Innovation & Design Thinking Lab (Project-Based Learning)

Innovation: What is Design Thinking; difference between design thinking and conventional problem solving; the five stages (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test); innovation vs invention; examples of design thinking success stories (Apple, Airbnb, IDEO, Indian startups); creativity and the innovation mindset; introduction to the team project.

Understanding the User: Human-centred design; observation and user research techniques; conducting interviews and surveys; empathy mapping; identifying user needs, pain points, and latent needs; stakeholder analysis; developing personas. Studio Activity: field observation and user interviews for the chosen problem.

Synthesising research; framing the problem statement (Point of View); 'How Might We' questions; brainstorming rules and techniques; SCAMPER, mind mapping, lateral thinking; idea selection and prioritisation (impact-effort matrix, dot voting); concept development. Studio Activity: define problem statement and generate/short-list solution ideas.

Purpose of prototyping; types of prototypes (paper, low-fidelity, working model, digital mock-up); rapid prototyping with low-cost materials; storyboarding; introduction to prototyping tools (cardboard, clay, 3D printing basics, Tinkercad, Figma/Canva for digital prototypes). Studio Activity: build a low-cost prototype of the team's solution.

User testing and feedback collection; iteration and refinement based on feedback; failure as learning; introduction to business model canvas (basic); value proposition; storytelling and pitching; preparing and delivering the final project pitch. Studio Activity: test prototype with users, iterate, and present the final pitch.