In this week, we focused on using design thinking to brainstorm solutions to certain question in our communities. The first model of the Design Thinking process was developed by the Nobel Prize laureate Herbert Simon and it involves five stages: empathy, defining the problem, ideation, prototyping, and testing. During the class, we used the lighting decision jam by AJ&Smart design agency to think about we can transform higher education into the most empowering learning experience imaginable.
My group focused on the question: how might we reimagine class time for the benefit of both teachers and students? We evaluated different ways in which long lectures and other class times might be productive and engaging. Several suggested possible solutions include in-class activities, inter-lecture breaks, availability of class materials to all students before the class time, and providing necessary assignments to students. After evaluating all possible solutions using the effort and impact chart, my group and I decided that increased class bonding during lectures and other class activities would require less effort, yet have a greater impact. Overall, I enjoyed this Lightning Decision Jam activity as it helped me to learn more about technics of problem solving and creativity through a stepwise and thoughtful process of identifying the problem and weighing different possible solutions. Although the process seems to take a while to decide on the plausible solution, it is worth a try not only in the business environment but also in everyday decision-making.
