Excerpts from student reflections (an assessment deliverable for this course) are copied below to convey a feel for what this class covers, the approaches taken and the learning experiences acquired.
"I really enjoyed the fact that from the first lecture we were working together with the people sitting beside us, using discussion to help each other understand and it was really interactive." (3)
"the use of the wheelchair really helped me to understand the importance of empathy in design, something that I would not have given much thought to before" (3)
"The most challenging part of this module was the research paper... applying a research method, extracting data, analysing the data, and then designing ideas. " (3)
"I believe I have a creative streak which does not get drawn to the surface often in a business degree and therefore I thought this module would give me an opportunity to use this creativeness." (34)
"Instead of the typical approach of a two-hour lecture, with the lecturer presenting information to the students, this module took a more hands on approach. Each week brought a new task and a new topic. Every week a different guest speaker joined the class to give a workshop on different topics. " (34)
"Creating the design poster and the research paper... We had to pick a research topic, pick two research methods and apply these methods to the study. I choose to study how the visually impaired navigate through the internet and I choose Flow Analysis and Character Profiling as my two research methods. " (34)
"It was incredibly different to modules I have completed before. I enjoyed the experiences the module brought, and I believe I have gained a greater insight and awareness into the difficulties facing people with disabilities. For example, before this module I was unaware of the techniques used to guide people with visual impairments. Now, after the workshop on ‘Guiding People with Visual Impairments’ I am more aware and confidence with approaching and helping people with visual impairments." (34)
"My favourite part of this module was the LEGO serious play. Before the lecture began, I was extremely apprehensive and had convinced myself that I would not enjoy it as I do not really see myself as a creative person. This class showed me that I was very wrong, and I was more creative than I thought I was. It showed me that just because I cannot draw, or sketch does not mean I cannot be creative. The time pressure we had to build each part really helped me to switch off my brain and to trust my hands. I also really enjoyed the way we had to share our inspiration with the group as it really showed me how differently we all think even when we are given the exact same resources and tools. " (3)
"From the first day we explored the core, fundamental things in life. We were encouraged to look around, outside of ourselves for bigger issues. " (4)
""One of the very first things that resonated with me from the module was the slogan stated in week 2, “Fail fast and fail forward.” (4)
"The homework assignments, research project, video and poster were all varied and involved broad concepts and learning outside the classroom. I even made a vegan curry one evening to experience the vegan culture." (4)
"The teaching style encouraged group discussion and participation. The room layout was highly effective as the square tables encouraged collaboration and allowed for ideas and debates to ensue. This format facilitated learning from both the lecturer and my fellow students which was an unusual and very welcome experience. Previously I never gave much thought to the physical settings and the extent to which they can influence behaviour and mindsets. It would have been impossible to achieve the same degree of engagement and creativity in a traditional lecture seating arrangement. " (28)
"One of the critical life lesson take-aways for me which I’m already applying is the belief that there are no bad ideas - just work in progress! Capturing and sharing outlandish or half-baked notions can be valuable as sometimes an initial weak idea can morph into genius with a bit of collective tweaking." (28)
"By not shutting down any idea at the outset we were able to build out concepts and deliver solutions that otherwise may not initially have presented. " (28)
"the first and second lecture threw me slightly, as it was very much a word heavy lecture with a lot of text to read on PowerPoint presentations but at the same time I understood that this would be necessary in order to lay the groundwork for the proceeding weeks." (1)
"I noticed that I began using these concepts outside of the classroom and questioning everyday objects I encountered, on their ability to serve their purpose to members of society who may not be as able bodied as myself." (1)
"the assessment criteria for Design Thinking was slightly different to what I have become accustomed to... Having to complete 1% homework tasks every week kept me engaged with the module. These small, but meaningful tasks varied in their nature which kept the content fresh and open for analysis which I enjoyed. I was also able to develop new skills such as creating, producing and uploading a YouTube video which is something that I was curious about before but had never followed through with." (1)
"This course gave me a new perspective to look at design. I have discovered that using emotions is not weakness but is power and can be highly rewarded. The world is not filled with perfect people to use the design already created and is imperative to look at the other side of the matter." (5)
