Design thinking puts high emphasis on pushing people to think outside the box and brainstorming. It looks more at prototypes and alternatives, and rewards solutions that are different than the problem. It’s split into 5 principles: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. These guiding principles push students to balance their wants with what’s doable with technology. Design thinking is very efficient in higher education due to it’s straight-forward, user-oriented basis and critical thinking processes.
When students in higher education are pushed to use design thinking, they are pushing their ideas through 5 principles: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This helps them to better process their thoughts and ideas because they must take the time to process it through each principle. In the end, students have more articulate responses and respond to questions with deeper, more profound answers.
Before answers can happen, ideas must be born. Design thinking is important in helping to create ideas through brainstorming and brain dumps. It encourages out-of-the-box thinking and pushing boundaries, letting students push the boundaries of their imaginations. Letting go of the reigns opens the mind to creating wild and innovative ideas, which is exactly what students in higher education are looking for, especially in topics of research or study. Being able to come up with the perfect idea means the difference between researching something with fire and passion or with lackluster and envy of those who used design thinking to get their topic.
In higher education, design thinking is innovative pushes students to think critically, allows students to open their minds, and opens them to think outside the box. It’s helpful in finding those wild and eccentric ideas through brainstorming and brain dumps, and by pushing students to have out-of-the-box ideas, creating the perfect setting to find research topics. It also pushes students to take the time to think through the 5 principles, and can help them formulate smarter responses, creating a more well-thought out student. Design thinking in higher education is critical in creating prime students.