The transformative potential of Design Thinking in Learning Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi34.1314Keywords:
design thinking, learning development, students as partners, peer learning, service designAbstract
This opinion piece argues that Design Thinking (DT) can facilitate a more empathetic and student-centred approach to service development and problem-solving in Learning Development (LD). While DT is already established within higher education, we argue it is still underutilised, especially in the context of LD. We start by unpacking the methodologies, tools, and practices that are brought together under the umbrella of DT and address the tensions inherent in adapting processes that have evolved largely out of business. We argue that by bringing the learner-centred values of Learning Development (LD) to the practices of DT, there is ample scope to embrace the creativity, innovation, and collaboration inherent in DT and to develop new LD practices that have the potential to involve learners more fundamentally in developing both our services and the scholarship of LD. It is in this context that DT can have a transformative impact on the practice of LD.
References
Abegglen, S., Burns, T., Heller, R. and Sinfield, S. (2023a) ‘Designing educational futures: imagine a collaborative bloom’, Postdigital Science and Education, 5(3), pp.527−534. Available at: http://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-023-00393-w
Abegglen, S., Kamal, S., Burns, T., Akhbari, M. and Sinfield, S. (2023b) ‘(Re)imagining higher education: an inspirational guide for academics’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (29). Available at: http://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1099
ALDinHE (2024) About ALDinHE. Available at: https://aldinhe.ac.uk/about-aldinhe/ (Accessed: 17 February 2025).
Auernhammer, J. and Roth, B. (2021) ‘The origin and evolution of Stanford University’s design thinking: from product design to design thinking in innovation management’, Journal of Product Innovation Management, 38(6), pp.623−644. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12594
Bate, P. and Robert, G. (2007) ‘Toward more user-centric OD: lessons from the field of experience-based design and a case study’, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 43(1), pp.41−66. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886306297014
Briggs, S. (2018) ‘Development of the ALDinHE recognition scheme: certifying the “learning developer” title’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (13). Available at: https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i13.461
Design Council (2024) The double diamond: a universally accepted depiction of the design process. Available at: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/the-double-diamond/ (Accessed: 13 June 2024).
Earle, A.G. and Leyva-de la Hiz, D.I. (2020) ‘The wicked problem of teaching about wicked problems: design thinking and emerging technologies in sustainability education’, Management Learning, 52(5), pp.581−603. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507620974857
Fallin. L. (2022) The double diamond: fixing higher education challenges with human-centered design. Available at: https://leefallin.co.uk/2022/08/the-double-diamond-fixing-higher-education-challenges-with-human-centered-design/ (Accessed: 13 June 2024).
Fallin, L. (2023) ‘Methodologies for research in learning development’, in A. Syska and C. Buckley (eds.) How to be a learning developer in higher education: critical perspectives, community and practice. Abingdon: Routledge, pp.164−174.
Garreta-Domingo, M., Sloep, P.B. and Hernández-Leo, D. (2018) ‘Human-centred design to empower “teachers as designers”’, British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(6), pp.1113−1130. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12682
Goodyear, P. (2015) ‘Teaching as design’, HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 2, pp.27−50. Available at: https://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-2/27-50 (Accessed: 25 February 2025).
Guaman-Quintanilla, S., Chiluiza, K., Everaert, P. and Valcke, M. (2018) ‘Design thinking in higher education: a scoping review’, 11th annual international conference of education, research and innovation. Seville, Spain 12–14 November. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2018.1663
Guaman-Quintanilla, S., Everaert, P., Chiluiza, K. and Valcke, M. (2023) ‘Impact of design thinking in higher education: a multi-actor perspective on problem solving and creativity’, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 33(1), pp.217−240. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09724-z
IDEO (2015) The field guide to human-centered design. Canada: Design Kit.
Kolko, J. (2015) ‘Design thinking comes of age’, Harvard Business Review, (September). Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/09/design-thinking-comes-of-age (Accessed: 17 February 2025).
Laurillard, D. (2002) Rethinking university teaching: a conversational framework for the effective use of learning technologies. 2nd edn. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer.
Lee, H.-K. and Park, J.E. (2021) ‘Designing a new empathy-oriented prototyping toolkit for the design thinking process: creativity and design sensibility’, International Journal of Art and Design Education, 40(2), pp.324−341. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12345
Liedtka, J. (2018) ‘Why design thinking works’, Harvard Business Review, (September−October). Available at: https://hbr.org/2018/09/why-design-thinking-works (Accessed: 17 February 2025).
Lopez, I., Hammersley, J. and Nerantzi, C. (2023) ‘Uncovering people centred design in the context of curriculum and learning design in higher education’, International Journal of Management and Applied Research, 10(2), pp.81−92. Available at: https://doi.org/10.18646/2056.102.23-007
Lor, R. (2017) ‘Design thinking in education: a critical review of literature’, Asian Conference on Education and Psychology. Bangkok, Thailand: ACEP, 24−26 May.
Micheli, P., Wilner, S.J.S., Bhatti, S.H., Mura, M. and Beverland, M.B. (2019) ‘Doing design thinking: conceptual review, synthesis, and research agenda’, Journal of Product Innovation Management, 36(2), pp.124−148. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12466
Mintrom, M. and Luetjens, J. (2016) ‘Design thinking in policymaking processes: opportunities and challenges’, Australian Journal of Public Administration, 75(3), pp.391−402. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12211
Newton, R., Mutton, J. and Doherty, M. (eds.) (2025) Transforming higher education with human-centred design. New York: Routledge. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003383161
Panke, S. (2019) ‘Design thinking in education: perspectives, opportunities and challenges’, Open Education Studies, 1(1), pp.281−306. Available at: http://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2019-0022
Priestner, A. and Borg, M. (eds.) (2016) User experience in libraries: applying ethnography and human-centred design. Abingdon: Routledge.
Reck, A-K. (2023) ‘Thinking like a designer — the use of design thinking and graphic organisers in 1:1 LD sessions’, Association for Learning Developing in Higher Education Annual Conference. Portsmouth, England, 13−14 June.
Stanford d.school (2024) Tools for taking action. Available at: https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources (Accessed: 17 February 2025).
Syska, A. and Buckley, C. (2023) How to be a learning developer in higher education: critical perspectives, community and practice. Abingdon: Routledge.
Tan, A.-G. (2017) ‘Cross-disciplinary creativity and design thinking’, in F. Darbellay, Z. Moody and T. Lubart (eds.) Creativity, design thinking and interdisciplinarity. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp.69−82.
Turton, C. (2023) ‘How learning development and learning design can inform each other: reflections and discussion points’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (29). Available at: https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1080
Wang, C.-C. (2024) ‘Using design thinking for interdisciplinary curriculum design and teaching: a case study in higher education’, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02813-z
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