"The course has also taught me valuable lessons about inclusion and equality and that are ways in which I can help spreading these lessons." (5)
"We were “forced” to look at the reality from another perspective, target problems and come up with solutions. I found it a bit difficult to follow the exact steps as they were very precise, but I believe was a good exercise to develop attention to details skills." (5)
"I am happy with the learning from the course and with the skills I have developed: analytic skills, video presentation skills and ideation skills. I have learned how to create a persona and scenarios and what empathy tools are and their importance. " (5)
"The research essay was extremely challenging for me as it was an academic piece of research writing. I had struggled a bit because English is not my first language and I find it hard enough to read through a lot of material and use academic language." (5)
"If I am being honest with myself, I initially saw many of the design concepts and the procedures we were encouraged to do a waste of time, but after actually following through and trying to learn from them, I understand the benefits to following proven design philosophies... I believe the course content has allowed me to understand how to be more creative again, which is something I believe many of us lose..." (7)
"I feel like companies fail too often in understanding the people who actually use their products. There is so much missed opportunity in this area... using the props such as the glasses provided by the NCBI or the wheelchair where we got a chance to simulate to some degree, everyday problems. Things such as this forced us to think in ways we normal would not, such as 'how do I navigate from the 3rd floor to the bathrooms', etc." (7)
"This module has really highlighted to me the importance of including as many people as possible into the design process. This was made clear to me when we received the training demonstration from Fiona and Helene from the NCBI. I think it took seeing firsthand how important it was to them, to really understand why we must try to think of everyone when we are designing something. " (7)
"Tina Lowe, the UCD Campus Accessibility Officer came in and spoke to us. Tina is visually impaired and has a guide dog to help her navigate daily activities. Her insight and experiences really caught the whole class’s attention and proved to be one of the most memorable lectures I have had. She spoke of the many challenges she faces, and how many buildings are not designed with disability in mind." (8)
"Everything about the module encouraged collaboration and interaction. From the first day, the big classroom setting and the open space allowed groups to communicate and ideate in a productive way. The surrounding whiteboards were helpful in communicating on ideas and sharing visions." (8)
"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were only in the classroom for 7 lectures. For the remainder of the module we moved to a virtual learning space online. In true design thinking spirit, our lecturer was quick to adapt to the new method of online learning. As we were all new to this way of learning we came across various issues along the way, however as we continued through the modules, we were able to navigate our way around them and the module delivery was ultimately successful." (8)
"I must admit that I had little to no knowledge of the course material before joining this class and entered with some trepidation as I was going into the unknown. " (9)
"The lesson I learned the most from and enjoyed the most was the Lego class in which we were instructed to build lego modules. They were meant to encapsulate where we felt we were in life. This put us under time pressure and meant that we also had to do a lot of reflecting while acting... This also simulated a “lean forward” rather than a “lean back” meeting. I enjoyed observing how the entire class engaged with this task." (9)
"Writing a research paper was a skill that I had to learn, how to format a professional paper that had the layout and content to be published. Referencing and putting citations throughout the paper were essential skills that I honed." (9)
"Design thinking is a process that requires all types of minds and outlooks to achieve a goal. What works for me, may not be work for you. But it’s the process of thinking. The process of implementing and respecting the people who you are doing it for, to achieve something that may improve their quality if life going forward." (10)
"Stephen Howell from Microsoft showing us Microsoft Power Tools... The talk was based around the accessibility functions of applications with the office suite. I have done a lot of programming in the past, but this class focused really on the predesign process of sketching and implementing the idea in a loose environment. The talk from Stephen once again opened my mind to what really happens in the background. And how you need to think with empathy when designing items for people with all types of disabilities. The wheelchair exercise is another class I won’t forget. Why is it so difficult to open a door?" (10)
