Design Thinking

Design Thinking is an approach to problem-solving that guides students from understanding the user to testing solutions in conditions that closely resemble real life. Its key principle is to reverse the typical logic of classroom work: instead of starting with developing ideas, the process begins with analysing the experiences, needs and constraints of the target user.

The classic process consists of five stages: empathising, defining the problem, developing ideas, prototyping and testing. In practice, this means that students first gather data, for example through interviews, observations or analysis of user experiences. They then formulate a clear design challenge and only afterwards move on to developing solutions.

Rapid prototyping plays a central role in the process. Rather than trying to perfect a concept from the beginning, students create a simplified version that can be tested, evaluated and improved through iteration.

However, Design Thinking is often applied superficially. It may be reduced to creative idea development or visually attractive solution design without deeper user analysis or meaningful testing. In such cases, it loses much of its educational value and becomes little more than a well-packaged brainstorming exercise.

Course: Services Marketing
Topic: Improving the User Experience
Students work in teams to improve one of the key university processes – course registration. The aim is to design a solution that reduces the number of errors, shortens decision-making time, and improves the user experience.

Introduction (5-10 min)
The teacher presents the context: the current course registration system is unintuitive for students, causing stress and errors. The task for the teams is to design a solution that genuinely improves this experience.

Stage 1 – Empathy (30–45 min)
Students analyse user experiences based on short interviews, either within the group or using prepared scenario descriptions. They create an empathy map, identifying needs, frustrations and critical moments in the process.

Stage 2 – Problem Definition (20–30 min)
Teams formulate a precise design challenge based on the data collected and insights from the empathy stage. The key step is to move from a general problem to a specific user situation embedded in context.

Stage 3 – Developing Ideas (30–45 min)
Teams create a range of possible solutions, at least 10–15, deliberately separating idea devel-
opment from evaluation.

Stage 4 – Prototyping (45–60 min)
Students select one solution based on previously agreed criteria, such as fit with user needs, feasibility, potential impact and ease of rapid testing. They then create a simplified version, for example an interface sketch, process map or user journey.

Stage 5 – Testing (30 min)
Other teams take on the role of users and test the solutions. The authors collect feedback and identify elements that need improvement.

Iteration and Reflection (20–30 min)
Teams revise their solutions based on feedback and reflect on what worked, what did not, and what should be improved in the next version.

• When the problem concerns user experience, service quality, a process, communication, or interaction.
• When the exact nature of the problem is not immediately clear and first needs to be understood from the user’s perspective.
• When you want students to learn how to design solutions based on observation, user needs, and feedback, rather than relying solely on their own assumptions.
• When the topic allows students to create a simple prototype, such as an interface sketch, process map, storyboard, service scenario, or solution model.
• When you can provide at least a simplified form of testing, for example with other students, invited users, or prepared personas and scenarios.

• When there is only one correct solution and the main objective is to assess knowledge or apply a specific procedure.
• When students have no prior knowledge of the area related to the challenge and do not have access to materials that would help them understand the context.
• When the main objective is in-depth expert, statistical, or theoretical analysis rather than the design and testing of solutions.

• Students move straight to ideas → pause the process at the empathy stage and ask them to briefly describe what they have learnt about the user.
• The problem is defined too broadly → ask students to reframe it as a specific design challenge rooted in the user’s situation.
• The team becomes attached to the first idea → require several alternative solutions before choosing one direction.
• The prototype is too polished → remind students that a prototype is intended to support learning, not to present a finished product.

Easier → Provide a ready-made problem, personas, a description of the user situation, and a simple template for each stage of the process.

More Challenging → Introduce real users or stakeholders, require prototype testing, solution revision based on feedback, and justification of design decisions using the data collected.

• Do not let students start with an idea — first the user, then the problem, and only then the solution.
• Require one specific insight from the empathy stage.
• Help students narrow down the problem, as overly broad challenges lead to superficial solutions.
• Separate idea development from evaluation.

Formative Assessment
Provide brief feedback after each stage and observe how the teams work throughout the process.

Summative Assessment
Assess the quality of the solution, the justification of decisions, the clarity of the presentation, and the coherence of the overall process.