It’s an A for d-school getting students into communities

AT first glance, design thinking might sound vague and even confusing, so it is best understood while walking through a Cape Town school dedicated to it.

The UCT- based Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking, simply called the d- school, is a space where students learn more about this collaborative approach to finding solutions to real world problems.

It is filled with rows of display boards plastered with colourful Post- It notes and trollies with koki pens and toys.

It looks more like an artist’s workshop than a space for academics.

Post-graduate students currently on the d-school’s threemonth Foundation Programme have various challenges at hand.

Designing solutions means going to the person who will benefit from it, instead of drawing up an untested plan and then trying to implement it.

Students recently worked with Nal’ibali, a local nonprofit organisation that helps improve children’s reading.

The challenge was to find innovative ways to get parents to help their children read.

Student solutions used technology, community efforts and incentives for parents.

Dr Keneilwe Munyai, one of the d-school’s programme managers who runs student and corporate training, said students learn skills that prepare them for employment. They work in multi-disciplinary teams and are challenged to think collaboratively.

“We live in a complex society and a business as usual approach will not take us anywhere. Collaboration is a skill that students require.

“We also teach them presentation skills and managing information,” said Munyai.

“We teach them tools and techniques and prototyping, another valuable skill.”

During their presentations to Nal’ibali, students used Lego blocks and other toys to build model prototypes of the solution they envisioned.

Dressed as a ward councillor and an elderly pensioner, one group proposed working with retired residents who are ready to assist children with reading in the afternoon at a community centre.

Another group built a miniature community hall with residents as a way to visualise their action plan.

Munyai said design thinking emphasises field research, which corporates sometimes neglect in their product or system design.

“Students went out and engaged various stakeholders who understand what the problem really is.

“The actual challenge emerges through people it impacts,” said Munyai.

“One of the outcomes was the notion of parents not seeing themselves as part of their kid’s reading journey. Parents seem to feel it’s the sole responsibility of the school to teach their kids to read.

“Another team focused on strategies to help parents who cannot read, using technology such as mobile phones.

“They also looked at networks that exist in communities, looking at how Nal’ibali can bring stakeholders together for a reading culture.”

Nal’ibali research and innovation head Katie Huston said students offered a “fresh perspective”.

“When you’re just trying to execute the current strategy you get tunnel vision and don’t get to assess other opportunities,” said Huston.

“Students talked to random people that are not in our network. They got into the relationship between parents and teachers, and also the relationship between children and technology.”

Huston added: “They thought creatively about the problems we face every day. We initially thought technology might be a way to solve problems.

“But teachers need a stronger relationship with parents and more exciting books for children.”

The d- school’s students said the design thinking process differed vastly from their university education, which pushed them along a certain stream without much exposure to other faculties.

Alexandra Himunchul, doing her Master’s in philosophy, said the multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving allowed them to find solutions from “different angles”.

“Today’s problems are more complex and interconnected. We need new ways of working out the solutions,” she said.

Chisanga Mukuka, who is doing her Master’s degree in media theory and practice, said she liked working on solutions that focused on the end user.

“We’re not theorising. We go out to interview people and share their experiences when designing solutions. This is about doing,” she said.

“We creatively express our ideas. It’s not rigid. We do roleplaying to communicate our research and solution.

“In figuring out the roleplaying we thought about our idea and what would succeed. This is fun.”

PICTURES: YAZEED KAMALDIEN Katie Huston, centre, from non-profit Nal’ibali listens to d-school students’ field research on factors that hinder children’s reading.

Master’s student Chisanga Mukuka, left, says strategising solutions with creative tools makes the process more fun.

Students at the d-school build prototypes as part of envisioning their solution.