"Learning to write academically. Something I have never experienced before. From undertaking some weekly tasks, understanding what was needed and presenting a design brief using research has changed how I write completely. I needed to submit an assignment for another module using in text citations and generating a bibliography. But luckily this deadline was after the weekly assignment of doing this in Microsoft word. I feel it has enhanced how I take on writing exercises going forward." (10)
"I feel that this module was well run, but had some areas of improvement that should be addressed in the future so that students can get the most out of the experience and still perform to a high standard. I feel that the course content was engaging, but lacked direction as a whole. I understand that this is a design thinking module purposefully organised to have students think outside the box but many students I had interacted with along with myself struggled to comprehend our learning objectives in tandem with the assignments for the module. " (11)
"Upon completing the module, I do feel that the course content and in class experiences were very interesting and engaging, but it needs to be more directly linked with some objectives to help students create a framework or organised plan. The current continuous assessment seems to be somewhat aligned with the work but the objective seems unclear up until the last few homework assignments. " (11)
"I feel the module.. lacked some clarity and direction. If the actual classes had objectives that were more directly aligned with the research report organized in the current continuous assessment structure." (11)
"This module opened my eyes to the different aspects of designs. From collaborating with other students, to stepping into the life of others, I gained valuable skills that will stick with me both in a work environment and in day-to-day life. By applying methods I’ve learned and using frameworks discussed in class as a guide I will be able to face problems and come up with a viable solution." (12)
"On reflection of this module, I believe I have acquired skills that will help me come up with a viable solution to problems I may face more efficiently and effectively." (12)
"The main thing that stood out to me on reflection is the recurring theme of empathy and the importance it plays not only in the design process but also in our society." (12)
"As a result of this module, I find myself thinking about the design of everyday products I use and how they could possibly be designed better." (13)
"One of our classes consisted of a workshop from two representatives from the NCBI (National Council for the Blind Ireland) during the semester. We learned about various visual impairments, while receiving various practical skills to implement in the real world in how to work with and aid blind or visually impaired people. I found this very insightful as I’d never actually had the opportunity to listen to the experiences of a visually impaired person firsthand." (13)
"I learned so many new and transferable skills which I will be utilizing in different areas of my life. Who knew Lego building could be beneficial to communication and teamwork skills?" (13)
"If I could sum up all that I learned in a general statement, I would say this module taught me to think differently and think like a designer and not just a business student." (14)
"...a design is flawed if it does not have complete accessibility because this is unethical and unfair. I am now always thinking in a designer’s mindset while empathising and considering others before I make decisions which is applicable to any aspect of life not just designing." (14)
"Talks from Tina Lowe (Guide Dog owner and UCD Access team member) and members of the NCBI taught me a sense of empathy that I never had before. It made me consider how hard it is for them and gave me a new ethical compass that I would use in any designing I do in future. Practical sessions involving learning how to use a wheelchair, learning how to guide a person with impaired vision further taught us to empathise with the subject and consider them. " (14)
"The pass-fail nature of homework assignments gave us a chance to take risks and be creative... also taught me the valuable skill of writing for research and referencing properly." (14)
"Before I began this module the words “Design Thinking” would have meant thinking before you design in my mind, however, after almost 12 weeks of studying and research this concept and many more I understand now that it is much more than that. It is about empathy, consideration, processes, challenges and principles." (15)
"Every week we had to submit 1% homework to contribute to our final grade, I thought this was an excellent way to keep students up to date with the module and constantly have an insight of what they were studying." (15)
"In relation to the design brief poster at first I found it hard to understand the concept of the poster and what I was meant to include in it, however, after researching and reading over my notes and what my professor wanted from us I was able to get a better idea of what to do and ended up really enjoying designing it and making the presentation video." (15)
"While the various workshops have definitely added skills that I can put on my CV and that will assist me in the future, it is the actual academic work that we have done that will help me the most, in the short-term at least. The module allowed me to learn and practise some key academic skills. One of the most important being the use of citation tools. Despite writing numerous essays for college in the past two years I had not used the tool up to this point. Learning to cite and reference work properly is a key academic skill and I have already seen my grades increase by using the tool for assignments in other modules." (16)
