• Class Number 3406
  • Term Code 3230
  • Class Info
  • Unit Value 6 units
  • Mode of Delivery In Person
  • COURSE CONVENER
    • Dr Nghia Tran
  • LECTURER
    • Alexander Tietge
  • Class Dates
  • Class Start Date 21/02/2022
  • Class End Date 27/05/2022
  • Census Date 31/03/2022
  • Last Date to Enrol 28/02/2022
SELT Survey Results

Design Thinking is an approach to innovation that is prevalent in both the private and public sectors. It combines practices, methods and mindsets from the design discipline to understand and tackle wicked problems, developing potential solutions from a human-centred perspective. Whether it be large incumbent organisations, or small entrepreneurial projects, design thinking provides the tools to engage with stakeholders, identify their needs and develop prototype solutions that respond to their requirements and desires.

This course draws on current literature and best practices in design thinking and is delivered through a series of workshop-based seminars that focus on addressing a live brief provided by a partner organisation. This course integrates the "Double Diamond" and evidence-based management frameworks to provide valuable tools and experience for students from a range of different backgrounds. It will equip and empower students to identify opportunities for the creation of value, lead innovation processes and participate in the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem in a diversity of roles.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. Describe the design thinking process and the implications it can have for organisations in the public and private sectors.
  2. Determine the appropriate tools to use at each stage of the design thinking process.
  3. Use design thinking tools and methods to address specific aspects of a "wicked" problem.
  4. Communicate the results of a design thinking process in a way that is actionable for implementation.

Research-Led Teaching

The course provides students with a framework to experience design thinking that has been developed over many years by entrepreneurs, practitioners and academics.

Field Trips

n/a

Additional Course Costs

Students are recommended to purchase an A4 visual diary with blank, white pages (no lines). These can be acquired at office supplies, stationery or arts and crafts stores for $5-15 dollars, depending on the type of paper. 150-200gsm is recommended.

Examination Material or equipment

There are no examinations for this course.

Required Resources

Students are recommended to bring an A4 visual diary with blank pages (no lines) for exercises, activities, and research into the major project for the course. Use of this diary will allow for collection of material to assist in completion of Assessment Task 1: Project Journal.

This course has no prescribed text. Readings in the form of articles will be available through the Wattle site.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

  • written comments
  • verbal comments
  • feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session Summary of Activities Assessment
1 Course Briefing / Introduction to Design Thinking Recommended Readings: Design Council (2007). Eleven Lessons: Managing Design in Eleven Global Brands. The Design Council. London, UK, pp. 1-26. Activities: Group Formation for Teamwork Visualisation
2 PART I DISCOVER (Weeks 2-4) Mapping the Ecosystem Recommended Readings: Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R., & Wood, D. J. (1997). Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. Academy of Management Review, 22(4), 853-886. Activities: Identifying Stakeholders
3 Identifying Needs Recommended Readings: Christensen, C. M., Anthony, S. D., Berstell, G., & Nitterhouse, D. (2007). Finding the Right Job for your Product. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48(3), 38. Activities: Mapping Customer Profiles
4 Value Co-creation Recommended Readings: Sanders, E. B. N. (2002). From User-Centered to Participatory Design Approaches. In Design and the Social Sciences (pp. 18-25). CRC Press. Activities: Assessment Task 2 Progress Updates and Initial Feedback
5 PART II DEFINE (Weeks 5-6) Vision-setting through Design Fiction Recommended Readings: Lindley, J., & Coulton, P. (2015, July). Back to the Future: 10 years of Design Fiction. In Proceedings of the 2015 British HCI Conference (pp. 210-211). ACM.
6 Managing Uncertainty Recommended Readings: Rice, M. P., OConnor, G. C., & Pierantozzi, R. (2008). Implementing a Learning Plan to counter Project Uncertainty. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(2), 54. Activities: Assessment Task 3 Progress Updates and Initial Feedback Assessment Due: Assessment 2 - Stakeholder Map (Monday 28th March @ 23:59 AEST) Assessment 1 - Reflection 1 (Thursday 31st March @ 23:59 AEST)
7 PART III DEVELOP (Weeks 7-9) Creativity & Idea Generation Recommended Readings: Dorst, K. (2011). The Core of ‘Design Thinking’ and its Application. Design Studies, 32(6), 521-532. Activities: Hypothetical Solutions Assessment Due: Assessment 3 - Project Plan (Monday 25th April @ 23:59 AEST) Assessment 1 - Reflection Part 2 (Thursday 28th April @ 23:59 AEST)
8 User Experience Design Recommended Readings: Zomerdijk, L. G., & Voss, C. A. (2010). Service Design for Experience-centric Services. Journal of Service Research, 13(1), 67-82. Activities: Experience Mapping
9 Prototypes & Testing Recommended Readings: Dow, S. P., Glassco, A., Kass, J., Schwarz, M., Schwartz, D. L., & Klemmer, S. R. (2010). Parallel Prototyping leads to Better Design Results, more Divergence, and Increased Self-Efficacy. Design Thinking Research (pp. 127-153). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Activities: Rapid Prototyping; Assessment Task 4 Progess Updates and Initial Feedback
10 PART IV DELIVER (Weeks 10-12) Implementation & the Business Model Recommended Readings: Beha, F., Göritz, A., & Schildhauer, T. (2015). Business Model Innovation: The Role of Different Types of Visualizations. In ISPIM Conference Proceedings (ISPIM).
11 Communicating Value Recommended Readings: Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press. Activities: Assessment Task 5 Progress Updates and Initial Feedback Assessment Due: Assessment 4 - Prototype Solution (Monday 16th May @ 23:59 AEST) Assessment 1 - Reflection Part 3 (Thursday 19th May @ 23:59 AEST)
12 Presentations & Course Debriefing Assessment Due: Assessment 5 - Final Presentation (During the Seminar Session - Friday 27th May) Assessment 1 - Reflection Part 4 (Thursday 2nd June @ 23:59 AEST)

