What is design thinking in higher education?
Design thinking in higher education is a human-centred approach to learning and problem-solving. It helps students understand people's needs, define a problem, explore possible solutions, build prototypes and test their assumptions.
It can be used across engineering, business, design, healthcare, education and other disciplines. The objective is not simply to generate creative ideas, but to teach students how to investigate a problem and improve a solution using feedback.
The five stages of a student design-thinking activity
Empathise: Students speak with or observe the people experiencing the problem, with appropriate consent and safeguards.
Define: They turn their observations into a clear problem statement. For example, instead of saying “students need an app,” they might identify a specific difficulty students face when accessing a campus service.
Ideate: Teams generate multiple possible approaches before choosing one to explore.
Prototype: Students create a simple representation of the proposed solution. This might be a paper interface, physical model, storyboard or basic digital prototype.
Test: They gather feedback from intended users and document what needs to change.
How faculty can run a workshop
Begin with a clearly defined challenge and a realistic time limit. Explain the process, form diverse teams and give each team a way to document its assumptions. Ask teams to present not only their proposed solution but also the evidence that shaped it.
Assessment can consider problem understanding, research quality, collaboration, prototype learning and reflection—not just presentation quality.
Common mistakes
A design-thinking workshop loses value when students jump directly to solutions, rely on assumptions instead of user research, or treat a first prototype as a finished product. Faculty should also avoid rewarding visual polish at the expense of problem understanding.
How PropelX Academia fits
PropelX Academia can support institutions seeking practical innovation and design-thinking learning experiences. A programme should be adapted to the learners' level, discipline, available time and intended outcomes.