"The biggest learning outcomes I have gathered from this module are in how to be more creative and the importance of including all stakeholders in any idea whether it be a design or any other project or plan." (16)
"I think the most important thing this module offered was a different way of thinking. The classes and workshops where we focused on how to include people with various disabilities into product design and innovation were huge eye openers for me. As I have no close relatives with a disability, I would not have had to focus on the consequences of design on disabled people before. " (17)
"Another great aspect of this module was the resources afforded to us. During our conversation with Microsoft’s Accessibility Pillar Lead Stephen Howell we were not only offered his rich insights into how one of the world’s largest organisations account for people with disability (including real-time speech to text conversion in multiple languages) but he along with our module coordinator Allen Higgins illustrated to us how to use Microsoft’s Power Apps. I have found this really effective tool for designing since then. Currently, I’m not advanced as a programmer but through using Microsoft’s Power Apps I am able to express a couple of app design ideas I have and see how they would work. " (17)
"I think the ability to present through a video is going to be a well sought-after skill both during and following this pandemic. Hence, I was excited to be able to practice it (even though it took multiple tries)." (17)
"The research essay was something different to any assignment I have completed before. This is a result of the strict format that we had to adhere to. I learned a lot about what goes into a research paper and how the different sections intertwine to create the finished piece." (17)
"[previously] it did not occur to me about the difficulties faced by others. I believed if I was creating a mobile app, all I had to do was create an app. I never considered people who may have impaired vision or difficulties using my app. " (18)
"A lesson I learned that I now implement in every aspect is sitting back in my chair vs leaning forward. Once you lean forward, you become more engaged; I found this particularly useful when I see my self sitting back in lectures, I find myself spacing, so using this learning has enhanced my focus." (18)
"In the Lego session in class, I believed this would have been an effortless task, but I found myself creatively struggling, I saw from my peers how creative some were and allowed me to understand them more. I found I needed to work on my creativity based on this Lego task." (18)
"When I was told we have an 8-page research essay I was nervous as I have had a difficulty with essay writing and structuring in the past, I felt quite anxious about writing it... I also felt worried about weekly assignments. In past experiences my time management for college workload was quite difficult. Fortunately, I soon learnt, continuous assessment was a better form of grading for me. Over time, I acquired better time management skills and organisational skills." (19)
"..the wheelchair exercise was the first time I had experienced being in a wheelchair. I found a few challenges using the wheelchair, and the skill I lacked most was spatial awareness. I found it difficult to manoeuvre through ‘Pull’ doors as they were heavy and constantly hitting the chair." (19)
"Within the classroom, I appreciated the spokespeople that came in and talked to us about their experiences with their difficulty (partially blindness). I found Helena’s story about how she became partially blind to an illness quite moving. She showed and expressed how she still stays motivated to work. I found this very inspirational." (19)
"A big misconception was that design ideas were just moments of enlightenment which randomly occurred. Human centred design was a new idea to me, and found the idea of it hard to apply at the start. Having completed the module I am now familiar and comfortable with this idea. The IDEO method cards were a great way of adjusting to the design mindset and a good introduction to this ideology for someone with no previous experience in the area." (20)
"I found the homework assignments a great way of trying new experiences and forcing me to try new things... I found assignment 10, the most, practical and allowed me to update my CV. I went above just inserting my learnings from this module and created a whole new professional CV which I will be using in the future." (20)
"The essay took me a few drafts and I found it difficult to find strong applicable literature for my research. This was my biggest challenge along with the length of the assignment. It was interesting applying all these methods which I wouldn’t have had an experience with before. This was a great learning experience as what started as a daunting task turned into a successful 8-page research essay." (20)
