PADM-GP 2145

Design Thinking
Fall 2020
Instructor Information
·       Lee-Sean Huang, http://www.foossa.com/leesean-huang
·       Email: [email protected] 
·       Office Hours: by appointment. Please cc [email protected] for appointments.

Course Information
·       Class Meeting Times: Thursdays, 6:45 PM - 8:25 PM
·       Class Location: Zoom

Course Prerequisites
·       None

Course Description
The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such
as books, websites, products, interiors, architecture, and fashion. But increasingly, the definition
of design has expanded to include not just artifacts but strategic services and systems. As the
challenges and opportunities facing businesses, organizations, and society grow more complex,
and as stakeholders grow more diverse; an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a
greater role in finding meaningful paths forward. This course will demystify design thinking
beyond the media and business buzzword and provide students with the tools to integrate
design thinking into their own public service practice.
By the end of the course, students should develop the basic functional competencies of a
design thinker:

 Empathy / Ethnography

 Divergent and Convergent thinking

 Problem definition / problem framing

 Verbal / Visual / Experiential thinking and communications

 Sketching / Concepting

 Making prototypes

 Presenting prototypes

 Explain and advocate for design thinking in a team/organizational context

Course and Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

 Understand and be able to explain the design thinking process;

 Be able to advocate for design thinking in an organizational context;

 Understand and embody the dynamic mindset necessary for effective design thinking;

 Understand the historical and cultural context of design thinking;

 Be able to facilitate and run a design thinking process in a team or organizational context.

Required Readings/Viewing
Required readings are listed
Additional optional/reference readings are listed below.
Optional Readings/Viewing
 Jack Roberts, Echo Designs Her Way Out Of A Paper Bag, https://amzn.to/2KXVd0L

 Andrew Benedict-Nelson and Jeff Leitnerm See Think Solve: A Simple Way to Tackle Tough
Problems, https://amzn.to/3454X0X 

 Jon Kolko, Exposing the Magic of Design: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Methods and Theory of
Synthesis, http://bobcat.library.nyu.edu/primo-explore/fulldisplay?
docid=nyu_aleph006013837&context=L&vid=NYU&search_scope=all&tab=all&lang=en_US

 Design & Thinking Documentary,  https://nyu.kanopy.com/video/design-and-thinking

 Stephanie di Russo, Understanding the Behaviour of Design Thinking in Complex

Environments,
 https://www.academia.edu/24919250/Understanding_the_behaviour_of_design_thinking_in_co
mplex_environments 

 Kees Dorst, Frame Innovation (NYU Library online access), http://bobcat.library.nyu.edu/primo-

explore/fulldisplay?
docid=nyu_aleph004987439&context=L&vid=NYU&search_scope=all&tab=all&lang=en_US

 Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Special Issue: Thinking Approaches in

Technical and Professional Communication, October 2019 https://journals-sagepub-
com.proxy.library.nyu.edu/toc/jbtb/33/4

 Lee-Sean Huang, Innovate with Design Thinking audio course,

https://knowable.fyi/courses/innovate-design-thinking/

 Lee-Sean Huang, Design Thinking video course bundle on CreativeLive,

Assessment Assignments and Evaluation

Individual Assessment
·       Attendance and contribution to online discussion and activities, 35%
·       Personal final written reflection, 15%

Team Assessment
·       Group initial research plan (10/8): 10%
·       Research update (10/15): 5%
·       Ideation and prototyping update  (To be scheduled by team): 5%
·       Final group project prototype and presentation (In-class December 3 or 10): 15%
·       Final group project documentation (PDF Due December 12): 15%

Late Submission Policy for Assignments

Extensions will be granted only in case of emergency, out of respect to those who abide by
deadlines despite equally hectic schedules. Late submissions without extensions will be
penalized 20% per 24-hour period. No late assignments will be accepted after 120 hours of the
deadline, unless a prior extension was granted.

Overview of the Semester

Note that the readings in this course are front-loaded in the first half of the semester. The
second half of the semester will be focused on group projects. Additional readings and
references to support those projects will be assigned as needed.
·       Week 1 - Fundamental Concepts & History of Design Thinking (Part 1)
o   Date: September 3
o   Topic: Introduction to the course
·       Week 2 - Fundamental Concepts & History of Design Thinking (Part 2)                
o   Date: September 10
o   Topic: Design thinking through immersion
READ:
o   Rikke Dam and Teo Siang, What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular? 
o   Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age
o   Anne-Laure Fayard, Why Design Thinking Matters 
o   Jo Szczepanska, Design thinking origin story plus some of the people who made it all happen
·       Week 3 - Design Research (Part 1)
o   Date: September 17
o   Topic: Doing user research in an age of physical distancing
o   Surprise guest speaker to be announced
WATCH / BROWSE:
o   Sharika Thiranagama, Sylvia Yanagisako, and guests, Doing Ethnography Remotely
o   OPTIONAL REFERENCE: Doing Fieldwork in a Pandemic Google Doc 
·       Week 4 - Design Research (Part 2)
o   Date: September 24
o   Topic: How do we design and lead change?
READ / LISTEN:
o  Christian Bason and Robert D. Austin, The Right Way to Lead Design Thinking
o  FoossaPod, Jeff Leitner on Innovation Dynamics
o  FoossaPod, Andrew Benedict-Nelson on Norms and Innovation
·       Week 5 - Design Research (Part 3)
o   Date: October 1
o   Topic: Sensemaking, Synthesis, and Insights
READ / WATCH:
o  Jon Kolko, Design Synthesis
o  Eames Office, Powers of Ten
o  Jon Kolko, Abductive Thinking and Sensemaking: The Drivers of Design Synthesis
·       Week 6 - Problem Definition and Framing
o   Date: October 8
READ / LISTEN:
o  Kees Dorst, RSD6 - Plenary Lecture
o    Scott Weedon, The Core of Kees Dorst’s Design Thinking: A Literature Review
·       Week 7 - Kicking Off Research
o   Date: October 15
o  Each group should come with their research plan, which includes at least 10 people to
interview (or kinds of people if you haven’t identified the exact person yet), and ~10 secondary
sources. We will have a chance to give referrals and suggestions to other groups in class.
·       Week 8 - Team Research Continued
o   Date: October 22
·       Week 9 - Problem Definition
o   Date: October 29
·       Week 10 - Ideation and Prototyping
o   Date: November 5
READING
o  What do Prototypes Prototype?, Stephanie Houde and Charles Hill  
        
