Innovation and Design Thinking

Course manual 2018/2019

Course content

The creative use of games and ICTs is pivotal for improving situations that are felt problematical. A healthcare institution may want to stimulate clients to move more. Established businesses may have to deal with the challenges of P2P communication. A city may want to tackle the issue of digital illiteracy and social inclusion. In all those situations multiple stakeholders, ideas, worldviews, needs, desires, stories, and actions are involved. They contain not simply well-defined ‘problems’ to be ‘solved’ by expert knowledge alone: the social reality that they are part of is far more complex than that and makes the problem ‘wicked’. A future information professional must be able to deal with such (social) complexity, and have the skills to make sense of it. Learning how to analyze, synthesize and evaluate the different dimensions of the issue is crucial then.

This requires moving beyond the rational, scientific method that builds a model of the situation by depicting it analytically. The course will use design thinking to do so, as design thinking recognizes that ICT development depends on the complexity of social life dynamics: the use and design of information (technologies) is above all an issue of human beings attributing meaning to the ‘tools’ they use. Design thinking, as an important ‘instrument’ for change and innovation, connects conceptual knowledge to the professional world and stimulates getting real-world learn experiences. It also develops curiosity, a creative attitude, a critical mindset and teamwork capabilities, which taken together allow problematical situations to be transformed into meaningful solutions.

The course will lead the student through such a design process. It will put the student (in a team) in a real-world ‘problem situation’ so that the learning is grounded in practice. At the same time, the course requires extensive reflection by the student on this learning environment, as to connect it to the concepts and theories as presented in class. So the focus is not just on the specific project, but very much on the broader conceptual and social contexts in which the design takes place: learning by doing and by reflecting

The strategy of the course is to connect practice and theory and to develop project skills as well as theoretical and conceptual skills. The theoretical part will study the social contexts of information, and the human centered approach in science. It addresses topics such as the information society, network structures, play, social transformations, power relations, ethics, as well as a profound reflection on the notions of objectivity and subjectivity in science. This will build the ‘large picture’ necessary to understand the current use and design of games and information (technologies). The practical part focuses on using the design thinking methodology to build a ‘rich picture’ of a concrete ‘problematical situation’ brought in by an organization or business: projects take place in a real world setting with all the extra learning opportunities this produces. Teams will work in collaboration with a client on a challenge (for instance concerning healthcare, gamification, open data, smart city, P2P …) and seek to understand, observe, and define/frame it in order to come up with a prototype of a desirable innovation.

Classes have this structure: first more theoretical introduction to a topic, with questions students work on; then more practical work on methods used for design challenge (these methods are marked with * in Course structure below)

Study materials

Other

• Material announced/presented via Canvas

Objectives

-The student is able to build a rich picture of a wicked problem, and (re) frame it as a design thinker
-The student is able to reflect upon personal and team processes of learning, and upon concepts presented in lectures
-The student can formulate in a comprehensive manner the social contexts of information, and the human centered approach in science
-The student develops a mindset of continuous learning
-The student is able to explain the limitations of rational models for ICT development, and the usefulness of the design approach for innovation
-The student can contribute in an inspiring manner to a team effort, and is able to self-organize a process

Teaching methods

• Seminar
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Lecture
• Self-study

Lectures, seminars, and team work

Learning activities

Attendance

In OER-B of the programme no requirements regarding attendance are mentioned.

Additional requirements for this course:

No more than 2 out of 16 seminars may be missed

Absence must be notified to coordinator

Be on time (Students who are late can find a closed door. Being late twice will be noted as missing one seminar)

Use of electronic devices (laptop, mobile phone)  is not permitted: never during lectures, and only when needed during teamwork

Assessment

Inspection of assessed work

Contact the course coordinator to make an appointment for inspection.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Additional information

Maximum number of students: 40

More than prior knowledge, specific interests are required:
-in learning by (self) reflection and conceptual deepening
-in social aspects of new media
-in experiencing the ‘social complexity’ of team work
-in thinking beyond one’s specific discipline
-in developing a broad mindset

 Designers Workbook (practical tool during the design process) must be ordered

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. A.C. Nusselder