Design Thinking Innovation

Overview

In this workshop, students learn a simple design thinking process and apply it to brainstorm an innovative solution to a real problem. Students practice organizing ideas and supporting them with objective reasoning through collaborative discussion and a structured mini-plan.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to introduce a topic and organize their ideas clearly using headings or a simple framework.
• Students will be able to conduct a short, focused inquiry to gather and synthesize information about a problem.
• Students will be able to participate in collaborative discussions by building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• Students will be able to write an informative explanation of a solution concept and key reasoning.

Success criteria

• I can explain what design thinking is and why entrepreneurs use it to reduce risk.
• I can identify a problem, a target user, and an initial solution idea using the design thinking steps.
• I can organize my workshop output with clear sections (problem, users, ideas, next steps).
• I can use evidence from quick research (notes or sources) to support why my solution could work.

Curriculum links

• Writing: Introduce a topic and organize ideas using headings/formatting and include graphics or multimedia when useful to comprehension.
• Writing: Conduct a short research project to answer a question and synthesize multiple sources.
• Speaking and Listening: Participate effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing ideas clearly.
• Writing: Write informative/explanatory texts that convey complex ideas clearly through effective selection and organization of content.
• Reading: Determine a central idea and analyze how it develops using specific details, and provide an objective summary.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and connection. Teacher displays a brief scenario: “A local business struggles with customers who can’t find parking easily.” Teacher asks, “How could an entrepreneur figure out what to do before building something?” Students quick-write 2–3 possibilities.

2. 5–12 min · Mini direct teach: design thinking. Teacher introduces a simple, student-friendly cycle: Empathize (learn about users), Define (state the problem), Ideate (generate options), Prototype (create a quick model), Test (get feedback). Teacher models one example using a quick sketch or figure on the board. Students annotate a class anchor chart with one key takeaway per step.

3. 12–18 min · Short inquiry setup (self-generated question). Teacher gives teams a prompt card: “Find a problem entrepreneurs could improve for a specific group in your school or community.” Teams create a self-generated question that begins with what/why/how (example: “Why do students avoid using the cafeteria at lunch?”). Students gather fast “inputs” using provided brief texts or teacher-supplied data points (e.g., a short article excerpt or statistics sheet) and record 2–3 objective facts.

4. 18–28 min · Workshop: empathize and define. Teacher circulates, prompting teams to interview classmates (2-minute micro-checks) and capture observations. Students complete a “Define it” organizer: target user, observed need, and a one-sentence problem statement.

5. 28–38 min · Ideation sprint (quantity with rules). Teacher sets a timer and explains an ideation rule: generate many ideas before evaluating (no “that won’t work” during brainstorming). Students brainstorm 6–10 solution ideas, using a visible graphic organizer (idea map or table). Students must include at least one unusual or cross-industry idea.

6. 38–46 min · Prototype and test plan (no full build). Teacher models a quick prototype as a sketch, mock flow, or simple role-play script. Teams select one idea and draft a “Prototype in 2 minutes” description and one question they would ask users to test it. Students label next steps and what feedback they need.

7. 46–50 min · Share-out and exit ticket. Teacher runs quick round-robin sharing: each team states (1) problem, (2) solution idea, (3) how they will test it. Students complete a 1-paragraph exit ticket: “Design thinking helps entrepreneurs because…,” including one organized framework heading.

Resources

• Design thinking anchor chart (blank organizer included)
• Scenario/problem cards for teams
• Short informational excerpt(s) or data sheets about user needs (teacher-provided)
• Team brainstorm graphic organizer (idea map/table)
• “Define it” problem statement template
• Prototype plan template (sketch/flow/script box)
• Timer and markers/highlighters
• Student notebooks or writing packet
• Optional: sticky notes for ideation

Assessment

• Formative: Teacher listens for collaborative discussion behaviors during ideation and share-out (student builds on others’ ideas and communicates clearly).
• Formative: Check teams’ “Define it” statements for clarity and specificity about user + need.
• Exit ticket: Evaluate whether students use an organized explanation structure and include objective reasoning from the brief inquiry inputs.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for the problem statement and prototype test question (e.g., “The user group is…,” “They need… because…,” “We will test by…”).
• Support: Offer a partially filled “Define it” organizer and a word bank for empathy/define language (need, obstacle, user, context).
• Extension: For advanced teams, require an additional ideation category (e.g., “How might a sports team solve this?”) and a second test question (measuring impact vs. measuring usability).
• EAL/SEN: Allow drawing or bullet points for the prototype description, and encourage role-based participation in teams (speaker, recorder, fact-finder).