learn and share knowledge and help to improve the team performance.

The sixth workshop was based on designing the research process during which concepts such as value chain and value network were explained as well as mind mapping strategies and research process. The value chain helps to understand how to add value to a product and incorporate those values in the design supported by effective market research as well as research and development strategies. Each of these activities can add value to a product in the perceptions of the customer or consumer. It is vital therefore that description of the activities, the strengths of the product, the key resources needed to add value to the product and how to further enhance the value of the product be addressed in order to improve the product value. This knowledge can be used in better designing of the product.

The seventh workshop further delved into the design research process, in which various approaches for research, understanding the types of data (such as qualitative data, quantitative data, primary data or secondary data) collected from the research, the different types of sources for data (primary studies, secondary studies, cross sectional studies, longitudinal studies as well as academic and non academic articles) and various ethical considerations of research were discussed. These aspects help in better identification of important information which helps to develop effective design. Understanding the types and sources of data is also vital since it can help the researcher to use research data more appropriately to support their studies and thus improve the efficacy of the research process. During this phase however we faced challenges to effectively evaluate data and develop understanding of the research information. This was mainly because we were confused about the most appropriate data analysis strategy.

The eighth workshop was based on design prototyping in which we were introduced to the concepts of early and later prototypes and various prototyping techniques which can be used in the design of the product. Rapid prototyping is a strategy which helps to make quick and rough manifestation of the concepts of the products and develop a rough model that can exhibit the core concepts of the design. This strategy also helps to involve a process of continuous development for the design and improving older prototypes (Matta et al., 2015). The prototypes also help to develop a testable model before undertaking the complete design process and find out any design flaws and loopholes before the development of the finalized design. The design however had some delays due to ineffective time management and inability to follow a strict schedule.

Models and Theories related to Design Technology

The ninth and final workshop was on designing the launch of the finalized design, focusing on the process of launching the design and the sequence of the product launch process. It could be understood from the modules that it is vital to consider aspects such as having tight schedules for the launch process (such as being time bound with clear outline of the goals and locations of the launch), understanding the expectations of the customer before launching the finalized product), using various approaches to test the assumptions on the design, identify data that does not confirm to the design, using a diverse team for the designing, using fast feedback cycles for quick flow of information and inputs from all members and having a contingency plan for the product design. By the last workshop, were were able to overcome our challenges and develop a successful model.

References:

Macdonald, E., Salas, R., Espalin, D., Perez, M., Aguilera, E., Muse, D., & Wicker, R. B. (2014). 3D printing for the rapid prototyping of structural electronics. IEEE access, 2, 234-242.

Matta, A. K., Raju, D. R., & Suman, K. N. S. (2015). The integration of CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping in product development: a review. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2(4-5), 3438-3445.

Popescu, S., Dale, C., Keegan, N., Ghosh, B., Kaner, R., & Hedley, J. (2017). Rapid prototyping of a low-cost graphene-based impedimetric biosensor. Procedia Technology, 27, 274-276.

Turner III, D. E. (2017). A case study in Design Thinking applied through Aviation Mission Support Tactical Advancements for the Next Generation (TANG) (Doctoral dissertation, Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School).

Reflective writing is a strategy which helps individuals to promote self learning and self awareness through reflection on the learning experiences of an individual, and can help a learner to relate their theoretical knowledge with practical observations. According to Shum et al. (2016) this practice also helps students and professionals to identify new ideas and concepts as well as explore their own mindsets and conceptions about these ideas and their experiences. Studies show that this practice is help to improve meta-cognitive skills among students and professionals through which they can effectively develop understanding of the own though processes. Additionally, reflective practice also helps individuals to analyze various scenarios and situations, improve their situational awareness and understanding and identify their own biases, which is a significant strategy to develop learning and knowledge. Reflective writing and reflective thinking can be used in various ways such as while writing blog entries and making reflective journal entries in which a learner can describe their regular learning experiences, and activities, and outline the key learning outcomes and challenges they faced during the process of learning (Ottenberg et al., 2016; Fierke et al., 2016).

Outlined below is a brief reflective report on the Design Thinking workshop which was conducted for nine weeks, during which knowledge about the process of designing and developing prototypes and finalized products was developed though hands on activities and group activities. The report aims to identify my personal strengths and weaknesses and the knowledge I was able to gather from Design IT activities, combining the important elements and learning outcomes mentioned on the weekly blog entries.