·       Week 11 - Testing
o   Date: November 12
·       Week 12 - Project Reviews, Critique, and Presentation Prep
o   Date: November 19
Each team will have the chance to test their ideas and practice parts of their presentation in
class.
·       THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO CLASS
o   Date: November 26
·       Week 13 - Final Presentations (Part 1)
o   Date: December 3
·       Week 14 - Final Presentations (Part 2)
o   Date: December 10
o   Deliverable: Final group project documentation and individual reflections due at the end of the
week

Letter Grades
Letter grades for the entire course will be assigned as follows:
 
Letter Grade Points

A 4.0 points

A- 3.7 points

B+ 3.3 points

B 3.0 points

B- 2.7 points

C+ 2.3 points

C 2.0 points

C- 1.7 points

F 0.0 points

 
Student grades will be assigned according to the following criteria:
 
·      (A) Excellent: Exceptional work for a graduate student. Work at this level is unusually
thorough, well-reasoned, creative, methodologically sophisticated, and well written. Work is of
exceptional, professional quality.
 
·      (A-) Very good: Very strong work for a graduate student. Work at this level shows signs of
creativity, is thorough and well-reasoned, indicates strong understanding of appropriate
methodological or analytical approaches, and meets professional standards.
 
·      (B+) Good: Sound work for a graduate student; well-reasoned and thorough,
methodologically sound. This is the graduate student grade that indicates the student has fully
accomplished the basic objectives of the course.
 
·      (B) Adequate: Competent work for a graduate student even though some weaknesses are
evident. Demonstrates competency in the key course objectives but shows some indication that
understanding of some important issues is less than complete. Methodological or analytical
approaches used are adequate but student has not been thorough or has shown other
weaknesses or limitations.
 
·      (B-) Borderline: Weak work for a graduate student; meets the minimal expectations for a
graduate student in the course. Understanding of salient issues is somewhat incomplete.
Methodological or analytical work performed in the course is minimally adequate. Overall
performance, if consistent in graduate courses, would not suffice to sustain graduate status in
“good standing.”
 
·      (C/-/+) Deficient: Inadequate work for a graduate student; does not meet the minimal
expectations for a graduate student in the course. Work is inadequately developed or flawed by
numerous errors and misunderstanding of important issues. Methodological or analytical work
performed is weak and fails to demonstrate knowledge or technical competence expected of
graduate students.
 
·      (F) Fail: Work fails to meet even minimal expectations for course credit for a graduate
student. Performance has been consistently weak in methodology and understanding, with
serious limits in many areas. Weaknesses or limits are pervasive.

NYU Classes
All announcements, resources, and assignments will be delivered through the NYU Classes
site. I may modify assignments, due dates, and other aspects of the course as we go through
the term with advance notice provided as soon as possible through the course website.
 

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a vital component of Wagner and NYU. All students enrolled in this class
are required to read and abide by Wagner’s Academic Code. All Wagner students have already
read and signed the Wagner Academic Oath. Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated and
students in this class are expected to report violations to me. If any student in this class is
unsure about what is expected of you and how to abide by the academic code, you should
consult with me.

Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with

Disabilities at NYU
Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities.  Please visit the Moses
Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) website and click on the Reasonable
Accommodations and How to Register tab or call or email CSD at (212-998-4980 or
[email protected]) for information. Students who are requesting academic accommodations
are strongly advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester for
assistance.

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays states that members of any religious group may,
without penalty, absent themselves from classes when required in compliance with their
religious obligations. Please notify me in advance of religious holidays that might coincide with
exams to schedule mutually acceptable alternatives.

NYU’s Wellness Exchange

NYU’s Wellness Exchange has extensive student health and mental health resources. A private
hotline (212-443-9999) is available 24/7 that connects students with a professional who can
help them address day-to-day challenges as well as other health-related concerns.

Class Policies
The best way to learn design thinking is through doing designing thinking and getting feedback
from your instructor and peers. Because of this, attendance is extremely important. We
understand that everyone has a busy schedule and many of you work full time, so absences
may be unavoidable. Please keep your instructor and teammates in the loop.
Please schedule an office hours appointment if you need to discuss any accommodations
regarding pass/fail, deadline extensions, or other issues.
 
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