Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Design Solutions is a collaborative design thinking course in which teams of students partner with external organizations to solve real-world challenges. Students are drawn from across the university as well as international partners, forming project-teams, and working through a design-thinking process with mentorship in group dynamics, team-building, and prototyping, with additional discipline-specific guidance from partner organizations. Challenges are drawn from industry, non-profits, the arts-and-culture sector, and government. The course integrates with the university’s network of incubators and includes optional pathways for the continued development of prototypes beyond the confines of the course. Outcomes have included student-led startups, job-offers, internships, conference presentations, and collaborative artworks. This case study explores pitfalls, lessons, mistakes, and revisions over nine iterations of the course.