Strategies of Problem Solving and Problem Finding

One of the biggest advantages of engaging and participating in the Design It workshop was to promote personal and professional development though the development of practical and hands on knowledge about the process of designing and design thinking process (Jackson, 2015). Participating in the nine workshops conducted through nine weeks, starting from August 11^th, 2018 until October 6^th, 2018, I was able to develop my understanding of the various theoretical and practical concepts of designing and design planning and use them on a practical approach. While utilizing my knowledge and understanding in the planning and designing activities in the workshops I quickly identified my strengths and weaknesses, which was an important aspect since it helped me understand how to best use my competencies and also how I can improve them by overcoming my weaknesses and thus achieve further professional as well as personal development. Discussed below are the strengths and weaknesses I was able to identify about myself and the group:

Communication was a significant strength that I as well as my team were able to exhibit, which allowed us to communicate and share information and knowledge effectively and thus support better performance of the team. During the various activities, we were able to share our ideas in a clear and understandable way supported by effective communication strategies. This was a significant aspect since it allows understanding of the mindsets, ideas and expectations of team members, and helps to develop a common understanding between which can help to achieve the learning objectives (Dong et al., 2017). This aspect have been supported by many studies that have shown that effective communication is vital for sharing of knowledge and information and improve team coordination (Hewitt et al., 2015; Boies et al., 2015; Zoogah et al., 2015).

Effective communication also helped to improve teamwork in my learning group. Additionally, we also had effective interpersonal skills which helped us to work in a diverse team showing respect to every member and supporting better engagement and enthusiasm within the team members (O’Connor et al., 2015). All the members showed eagerness to learn and help others to progress through the activities as a complete team, and every one shows responsibility to take care of their individual roles and responsibilities apart from helping each other to conduct theirs. This allowed the development of effective teamwork, team coordination and bonding between the team, in which each member could be trusted on and every member showing responsibility and accountability of their own actions and activities, an aspect that has been supported by Reeves et al. (2018).

I also realized that a strong technical aptitude existed among my team members as well as me. Because of a strong knowledge about the theories of designing, it was comparatively easier for us to grasp the information very quickly and they implement them in our activities. However, there were few members who were initially facing challenges in understanding the concepts, but through effective sharing of knowledge and mutual learning strategies as well as team coordination; we soon were able to come to a same level of technical understanding and possess the same levels of technical expertise (Flin & Maran, 2015). Individuals who had a stronger grasp on technologies helped the others by sharing their ideas and knowledge through group learning sessions which we often took part before or after the workshops. I also learnt that we were quickly able to relate our technical knowledge with our learning experiences and while working on the project, which further allowed us to reinforce our knowledge and understanding, and allowed us to identify and clarify any technical doubts with the tutors.

Journey Mapping and Brainstorming

During the weekly activities, I faced significant challenges during the identification of design problems through effective observation. This was especially true for some of the team members, who were not able to read and interpret model designs and prototypes for any potential problems. Because of which we had to perform several design reviews and faced several design flaws which were not initially identified. During the workshop 5, this posed us a significant challenge in the identifications of design flaws as well as problems with the early prototypes. As a result the initial designs were a complete failure and we had to get back to the drawing board to reinitiate the process. The tutors however were able to assist us on how to strategically approach this problem and how we could improve our observation through effective documentation, delegation observing specific aspects of the design and then collating with each other (Shekhar et al., 2015). Previously each of the members were trying to make an complete observation, which increased the complexity of the tasks, however dividing the tasks helped to improve the observation skills.

According to Broadbent and Poon (2015), time management is an essential concept which helps to improve productivity through structuring, scheduling and prioritizing important activities and ensuring the tasks are done in a timely manner and thus prevent delays in project completion. While working on the project, I quickly realized that were were unable to follow a tight schedule for the activities, as a result there were several delays in the process. This also becomes difficult when some of the members took a long time to complete their part of activities and other members had to assist them to complete the task, which delayed the productivity of the entire team. According to several studies, effective time management not only helps to ensure timely completion of the project but also helps to develop productivity of the team since individuals can take care of several tasks on a timely manner and understand the approximate time for the completion of the project (Thibodeaux et al., 2017). During our activities, we ended up selecting unrealistic milestone completion dates as we were not able to assess the approximate times for the completion of each milestone due to which we had to review and revise the millstones with assistance of the tutors.

Another challenge we faced during the Design Thinking activities was during data analysis of research data. During the ninth workshop, ee were informed of various strategies that can be used to analyze primary and secondary data in order to make complete sense of the data which can be used to inform the design. We faced a considerable challenge in the identification of the most appropriate strategy for the analysis of data. According to many authors, data analysis is potentially one of the most crucial aspects of research, which helps to identify important information (Chambers, 2017; Townsend & Loudoun, 2018; Yu et al., 2018). Therefore, a challenge in data analysis also caused a significant delay in the overall project.