"At first I didn’t understand what a research method really was and I was probably at a disadvantage since I entered the class 3 weeks late. After some trial and error with key assignments I understood that research methods weren’t research questions that needed to be answered, but rather they were methods to help answer research questions. I still had a bit of trouble throughout the course since I felt everything was too vague. This was my sentiment up until I turned in my Design Thinking Poster, which helped narrow my thinking to a specific topic. Also, after receiving feedback I was confident I was on the right track. It was quite valuable to receive the opinions of the professor as I could conclude that my hard work was not going to waste. " (21)
"One of the first assignments was to capture an image of a design flaw, this assignment prompted me to think more deeply about what we see and the possible errors that took place in the design process. In the lecture that followed the next week I learned that not everything we perceive to be useless or a mistake in the design process is so and there are possible purposes for something that would be considered as a design flaw at first glance. " (22)
"The design brief video and research paper were perhaps the most difficult tasks in this module. But that is not to say that it did not teach me anything. In fact, I learned many things from these long and complicated assignments such as how to edit and make a video explaining my design brief poster. " (22)
"I learned the importance of design empathy. Through the research method I choose, try it yourself, I was able to understand the importance of stepping into the life of someone who is different to you. To be able to gain much more insights and produce a product that best suits the people one is designing for design empathy must be involved. I learned of the struggles faced by blind people on a daily basis, tasks that we are able to conduct withing giving much though or time to is much more difficult without ones sense of sight and proved to be difficult for me." (22)
"NCBI Training, Put simply this is something I would ever have engaged in had it not been thrust upon me. I do not know anyone suffering from a visual impairment that hasn’t been corrected by glasses or contact lenses." (24)
"I had been under the impression that blindness meant blindness, so the large swathe of impairments was a revelation to me. The kit containing the glasses that simulated the types of impairments was fantastic and fed back into the motif of empathy techniques throughout the course." (24)
"I learnt a lot about myself in the practical session where we were required to build lego models. Amongst the tasks we were set, we were required to make a lego model which portrayed where in life we felt we were. This required a lot of reflection and creativity to come up with an idea under time pressure and create the model with limited experience and materials. This experience was very engaging, simulating a ‘lean forward’ meeting rather than a ‘lean back’ meeting. It was interesting to observe how the class sat forward and engaged with the task." (25)
"The experience of learning about Microsoft Powerapps gave me insight into the design process of developing an app that is functional and accessible. This was a very practical task which helped me learn that the design process should start on paper even when the product being designed is technology based. I applied this learning to my design brief poster when I sketched ideas for my own solution for a technological accessibility function." (25)
"The NCBI Vision Impairment Awareness Training class proved to be most valuable for the final assessment as it taught me to understand the experience of a visually impaired individual. This became an empathy tool which I applied to my final assignment." (25)
"Through writing a research paper I learned how to format a professional paper that could potentially be published. Specifically, I learned how to reference and use citations throughout the paper." (25)
"Starting from using a wheelchair to go through a corridor, relying on a cane, or walking with blindfolds, I woke up to how truly complicated little things can be, which could make all the difference if done with care. The location of a switch, the weight of a door, a length of which a lift stays open, and many other simple complications I faced in just a few minutes, which is a lifestyle for others who are facing on these difficulties on daily basis. " (26)
"I believe I learned a lot in this class, from using Microsoft Power Apps, the way to construct and design with lean back/forward methodology, the speech translation app alongside the assistive tools available, sketching ideas, constructions of research, using empathy tools, critical observation and analysis, referencing, video creation, poster designing, and many other details " (26)
"my perspective in relation to how designs are developed, used by those with disabilities and integrated in society has changed drastically. It is through my learnings in this module that I have been exposed to the realities of the world with regards disability awareness or lack thereof and have come to realise how many features of the designs we encounter daily are overlooked." (27)
"After being encouraged to present our designs to group members I became aware that each feature of each design was the product of a specific decision point, whether that be conscious or not and it led me to ponder the designs surrounding me and wonder at the purposes of independent features." (27)
