DTK1234A DESIGN THINKING IN ARCHITECTURE

SYNOPSIS

Design Thinking is a powerful mindset, process and method for breakthrough innovation that has
permeated every discipline from design and architecture to engineering and business. While birthed
from the design process, design thinking is now crucial to every industry wanting to create new-to-
the-world products, services and businesses.

While there are many manifestations, methods and models of Design Thinking from IDEO and Stanford
to Google and Apple, Design Thinking is always predicated on three core tenets – (1) Empathy -
through Human-Centred Design; (2) Expansive Thinking – through divergent brainstorming that
questions assumptions; and (3) Experimentation – through extensive prototyping, testing and
iteration.

The process of designing in the built environment is inherently a process of Design Thinking.
Architecture and landscape design is similarly predicated on the same three core tenets of Empathy,
Expansive Thinking and Experimentation. Despite this correlation, a student of Architecture or
Landscape Architectre, in their process of designing, may not be cognizant of this higher process of
Design Thinking running in parallel albeit at a higher plane.

A design student who is aware of and guided by this metacognition of Design Thinking would be able
to make sense and gain higher meaning of the process of design. This metacognition conferred by
Design Thinking empowers the student of Arch/ LA with greater control of the process of design,
allowing them to make the necessary strategic judgements and decisions along the way. More
importantly, the student is now able to critically assess and comprehend the significance of that which
they have created and the process of designing that they have experienced.

Design Thinking empowers the student to understand the “Why” of the process of design, over and
above the more apparent “How” and “What” that the design studio confers.

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

DTK1234A Design Thinking in Architecture is delivered in tandem with AR1101 Architectural Design
Studio I and LAD1001 Landsacape Design Studio I where both modules are self-reinforcing.

AR1101/ LAD1001 form the infrastructure for the student to experience the process of designing in
Architecture or Landscape Architecture. DTK1234A then forms the superstructure for the student to
gain a metacognitive understanding of the processes they undergo in AR1101/ LAD1001.
For BA Arch students, AR1101 is seen as a series of 5 stages comprising (1) Users/Site/Context; (2)
Design Brief; (3) Design Concept; (4) Visualization and (5) Review. In parallel, DTK1234A is seen as a
series of 5 corresponding stages comprising (1) Empathize; (2) Define; (3) Ideate; (4) Prototype and (5)
Test. Both AR1101 and DTK1234A are mapped together as follows.

When the student of Architecture completes a stage in AR1101, he/she then reflects upon his/her
work using the Design Thinking principles of the corresponding stage in DTK1234A and documents this
reflection using a prescribed Template/Canvas for Design Thinking. This just-in-time correspondence
between AR1101 and DTK1234A allows the student to develop a self-reinforcing metacognition of the
two modules in progressive stages.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Through Design Thinking, the student of Architecture will develop a metacognitive understanding of
the process of design, of the design studio process in the design of the built environment. The focus
of the BA. Arch and BLA curriculum is the design studio, in which students learn how to design precisely
by doing design. DTK will equip students with a metacognition of Design Thinking, its methods and
processes, and will empower the design student with greater control of the process of design, allowing
them to make the necessary strategic judgments and decisions. More importantly, the student is now
able to critically assess and comprehend the significance of the design in the built environment that
they have created and the process of design that they have experienced.

Over and above this, the student will understand and apply the principles of Design Thinking in their
design studio using the universally accepted 5-Step Design Thinking process.
DELIVERY

DTK1234A Design Thinking in Architecture runs in tandem with AR1101 and LAD1001 where Design
Thinking processes are paired with architectural/ landscape architecture design processes in design
studio.

DTK1234A is delivered using a Blended Learning strategy comprising:

• Self Learning by viewing recorded lectures.
• Reflection and reinforcement through face-to-face interactions with Studio Leaders in Design
Studio.
• Design Thinking Canvases to document reflection and facilitate Assessment.

The Delivery Plan of DTK1234A is as follows.