Designing the Research Process

According to Masa’deh  et al. (2017), the ability to identify one’s own learning outcome is essential for effective knowledge management as it helps individuals to identify their own strengths and weaknesses and identify areas of improvement. Knowledge management also helps in effective development, sharing and using knowledge and information within a team or an organization and understands how to best use the information or knowledge and improve accessibility to the knowledge by the team or organizational information. Reflecting upon the weekly workshops and blog entries I was able to identify the crucial learning outcomes in order to support effective knowledge management. Discussed below are the key learning outcomes developed through the nine weeks of workshops that supports the weekly blog entries for each workshop.

First week:  Some of the most significant learning outcomes for week 1 was the development of the understanding of the overall process of Design Thinking workshops, the important concepts that are involved in the activities and how the workshop can help in our professional and personal development. We also learnt about the significance of design and innovation and how it helps to develop effective solutions to challenges and think out of the box. On the first blog entry I mentioned “The sessions were pivotal to develop understanding on the flow of the workshops, the activities that it would encompass…” (see appendix 1), which showed the significance of the module.

Second Week: Learning about early and later prototypes as well as strategies for rapid prototyping helped us to understand how prototyping was essential for early testing of the design and understand if the design has been successful or whether it needs further improvements or modifications. I also was able to learn the phases of designing, which helped to have a strategic approach towards planning the actions. However, because of challenges with time management and ineffective estimation of completion dates, we faced delays with the development of the prototypes, which I mentioned on my second blog entry as “Our group however faced challenges designing the prototypes on a timely manner” (see Appendix 2).

Third Week:  During the third week I was able to learn about theories of DT. These theories included the reasoning logics, divergent and convergent thinking processes, triple loop learning, philosophical worldviews and learning spiral, all of which allowed the development of different perspectives of making sense of information and thinking about the design concepts helping to use improve reflective strategies which can develop our knowledge and competencies on the subject, which I also mentioned on my third blog entry as “The reflective writing practice was vital for me to critically evaluate my own learning experience and outline what I was able to learn from the activities” (see Appendix 3).

Fourth Week: The fourth week mostly focused on the identification of design problems and how design problems can be identified through observations and visualizations. We could understand how observation   and visualization was an important tool for problem identification. We tried to use effective observation strategies to identify potential problems with the design of the prototype, however one significant problem was that I faced difficulties understanding what aspects needed to be observed and how to identify any flaws or problems through the observations. This I also mentioned on the fourth blog entry as “However, we faced some challenges while using observations to identify problems as we did not understand what we truly needed to observe” (see Appendix four).

Types and Sources of Data for Research

Fifth Week: Study of design problems and strategies for the identifications of problems in design were further continued to be discussed on the fifth week. Strategies such as journey mapping and brainstorming helped to mark our progress through the project and share ideas and knowledge within the group to identify any new information and discuss about the challenges we faced during the project and how we can overcome them. These strategies also helped us to identify and solve critical problems which was supported by effective communication and coordination between the team members, which have been discussed on the fifth blog entry as “Due to effective communication strategies and teamwork we were able to quickly learn and share knowledge and help to improve the team performance” (see appendix five).

Sixth Week: During the sixth week I was able to develop my knowledge about mind mapping, value chain and value networks. The mind mapping was an important information for me, which helped me to understand the inter relations between different concepts and thought processes and how they can be used to develop knowledge on the process of designing a prototype. I also was able to learn about the factors that can increase value to a product and how it should address the perceptions and expectations of the customers and thus make better product designs, which I mentioned on the sixth blog entry “This knowledge can be used in better designing of the product” (see appendix six).

Seventh Week: Developing knowledge of different types of research data was a crucial knowledge that laid foundations for efficient research and analysis of data. Understanding the different types of research data helped us to go through research information in a more efficient manner. However, there were some challenges with the analysis of various kinds of data and understanding which method of analysis was best suitable for different data types retrieved from the researches, which I mentioned on the seventh blog entry as “This was mainly because we were confused about the most appropriate data analysis strategy” (see appendix seven).

Eighth Week: By the eighth week we developed an almost complete knowledge about the entire designing process and the different phases and steps involved in it and also how to develop prototypes to test initial designs. The eighth workshop helped us to utilize this knowledge to develop the final prototype and improve the older prototype. However due to ineffective time management we were unable to follow the schedule and complete the prototype on time, which was also mentioned on the ninth blog entry as “The design however had some delays due to ineffective time management and inability to follow a strict schedule” (see appendix eight).

Ninth Week: On the final week, knowledge of strategies to finalize the design was also covered, thereby completing all the modules and learning objectives aimed to be covered in the nine workshops. Here, all out previously gained knowledge was tested and implemented in order to develop a finalized design. Through effective problem solving, teamwork and communication we achieved a significant amount of success even though there were delays, but we soon were able to develop a successful model, which I also mentioned on the last blog entry as “By the last workshop, were able to overcome our challenges and develop a successful model” (see appendix nine).