"In the practical part of building Lego models, I learned the basic knowledge of this class, which is thinking and model experiment. One of the tasks we were asked to do was to make a Lego model to depict our place in life. It takes a lot of thinking and creativity, coming up with an idea under time pressure, creating models with limited experience and materials." (29)
"[it was] challenging for me, because I [think I have a] lack of imagination and creativity, but fortunately, at that time, we can discuss and exchange knowledge team, so team members helped me a lot at that time, the people around them by observing design ideas, to understand and find out their design thinking process makes sense to me." (29)
"At the beginning of the final assignment, I couldn't find the inspiration at all. With the influence of covid-19, the scope of our research was limited, and it was even more difficult to limit the perspective to the visually impaired. Allen gave us a lot of advice and time, which I think helped me a lot. " (29)
"Completing my research project allowed me to understand and empathise with visually impaired people more. It also allowed me to strengthen my research skills and written communication skills. Due to the current circumstances I wasn’t able to complete the project to the best of my abilities due to the many distractions at home such as younger siblings and time management. It is difficult to concentrate and finish the work when there is a lot of noise at home. Time managing is also difficult because it is difficult to get into a routine when you are constantly at home. however, I tried to make the best out of the situation and tried to complete the research project with the highest level of efficiency. " (31)
"Design thinking has equipped me with the ability to act as an efficient problem solver and helped me to understand the essence of design thinking and its process. I know feel I have the ability to come up with design ideas and solutions. I have also sharpened skills such as problem solving, written communication and my ability to empathise." (31)
"Hire people who don’t listen to you. Fail forward and fail often. I recall being fascinated by these statements in the short video clip from IDEO we watched in class in the early stages of the module." (30)
"It can be difficult to empathise with people whose values are fundamentally different, but the module was centred around the importance of developing those relationships, with users you are designing for. In a mid-semester lecture, I had the opportunity to enter into the life of a person who suffered a disability, as I role-played a wheelchair user as well as performing the role of a guide. It was an eye opening experience that was practical and enjoyable. " (30)
"The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic forced unfavourable restrictions to the module course. However, students were kept informed and we continued the lecturers through other means. I was very appreciative of the length my lecturer went to ensure of this. After all, successful designers must adapt to changing times. Design thinking has shown me that design is in a constant state of redevelopment and refrains from being pompous or even narrow-minded. I believe I have acquired the appropriate skills for developing inclusive re-design requirements to a product(s)/spaces. " (30)
"I was challenged in Design Thinking to work and communicate in groups, which proved difficult for me in the past. During one class, we were split into groups while completing tasks with a Lego Serious Play set. After building a certain structure, each member in the group would speak about their structure and what it represented. I found the range of different ideas and opinions of the group to be powerful and it forced me to think about one object in many different ways." (32)
"[Previously] I had a single-minded approach to research prior to taking Design Thinking. I thought surveys and questionnaires were some of the only ways research was conducted and never considered that different research methods may be used in different situations. One homework task required a 30 second time lapse video to be submitted. At first, I found this to be a random task but after thinking about it and reading about time lapse as a research method, it opened my eyes to the variety of research methods that are used. Having had the opportunity to use several different research methods throughout Design Thinking, I have learned that some methods are more appropriate and effective than others in certain situations. " (32)
"Design thinking has pushed me out of my comfort zone and given me opportunities to put skills which I had not used before into practice. It has helped me in developing an improved, open-minded outlook on the world and ignited a genuine interest for design in me. " (32)
"In my eyes design thinking is a kind of thinking which focuses on target group customer and give them right service and fulfill them real need. " (33)
"To research and find what they need, designer need to modify customer normal daily life and think that this group need, " (33)
"[This] was a module which you could see real life problems first-hand, problems you did not even know existed until you put yourself into another person’s shoes." (35)
"A learning point and I felt the most informative was that of the NCBI visual impairment course. It gave me a new perspective on the design of everyday objects and the faults within the design of things for people with visual impairment. Being able to put on the glasses with gave you a clear representation of what some peoples vision is like was enlightening and gave me a new respect for people battling with such conditions. " (35)