ASSESSMENT

Students will complete and submit Design Thinking Templates/Canvases, one week after every Lecture
to document their metacognitive understanding. Studio Leaders of the Design Studios will mark and
grade these submissions at the end of the Semester.

DETAILS OF LECTURES AND REFLECTIONS

LECTURE 1 - INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN THINKING

Students are introduced to Design Thinking, its significance and how it is used as a powerful method
for breakthrough innovation. This lecture will cover:
• A brief history of Design Thinking and its proponents – Donald Norman, Tom Kelley, Tim Brown.
• The many Models of Design Thinking – IDEO, Stanford, Google.
• Why Design Thinking?
• How is Design Thinking different from Problem Solving?
• How to do Design Thinking?
• The 5 Stages of Design Thinking – Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test.
• Real world examples of Design Thinking – IDEO’s Deep Dive, GE Healthcare, Apple’s iPhone.
• The correlation between Design Thinking and Design.
• Design Thinking as a Metacognition of the Architectural/ Landscape Design process.
REFLECTION 1 – CORRELATION BETWEEN DESIGN THINKING AND ARCH/ LA DESIGN
Students will reflect on the correlation between Design Thinking and the Design process they
experience in the Design Studio. Students will then document their reflections using a prescribed
Design Thinking Template/Canvas, elaborating on their metacognitive understanding of these aspects.
• Why Design Thinking?
• Why Design Thinking in Arch/ LA?
• What are the 5 stages of Design Thinking?
• How can I map the 5 stages of Design Thinking to my Design process?

LECTURE 2 - "EMPATHIZE" IN DESIGN THINKING

Students will understand the significance of Empathize as the first stage of the Design Thinking process
and how this is done through ethnographic methods. Students will then draw parallels with their
Design process where this also begins with Empathy and how this is done through Personas, Site
Analysis, Context Analysis and Precedent Studies. This lecture will cover:
• Empathize as the first stage in the Design Thinking process.
• Human-Centered Design and the significance of Users in the design and innovation process.
• How Empathize is done in Design Thinking – ethnography, fly-on-wall observations, surveys,
interviews, personas.
• How Empathize is done in Architectural Design – Site Analysis, Context Analysis, Precedent
Studies, Personas.
• How Empathize and User-Centrism can give rise to powerful Design Strategies.
• Real world examples of Empathize in Arch/ LA Design – Bjarke Ingels Group’s “Yes Is More!”
philosophy.
REFLECTION 2 – CORRELATION BETWEEN “EMPATHIZE” IN DESIGN THINKING AND ARCH/ LA DESIGN
Students will reflect on how Empathize is used in Design Thinking and Arch/ LA Design. Students will
reflect on the significance of Human-Centred Design and User-Centrism in their own Design process
through their Precedent Studies. Students will then document their reflections using a prescribed
Design Thinking Template/Canvas, elaborating on their metacognitive understanding of these aspects.
• Why is Empathy important to Design Thinking?
• What is Human-Centered Design?
• In my Precedent Studies, was Empathy a vital component of the Precedent?
• How would the Precedent be different if Empathy was used?
• How will I use Empathy in my Design process?

LECTURE 3 - "DEFINE" IN DESIGN THINKING

Students will understand the significance of Define as the second stage of the Design Thinking process
where the results of Empathy will be coalesced into framing a Problem Statement using the famous
“How Might We (HMW)” method. Students will understand how HMW frames a problem to
encourage divergent ideation of potential solutions and avoid conventional convergent problem
solving. Students will then draw parallels with the Arch/ LA Design process where the HMW is used to
frame and define the Design Brief. This lecture will cover:
 • Define as the second stage in the Design Thinking process.
• How the results of the Empathy stage is used to Define a Problem Statement or Design Brief.
• How the famous “How Might We (HMW)” method is used to Define the Problem Statement
in a way that challenges assumptions and encourages divergent Ideation.
• The significance of the HMW method in Defining the Design Brief – instead of “how to design
a house”, we ask “how might we design a space for living’.
• Human-Centered Design and the significance of Users in the design and innovation process.
• How Defining the Brief using HMW can give rise to powerful Design Strategies.
• Real world examples of HMW in Arch/ LA Design.
REFLECTION 3 – CORRELATION BETWEEN “DEFINE” IN DESIGN THINKING AND ARCH/ LA DESIGN
Students will reflect on how Define is used in Design Thinking and Arch/ LA Design. Students will reflect
on the significance of using the HMW method to Define the Design Brief and compare this with
conventional methods through their Precedent Studies. Students will then document their reflections
using a prescribed Design Thinking Template/Canvas, elaborating on their metacognitive
understanding of these aspects.
• Why is Define important to Design Thinking?
• Why is HMW a powerful tool to frame a Design Brief?
• In my Precedent Studies, was Define a vital component of the Precedent?
• How would the Precedent be different if Define or HMW was used?
• How will I use Define or HMW in my Design process?