Tutorial Registration

N/A

Assessment Summary

Assessment task Value Due Date Return of assessment Learning Outcomes
Project Journal 40 % 02/06/2022 30/06/2022 1, 2, 3, 4
Stakeholder Map 20 % 28/03/2022 11/04/2022 1, 2, 3, 4
Project Plan 10 % 25/04/2022 09/05/2022 1, 2, 3, 4
Prototype Solution 20 % 16/05/2022 23/05/2022 1, 2, 3, 4
Final Presentation 10 % 02/06/2022 30/06/2022 4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

This course is scheduled to deliver face-to-face. However, it may be moved online, if the university and the ACT Government require us to do so.

Due to the practical, project-based nature of the course, attendance of both seminars and tutorials is highly recommended. Your participation will help you execute your project more effectively. Students who are not physically present in the ACT during the course can participate via Zoom (please check Wattle for the link, ID and password) or listen to the recording of the seminars/tutorials, also posted on Wattle.

Examination(s)

There are no examinations for this course.

Assessment Task 1

Value: 40 %
Due Date: 02/06/2022
Return of Assessment: 30/06/2022
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Project Journal

Details of task:

Design Thinking is both a research and learning process. The purpose of this task is to capture that research and learning process so that it can be referred to and drawn from when tackling challenges in the future. This task will take the form of a reflective learning journal consisting of four parts. Each part corresponds to the other assessments in the course and are worth 10% for a total of 40%. They should highlight the process undertaken to complete the task, things that could be done differently, and the role that innovation tools and frameworks could play in course participants’ future careers. Course participants are encouraged to write each journal entry while they are working on the project to reduce effort, ensure key learnings are captured, and leaving sufficient time for reflection to occur.


Individual assessment or Group task: Individual

Word limit: 750 words (+/-10% leeway) per task. The part in excess of word limit will not be read or assessed.

Presentation requirements: 

Each part should consist of a brief report (750 words +10% leeway) that draws on work done during class, tutorials and as the student progresses on their project. Each report should include:

  1. Overview of the process taken to complete the corresponding task.
  2. Description of key insights and things that went well during completion of the task.
  3. Description of key challenges faced and things that could have been done differently.
  4. Reflection on how the tools and frameworks used could be useful in their future careers.


This assessment will take the form of a reflective journal. As such, referencing is not mandatory. Use of images of teamwork, works in process and other activities undertaken during the course is encouraged.


Submission date: The Each part must be submitted via Turnitin on the following dates:

Part 1: Stakeholder Map Reflection (10%) – 31st of March, 23:59 AEST.

Part 2: Project Plan Reflection (10%) – 28th of April, 23:59 AEST.

Part 3: Prototype Solution Reflection (10%) – 19th of May, 23:59 AEST.

Part 4: Communicating Value Reflection (10%) – 2nd of June, 23:59 AEST.

Due date for return of assessment: Marks with feedback will be provided approximately two weeks after submission. Return of Part 4 will coincide with release of final grades.

Marking Criteria: A detailed rubric will be made available on the course Wattle site at the beginning of semester.

