“Using Design Thinking to Foster Innovation”
By Profs. Pedro Isaías and Paula Miranda
Abstract
This workshop introduces Design Thinking as a practical approach for developing innovation in complex organisational and educational contexts, with particular relevance to Higher Education. Rather than treating innovation as a purely technical or linear process, the workshop presents Design Thinking as a structured yet flexible way of understanding people, reframing problems, generating alternatives, experimenting with solutions and learning from feedback.
Participants will work through the five main stages of the Design Thinking process — Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test — using a combination of short conceptual inputs and applied group exercises. The workshop covers 15 tools that support the movement from insight to action. In the Empathise stage, methods such as User Persona, Empathy Map, PEST Analysis and Rich Picture help participants explore user experiences, needs, constraints and contextual factors. The Define stage then supports problem clarification and opportunity framing through tools including Root Definition, Blue Ocean Strategy and the Buyer Utility Map. In the Ideate stage, participants use the Business Model Canvas, 2×2 Matrix and Opportunity Canvas to develop and compare possible innovation pathways. These ideas are subsequently made more concrete through Storyboards and Minimum Viable Products in the Prototype stage. Finally, the Test stage introduces CSF Analysis and A/B Testing as ways of validating assumptions, collecting feedback and refining solutions.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have experienced Design Thinking as an iterative, collaborative and evidence-informed process for creating meaningful and sustainable value.
Keywords
Design Thinking, Innovation, Higher Education, Human-Centred Design, Prototyping, Evidence-Based Testing