LECTURE 4 - "IDEATE" IN DESIGN THINKING

Students will understand the significance of Ideate as the third stage of the Design Thinking process
after the Problem Statement has been defined using the “How Might We (HMW)” method. Using the
classic Design Thinking anecdote “The Truck That Couldn’t”, students will understand how to first
challenge assumptions and resist the temptation to jump immediately to a solution. Students will
understand the Deep Dive method of getting to the root cause of the Problem Statement to generate
a wide spectrum of potential solutions that could potentially create new-to-the-world solutions that
had not existed prior. Students will then draw parallels with the Design process where Ideation in
Design follows a similar divergent process. This lecture will cover:
• Ideate as the third stage in the Design Thinking process.
• How the results of the Define stage (the Problem Statement or Design Brief) is used as a
starting point for Ideation.
• How Ideation is a divergent process where assumptions are challenged and seemingly
obvious solutions are resisted – “The Truck That Couldn’t” anecdote.
• How the Deep Dive method is used to get to root of the problem to generate potential
solutions that are new-to-world.
• How divergent Ideation can give rise to powerful Design Strategies and Concepts – Le
Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture, Diller, Scofidio & Renfro’s The Blur Building, Aldo
Rossi’s Theatro del Mondo.
REFLECTION 4 – CORRELATION BETWEEN “IDEATE” IN DESIGN THINKING AND ARCH/ LA DESIGN
Students will reflect on how Ideate is used in Design Thinking and Arch/ LA Design. Students will reflect
on the significance of divergent Ideation in Design through their Precedent Studies. Students will then
document their reflections using a prescribed Design Thinking Template/Canvas, elaborating on their
metacognitive understanding of these aspects.
• Why is Ideate important to Design Thinking?
• Why is the Deep Dive important in Ideation?
• In my Design process, was Ideate a vital component?
• How would my Design process be different if Ideate was used?
• How will I use Ideate in my Design process?

LECTURE 5 - "PROTOTYPE" IN DESIGN THINKING

Students will understand the significance of Prototyping as the fifth stage of the Design Thinking
process after potential Ideas and Design Concepts have been generated through divergent Ideation.
Students will understand the significance of Prototyping as a Double Diamond (divergent-convergent-
divergent-convergent) process where Prototyping is really an extension of the Ideation phase where
Ideation is now extended from the conceptual realm to the physical realm. Students will be exposed
to the wide spectrum of Prototyping methods – sketching, low resolution “quick and dirty” models,
story boarding, design fictions. Students will then draw parallels with the Arch/ LA Design process
where Prototyping in Design is done using similar Prototyping methods – sketching, massing models,
study models, vignette models – as an extension of the Ideation process into the physical realm.
This lecture will cover:
• Prototype as the fourth stage in the Design Thinking process.
• How the results of the Ideate stage is used as the starting point of the Prototype stage.
• How Prototyping is essentially an extension of the Ideation process from the conceptual
realm to the physical realm.
• How Prototyping is a Double Diamond (convergent-divergent-convergent-divergent) process
that is ultimately convergent towards an optimal solution that works.
• Prototyping methods used in Design Thinking - sketching, low resolution “quick and dirty”
models, story boarding, design fictions.
• Prototyping methods used in Arch/ LA Design - sketching, massing models, study models,
vignette models.
• How Prototyping allows the student to continually visualize, test and improve the Idea or
Design Concept in the Design process.
REFLECTION 5 – CORRELATION BETWEEN “PROTOTYPE”IN DESIGN THINKING AND ARCH/ LA DESIGN
Students will reflect on how Prototyping is used in Design Thinking and Arch/ LA Design. Students will
reflect on the significance of Prototyping in Arch/ LA Design through their exploration of Ideas, Design
Concepts and Materials. Students will then document their reflections using a prescribed Design
Thinking Template/Canvas, elaborating on their metacognitive understanding of these aspects.
• Why is Prototyping important to Design Thinking?
• Why are Study Models important to Arch/ LA Design?
• In my Design process, was Prototyping a vital component?
• How would my Design process be different if Prototyping was used?
• How will I use Prototyping in my Design process?

