Design thinking is an iterative problem solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge. The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, architecture, and fashion. Yet increasingly design as a discipline is expanding to include not just the shaping of artifacts but also the ways people interact with systems, services, and organizations. As the challenges and opportunities facing society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse, an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward. In Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving, students will develop skills as ethnographers, visual thinkers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of seminar discussions and collaborative projects. Case studies from different organizations that use design thinking to understand design process and outcomes are examined. Students will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. An overview of design thinking is provided and students will work with a model containing tools to help them understand design thinking as a problem solving approach. Over the course of the semester, students will directly apply what they have learned to public service and social entrepreneurial challenges about which they are passionate by producing a product in response to an articulated problem.
For further information regarding the course please refer to the Course Outline found at the following link (PDF, 307kB).
A CSP is subsidised by the Australian Government and students pay a contribution amount. Each unit is classified into a student contribution band, depending on the study area of the unit (this discipline may be different from the study area of your course).
2024 contribution amount* -
$1,590
2024 contribution amount - continuing student who commenced before 1 Jan 2021* -
$1,590
* for Clinical Psychology (Clin Psych) & Professional Pathways (Prof Path) bands the contribution amount is determined by accredited course. Students in Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work accredited courses should visit our CSP page for further information.
Note: The Job-ready Graduates Package introduced new funding clusters and contribution amounts from the 2021 academic year. If you are a continuing student who commenced before 1 January 2021 studying units in disciplines with increased contribution amounts, you will continue paying the same amount (indexed each year) as you would have. For further information visit the Australia Government's Study Assist website.
These places are offered for postgraduate studies or to CSP ineligible students and tuition fees are not subsidised by the Australian Government. Domestic postgraduate tuition fees are course-based annual fees and the unit fee you pay will vary according to the degree you are studying. To find out more about domestic tuition fees and view the relevant fee schedule visit our fees website.
International tuition fees are course-based annual fees and the unit fee you pay will vary according to the degree you are studying. To find out more about international tuition fees and view the relevant fee schedule visit our fees website.
It is important to check unit delivery details including location and census date, prior to making decisions about enrolment. Detailed semester and census date information can be found on the Important Dates page.