"During the designing of my poster and the steps I had to complete to produce the poster, it showed me how difficult performing simple tasks such as typing up a word document which I am doing now is with visual impairment. The speech recognition struggled to pick up my accent. The dictation voice is slow and annoying making it even harder to concentrate on what you are trying to do. An interesting and frustrating experience but I am glad to say that I have done it." (35)
"The approach to design thinking in this module is very much an empathetic one in that it one delves deeper into the problem in order to create the best, most efficient solution to real-life problems. " (36)
"Throughout the module, our learning was very much active. We investigated, experimented and observed many concepts. We primarily learnt by doing rather than seeing which is not often done in modules" (36)
"Due to the fact that most industries rely on technology to function, it is essential that this technology is developed with a degree of accessibility in mind. Unfortunately, this is often not the case and so I had to look to see where the main problems lay with certain technologies. This involved collecting data, simulating impairments, experimenting with different technological functions, embodying the user and most of all designing in an empathetic fashion. " (36)
"Its unorthodox style made it the most enjoyable class of the week however, this didn’t hamper my learning. The class had an easy going feel and we would often work in groups and cooperate with one another to achieve the learning outcomes" (37)
"Tina Lowe [hosted our] tour of the Confucius building to illustrate the steps modern designers are taking to become more accessible for the visually impaired. This practical approach allowed me to realize the research techniques designers are applying " (37)
"I will admit I was ignorant to the sheer volume of people affected by disabilities around the world. One teaching I won’t forget is this concept of the ‘perfect human’ that designers had in their mind for too long. Designing with the perfect human in mind only increases the limitations of our designs" (37)
"This class allowed me to learn the layout of a research essay. It also helped me learn to source quality references. I learnt how to conduct a research probe. It taught me the initial stages of the design thinking process. I created a design brief poster on PowerPoint which addressed what universities can do to improve accessibility issues " (37)
"Prior to my engagement with the Design thinking module, I knew very little on how designs are created and how they are made accessible to those more vulnerable. I believed each product was designed for regular users with the common features available. I knew about research methods such as surveys and focus groups but none of design research such as Error and Analysis and the different categories that IDEO mentions. " (38)
"I had a great lack of empathy and understanding for those with disabilities such as wheelchair users and the visually impaired. I... never enabled myself to look at how the run their lives on a daily basis." (38)
"My empathy for wheelchair users was heightened during the wheelchair workshop. At first, I did not realise how difficult it was to use a wheelchair and navigate with it. There are many difficulties with using a wheelchair. It tires the arms; it is difficult to turn and enter doors. " (38)
"[By applying] research methods I was able to disassemble [design] issues and then reconstruct them with a more empathetic and understanding attitude towards the [user]." (39)
"The most striking discovery I made through my own research was the amount of information that we make available online but as a result of a certain text style, it is only accessible to a reduced number of people" (39)
"It is very easy for us to suggest a design or solution for a problem that someone else may face but unless we can really experience the difficulties that the user faces, I believe it is almost impossible to create a rounded and empathetic solution to the problem." (39)
"...the main point that I would take forward in future would be the importance of using as many different experiences and research methods to build the best picture and then develop from there. " (39)
"When I finished this course, I had a new understanding for design thinking and I also learned a lot from the class. Design thinking is a methodology used to provide practical and creative solutions for problems or events seeking future improvement results, which I learned from the last assignment." (40)
"Most importantly, I have improved on my communication. Because my native language is not English, at first, I seldom participate in group discussion, I only focus on listening to the ideas of the team members and rarely put forward my ideas, because I'm afraid that someone does not like my ideas, and it's very difficult to say my own ideas in a fast speed. Later, through many discussions with my group and cooperation to complete the task, I have greatly improved on my oral English." (40)
"This assignment has improved my creativity and let me know more about products that can help the disabled. Because of the epidemic, we couldn't go to school for discussion, so the original group speech was changed to a personal speech. " (40)