Assessment Task 2

Value: 20 %
Due Date: 28/03/2022
Return of Assessment: 11/04/2022
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Stakeholder Map

Details of task:

Human-centred innovation requires an understanding of the people and organisations present in a given context, with specific emphasis on the challenges and opportunities they face on a daily basis. This assessment task assesses students' teamwork skills, communication skills and their abilities to use design thinking tools and frameworks, combined with an evidence-based approach, to gather data from a diverse range of data sources that will later help inform the objectives and intended outcomes of an innovation project.


Note: This data and any findings will form the basis for the major project for the course. Given the iterative nature of an innovation process, this data will not need to be exhaustive but rather focus on demonstrating the ability to apply design thinking tools in research process.


Individual assessment or Group task: Group task; students will be assessed as a group

World limit: Strict 10 minute limit, any presentation over 10mins will not be included in the marking of this assessment.

Presentation requirements: 

At the beginning of the course (Week 1), students will form teams of 3-4 in to complete this assessment. (The teams will remain for the whole semester for assessment tasks 2, 3, 4 and 5). Each team will be assigned to a company from the ACT or regional community. They will present themselves in Week 1 of the course, and will be available for consult throughout the Semester for 1 hour each week.


For Assessment Task 1, each team is required to submit a video reporting stakeholder mapping for the innovative project. The video (voice over narration in PowerPoint) should be between 8-10 minutes, with the participation of all team members. Any part of the video beyond the length limit (10 minutes) will not be assessed. In the video, students should:

  1. Present a broad picture of the context related to your project (e.g., context of an industry/organization).
  2. Identify key stakeholders, their characteristics, and their needs/challenges/aspiration.
  3. Show how you used design thinking tools to engage with stakeholders and describe their needs, challenges and aspirations.
  4. Show the data you got to increase our understanding of the context. These can be in varying proportions, and should consider scholarly literature, industry reports, stakeholder input and personal experience.
  5. Present preliminary findings, including possible problems to be addressed through an innovation process.

Where appropriate, course participants are encouraged to use visuals such as images, diagrams and charts.

Formative Submission date: Formative Submission (NOT MARKED), for feedback purposes: 25th of March, 23:59 AEST. Video links should be uploaded to Turnitin, one group member to submit.

Final Submission date (MARKED): 1st April @ 23:59 AEST, via Turnitin, one group member to submit.

Due date for return of assessment: 11th of April. Feedback will be provided via Wattle

Marking Criteria: A detailed rubric will be made available on the course Wattle site from the beginning of semester.

Assessment Task 3

Value: 10 %
Due Date: 25/04/2022
Return of Assessment: 09/05/2022
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Project Plan

Details of task:

Design thinking projects are characterised by high levels of uncertainty across multiple dimensions. To ensure that valuable outcomes are achieved for its many stakeholders, it is important to define a specific issue to be addressed. This task assesses students' teamwork skills, communication skills and abilities to engage with stakeholders to determine the specific aspect of a complex problem that the team will aim to solve, including high level timeline and key tasks to be undertaken. Additionally, this task will help students to define which aspects of the project they will each take responsibility for.

Individual assessment or Group task: Group task; students will be assessed as a group

World limit: Strict 10 minute limit, any presentation over 10mins will not be included in the marking of this assessment.

Presentation requirements: 

 Each team is required to submit a video reporting the plan for the innovative project. The video (voiceover narration in PowerPoint) should be between 8-10 minutes, with the participation of all team members. Any part of the video beyond the length limit (10 minutes) will not be assessed. In the video, students should:

  1. Provide an overview of the problem being addressed by the project.
  2. Within that broad areas, state in details some specific areas of the problem to be addressed by the team (i.e., the specific goals of your project).
  3. Present the main concept/framework/theory that underpins your project
  4. Present intended outcomes for the project in terms of potential benefits to the organisation/client.
  5. Show a high level timeline of tasks and activities to be undertaken by the team.
  6. Outline roles and responsibilities of each team member.

Teams are encouraged to use visuals such as diagrams and charts to communicate this information.

Submission date: 25th of April, 23:59 AEST. Video links should be uploaded to Turnitin, one group member to submit.

Due date for return of assessment: 9th of May. Feedback will be provided via Wattle.

Marking Criteria: A detailed rubric will be made available on the course Wattle site from the beginning of semester.

Assessment Task 4

Value: 20 %
Due Date: 16/05/2022
Return of Assessment: 23/05/2022
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Prototype Solution

Details of task:

Design thinking is an iterative process, with projects often requiring multiple rounds of testing to refine and adapt the project to its stakeholders’ needs, interests and requirements. For this purpose, it is important to develop simple representations, or prototypes, that allow these stakeholders to engage and interact with emerging solutions. This task assesses students' teamwork skills, communication skills and abilities to produce low fidelity prototypes to help solve the problem identified in the previous assessment tasks by executing their project plans and engaging key stakeholders to obtain their input and feedback. This task requires students to use appropriate tools to produce prototype solutions as a way to test assumptions and reduce uncertainty.