Conclusion:

Reflective writing is an essential tool using which students and professionals can develop their knowledge through active learning and reflecting upon their thought processes and learning activities. This approach helps to reinforce the theoretical knowledge through its practical implementation thereby promoting development of skills and competencies. This strategy helped me to make effective blog entries, by reflecting upon my own learning process and identifying gaps and weaknesses in knowledge and how to overcome them. This also helped me develop an effective action plan through which I can further overcome or mitigate the weaknesses and achieve further growth. Discussed below is the action plan which I would be using for the next six months to achieve further development of my skills and competencies and overcome my weaknesses.

References:

Boies, K., Fiset, J., & Gill, H. (2015). Communication and trust are key: Unlocking the relationship between leadership and team performance and creativity. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(6), 1080-1094.

Broadbent, J., & Poon, W. L. (2015). Self-regulated learning strategies & academic achievement in online higher education learning environments: A systematic review. The Internet and Higher Education, 27, 1-13.

Chambers, J. M. (2017). Graphical Methods for Data Analysis: 0. Chapman and Hall/CRC.

de Vasconcelos, J. B., Kimble, C., Carreteiro, P., & Rocha, Á. (2017). The application of knowledge management to software evolution. International Journal of Information Management, 37(1), 1499-1506.

Dong, Y., Bartol, K. M., Zhang, Z. X., & Li, C. (2017). Enhancing employee creativity via individual skill development and team knowledge sharing: Influences of dual?focused transformational leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(3), 439-458.

Fierke, K. K., Bastianelli, K., Vogelsang, L., Tornabene, L., & Lepp, G. A. (2016). Enhancing an International Experience for Students through Reflective Writing Exercises and Self-Directed Learning. Current Issues in Education, 19(2).

Flin, R., & Maran, N. (2015). Basic concepts for crew resource management and non-technical skills. Best Practice & Research Clinical Anaesthesiology, 29(1), 27-39.

Hewitt, G., Sims, S., & Harris, R. (2015). Evidence of communication, influence and behavioural norms in interprofessional teams: a realist synthesis. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 29(2), 100-105.

Jackson, D. (2015). Employability skill development in work-integrated learning: Barriers and best practice. Studies in Higher Education, 40(2), 350-367.

Masa’deh, R. E., Shannak, R., Maqableh, M., & Tarhini, A. (2017). The impact of knowledge management on job performance in higher education: The case of the University of Jordan. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 30(2), 244-262.

O’Connor, P. A. U. L., Keogh, I., & Azuara-Blanco, A. (2015). Teamwork and communication. Enhancing Surgical Performance: A Primer in Non-technical Skills, 105.

Ottenberg, A. L., Pasalic, D., Bui, G. T., & Pawlina, W. (2016). An analysis of reflective writing early in the medical curriculum: The relationship between reflective capacity and academic achievement. Medical teacher, 38(7), 724-729.

Reeves, S., Xyrichis, A., & Zwarenstein, M. (2018). Teamwork, collaboration, coordination, and networking: Why we need to distinguish between different types of interprofessional practice.

Shekhar, P., Demonbrun, M., Borrego, M., Finelli, C., Prince, M., Henderson, C., & Waters, C. (2015). Development of an observation protocol to study undergraduate engineering student resistance to active learning. International Journal of Engineering Education, 31(2), 597-609.

Shum, S. B., Sándor, Á., Goldsmith, R., Wang, X., Bass, R., & McWilliams, M. (2016, April). Reflecting on reflective writing analytics: Assessment challenges and iterative evaluation of a prototype tool. In Proceedings of the sixth international conference on learning analytics & knowledge (pp. 213-222). ACM.

Thibodeaux, J., Deutsch, A., Kitsantas, A., & Winsler, A. (2017). First-year college students’ time use: Relations with self-regulation and GPA. Journal of Advanced Academics, 28(1), 5-27.

Townsend, K., & Loudoun, R. (2018). 20.‘… Just one goat’: the importance of interpretation in qualitative data analysis. How to Keep Your Research Project on Track: Insights from When Things Go Wrong, 113.

Yu, Z., Xiong, W., Eeckhout, L., Bei, Z., Mendelson, A., & Xu, C. (2018). Mia: Metric importance analysis for big data workload characterization. IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 29(6), 1371-1384.

Zoogah, D. B., Noe, R. A., & Shenkar, O. (2015). Shared mental model, team communication and collective self-efficacy: an investigation of strategic alliance team effectiveness. International Journal of Strategic Business Alliances, 4(4), 244-270.

Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:

Turnitin Report

Formatting

Title Page

Citation

Outline

Place an Order