Katelen Jennings

     Design thinking is not used exclusively in design firms or artist studios. It is a common use of thinking for people in all sorts of work fields as well as everyday life. Much like the scientific method, design thinking can be used as a way to break down and reassemble a problem. What one does with the end result is up to the person.      To understand design thinking one must first understand design. According to the Dictionary, a design (noun) is defined as, “an outline, sketch, or plan, as of the form and structure of a work of art, an edifice, or a machine to be executed or constructed”. It can also simply be defined as “a plan or project”. Bob Gill gives his definition of design in his book, Graphic Design as a Second Language, and states, “You cannot hold a design in your hand. It is not a thing. It is a process. A system. A way of thinking”. Design is not just a word used to describe the visual art found in posters or billboards. It is the result of problem-solving. Whether the end goal is a poster or a rocket ship, the solution to the problem will be considered as a design.      If a design is a solution to a problem then design thinking is the process of coming up with a design. As stated earlier, design thinking is much like the scientific method. On the Interaction Design Foundation website, they talk about five stages of design thinking being, Empathise, Define (the problem), Ideate, Prototype, and Test. However, unlike the scientific method, there is no order in which to follow. The Interaction Design Foundation explains that “It is important to note that the five stages are not always sequential — they do not have to follow any specific order and they can often occur in parallel and be repeated iteratively.”.      With this in mind, design can be anything from pictures and architecture to spreadsheets and presentations. Design is a good way to organize information. Much like a collage, when using spreadsheets or presentations one must take into consideration the audience that views it. From this, one must design it to be easily understood by the said audience. The same can be said for any item of information. Planning out where and how the information will be perceived is the whole point of design.    Design thinking is the act of planning out how works of art, articles of advertising, architectural blueprints, or simple business presentations are used to convey information. It is the process of coming up with a solution, and it is more common in everyday life than most people think. Design is everywhere, but it is never without the use of design thinking.

“Design.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/design.

Gill, Bob. Graphic Design as a Second Language. Images Publishing Group, 2004.

Creative thinking is something everyone has heard at one point or another. It is such a common thing nowadays, though sometimes it’s just as commonly can be overlooked. Everything from gardening to technology to the simplest of tools involved creative thinking in order to be a part of our daily lives. Without creative thinking, we would not be as advanced as we are now. However, this creativity is not given to just a select few who.

“Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.” —Paulo Coelho, author, and lyricist. Being considered creative is something everyone can achieve, but few people do. This may simply be because they do not know how or they do not feel confident in doing so. Though the article “College Success” by Lumen Learning, they explain creativity as, “a skill—as opposed to an inborn talent or natural “gift”—that can be taught as well as learned”. Learning to use creative thinking skills is important and can be taught by almost every teacher.

Teachers are given the task to help kids understand the importance of creative thinking and how to execute this skill in everyday life. Alice Honig, from Scholastic, talked about asking teachers how they would define creative thinking. She came up with, “the breaking up of old ideas, making new connections, enlarging the limits of knowledge, the onset of wonderful ideas”. Having creative thinking put into different and/or simpler term, the metaphorical light bulb would go off for quite a few people. From this, the phrase, “Everyone has a creative potential”, by Paulo Coelho, is given better light for those who seek to be more creative.

Now more than ever businesses crave people who are able to think in creative ways. The need for new ideas in a constantly changing social environment is crucial to companies around the world. Knowing how to use creative thinking skills is important in these situations, though doing so can be hard when no one is around to help. Raymond A. Mason School of Business gives a small article on how to encourage creative thinking in the workplace, however, these pointers can work in any situation. They express the need for an open environment for new ideas. Room for failure as well as praising accomplishments is also highly recommended. Despite all of this, creativity is not something that just happens right then and there. With enough time and flexibility, anyone can be creative.

Creative thinking is a skill that everyone has heard of at some point. It is such a common thing nowadays that everyone is expected to know how to use creative thinking. Despite the idea of being talented or gifted with this skill, creativity is not just for a select few who but, for those who try to achieve it. Knowing how to use these skill can be difficult but not impossible.

“Encouraging Creative Thinking in the Workplace.” Raymond A. Mason School of Business, https://online.mason.wm.edu/blog/encouraging-creative-thinking-in-the-workplace

Honig, Alice Sterling. “How to Promote Creative Thinking.” Scholastic, www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/how-promote-creative-thinking/

Learning, Lumen. “College Success.” Creative Thinking Skills | College Success,