Individual assessment or Group task: Group task; students will be assessed as a group

World limit: Strict 10 minute limit, any presentation over 10mins will not be included in the marking of this assessment.

Presentation requirements: 

Working in the same team, students are required to submit a video reporting the prototype solution for the innovative project. The video (voiceover narration in PowerPoint) should be between 8-10 minutes, with the participation of all team members. Any part of the video beyond the length limit (10 minutes) will not be assessed. In the video, students should:

  1. Restate the problem to be addressed in your project
  2. Restate the specific goals to be achieved by your team which collectively help address the problem identified.
  3. Present a low fidelity prototype of the solution. This could be a system diagram, a series of interactive slides, a paper-based mock-up, a combination of these.
  4. Argue why/how you think the prototype will work to address the problem you identified.
  5. Show the process your team engaged with the stakeholders/client to come up with the prototype (i.e. how did you come up with the prototype).

This report should be highly visual in nature, containing photos, images, diagrams and other content showing the development of the prototype and its use in engaging with stakeholders.

Submission date: 16th of May, 23:59 AEST. Video links should be uploaded to Turnitin, one group member to submit.

Due date for return of assessment: 23rd of May. Feedback will be provided via Wattle.

Marking Criteria: A detailed rubric will be made available on the course Wattle site from the beginning of semester.

Assessment Task 5

Value: 10 %
Due Date: 02/06/2022
Return of Assessment: 30/06/2022
Learning Outcomes: 4

Final Presentation

Details of task:

To increase the chances for success of a design thinking project, it is important to obtain approval and support from key stakeholders within the organisation. This requires clear communication of how it will contribute to the organisation. This task assesses students' teamwork skills, communication skills, and their abilities to provide a strategic approach to communicating the costs and benefits of a design thinking project in order to obtain support for its continuation from the client. The task will focus on recognising how the project will fit within the business model of an established organisation, providing value to the key stakeholders involved. This will be the final team-based assessment.

Individual assessment or Group task: Group task; students will be assessed as a group

World limit: Strict 15 minute limit, any presentation over 10mins will not be included in the marking of this assessment.

Presentation requirements: 

Working in the same team, students are required to deliver an oral presentation (face to face or virtually, depending on the COVID-19 related policies) of their design thinking project. The presentation should be between 10-15 minutes, with the participation of all team members. Students should complete their presentation within the given time (15 minutes maximum); otherwise, any part of the presentation after the given time will not be assessed. PowerPoint slides are required. In the presentation, you should:

  1. Restate the problem and your project goals to tackle the problem identified.
  2. Present the process that led to the proposed solution.
  3. Describe the proposed solution in details, highlighting any feedback obtained from key stakeholders.
  4. Explain how the proposed solution would be implemented within the current situation of the client organisation and resources needed.
  5. Present the potential value to the client organisation, and how this value would be measured.
  6. Next steps that the team would undertake, if the project were the project to continue.

This assessment will take the form of a pitch style presentation, with questions from the firms that you have been working with over the Semester. This is a great opportunity to gain real world insights into the material that you have been learning, and what really happens with the ideas and the innovations that you have created. The companies may chose to hire interns from each of the teams as part of the CBE Internship Program S2 2022.

Submission date: During the Seminar on Friday 27th of May. The presentation time and venue will be advised in Week 11 - one week before the presentation to take place, as a possibility of online teaching could change this.

Due date for return of assessment: 30th of June.

Marking Criteria: A detailed rubric will be made available on the course Wattle site from the beginning of semester.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.


The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.


The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Refer to details for each assessment item. Policy regarding late submission (where applicable) is detailed below:

  • Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an approved extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.


All requests for extensions to assessment in RSM courses must be submitted to the RSM School Office with a completed application form and supporting documentation. The RSM Extension Application Form and further information on this process can be found at https://www.rsm.anu.edu.au/education/education-programs/notices-for-students/extension-application-procedure/

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

All assignments will be marked and where appropriate feedback will be provided either: in class, or in person by appointment with the course lecturer, or via the course Wattle site.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

You are allowed to resubmit your assignments before the specific deadlines where specified for each assessment item.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

Dr Nghia Tran
u1090974@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Employability, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development, Work-integrated Learning.

Dr Nghia Tran

Tuesday 10:00 17:00
Alexander Tietge
Alex.Tietge@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Alexander Tietge

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions