Instructional Deck

Slide Deck for This Module

📑 Prefer the offline version? The full 20-slide deck is also available as module4_application.pptx.

Watch

Design Thinking and Innovation

A video exploring what design thinking is, why it matters, and how it can be useful in real life. — Watch on YouTube →

Hands-On Practice

Small Group Exercise

⏱ 30 minutes 👥 Groups of 4–5

Pitch a Real-World Idea

Each group picks a real-world area and uses design thinking on a real problem in that area, then pitches their idea to the class.

Materials

A list of areas (stores, banking, healthcare, education, tech, nonprofits)
Sticky notes or a shared doc
A timer

Steps

Choose an area and problem (5 min): Pick one area and name one real problem in it (long waits at a clinic, a confusing checkout line).
Empathize (5 min): List who is affected and what you'd want to watch or ask them.
Define (5 min): Write a one-sentence problem statement for that area's user.
Ideate (5 min): Brainstorm 3–5 possible design-thinking-based solutions.
Pitch (5–10 min): Prepare and give a 90-second pitch: problem, solution, proof, and how you'd know it worked.

Debrief Prompt

Which real-world case study from this module looks most like the problem your group picked, and what did you borrow from it?

Knowledge Check

10-Question Quiz

School Name

Student Name

Teacher Name

Please enter your school, your name, and your teacher's name before submitting.

Answer all 10 questions, then submit for your score.

Question 1 of 10

What did researchers notice that led to the “Keep the Change” savings program?

Customers wanted higher interest rates Some customers were rounding their payments up on purpose to save extra money Customers disliked mobile apps Customers wanted fewer bank branches

Researchers noticed some customers rounding up payments to save a little extra — that became the idea for the program.

Question 2 of 10

What problem did Airbnb's founders discover by visiting hosts in person?

Prices were too low Bad listing photos were making guests distrust the homes There were too many reviews Hosts wanted more control

Airbnb's founders found that low-quality photos were hurting bookings, so they tested professional photos instead.

Question 3 of 10

What did a design team study closely before redesigning the shopping cart?

Store financial reports Real shoppers and store workers Weather patterns Delivery trucks

The design team watched real shoppers and talked to store workers before sketching any new cart.

Question 4 of 10

The community-helping case study in this module took place in which region?

Southeast Asia Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Africa Eastern Europe Central America

That project brought farming help and clean water to communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Question 5 of 10

What do most real-world design thinking case studies check their success against?

How creative the idea looks The original problem they were trying to solve How big the team was How long the project took

Case studies in this module checked success against the original problem, not just against how clever the idea looked.

Question 6 of 10

Which area's case study focused on making hospital visits less stressful?

Banking Stores Healthcare Technology

The healthcare case study in this module focused on making the patient experience better.

Question 7 of 10

True or False: A common mistake is skipping the empathy work to save time.

True False

True — skipping empathy work is one of the most common mistakes when using design thinking.

Question 8 of 10

What's a good first step when starting your own design thinking idea?

Build the final version right away Name one specific person or group you want to help Skip straight to a big launch Avoid talking to real people until after launch

Starting small — naming a specific person or group — is the recommended first step.

Question 9 of 10

Which of these is a sign that a group has made design thinking a habit?

They debate ideas among themselves before ever talking to real people They treat small tests and prototypes as risky and rare They talk to real people before debating ideas by themselves They see feedback as a personal failure

A group with a strong design thinking habit talks to real people before debating ideas on their own.

Question 10 of 10

True or False: Launch should be treated as the final step of a project.

True False

False — Launch is a milestone in an ongoing project; teams keep improving the solution after it's released.