LECTURE 6 - "TEST" IN DESIGN THINKING

Students will understand the significance of Test as the fifth stage of the Design Thinking process after
the Idea or Design Concept has been honed through the Prototyping Process. Students will understand
that Users (Empathy) will once again be called upon to Test the Prototypes and options created in the
effort to ensure functionality and good user experiences. Students will be exposed to the Iterative
nature of Design Thinking where after Testing, the Prototypes could be cycled back to any of the four
earlier stages to ensure that final option is the best or optimal solution. Through this, students will
understand that Design Thinking is ultimately a non-linear and Iterative process. Students will then
draw parallels with the Arch/ LA Design process where Testing in Arch/ LA Design follows a similar
Iterative process. This lecture will cover:
• Test as the fifth stage in the Design Thinking process.
• How the results of the Prototyping stage are used as a starting point for Testing.
• How Users (Empathize) are crucial to the Testing process to ensure functionality and good
user experiences.
• How Design Thinking is ultimately a non-linear and Iterative process where the Prototype
could be cycled back to any of the four earlier stages to ensure that the final option is the
best and optimal solution.
• How Users, through Testing, can continually enrich the Design solution to ensure the best or
optimal solution is finally emergent.
REFLECTION 6 – CORRELATION BETWEEN “TEST” IN DESIGN THINKING AND ARCH/ LA DESIGN
Students will reflect on how Test is used in Design Thinking and Arch/ LA Design. Students will reflect
on the significance of continuous Testing and Iteration in the Design process through their exploration
of Ideas, Design Concepts and Materials. Students will then document their reflections using a
prescribed Design Thinking Template/Canvas, elaborating on their metacognitive understanding of
these aspects.
• Why is Testing important to Design Thinking?
• Why is Iteration important to Design Thinking?
• In my Design process, was Testing a vital component?
• How would my Design process be different if Testing was used?
• How will I use Testing in my Design process?

FINAL REFLECTION – DESIGN THINKING AS A METACOGNITIVE FACULTY IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Having experienced the Design Process in AR1101/ LAD1001 and made synchronous correlations with
the Design Thinking Process in DTK1234A, the student should now have attained a Metacognition
(higher understanding beyond just technical aspects) of the process of designing Arch/ LA. Students
will now document their final reflections using a prescribed Design Thinking Template/Canvas,
elaborating on their metacognitive understanding of these aspects.
• Why Design Thinking?
• How to use Design Thinking?
 • How has Design Thinking informed my Design process?
• Will my Design process be the same without Design Thinking?
• Moving forward, how will I design Arch/ LA?

ASSESSMENT

The assessment components are as follows. We will explain the grading of each task in due time.
There is no final exam.

Component Graded by Percentage

Attendance of
Reflections DOA Admin 10%
Lectures
and
50% 5% x 6
Lectures Reflections DOA Instructors
activities = 30%
(2MCs)
Final Reflection DOA Instructors 10%
7.5% x 5
Studio Exercises 1-5 Studio Tutor
50% activities = 37.5%
(2MCs)
Exercise 6 Studio Tutor 12.5%