Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator

Design thinking has recently gained popularity outside of the design industry, especially in the business sector. Companies are recognising the value that design and design thinking brings, especially in terms of solving problems. The growing interest in design thinking has provided design students...

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Main Author: Tay, Jo Li Marie-Joelle
Format: Conference Paper
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79370
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author Tay, Jo Li Marie-Joelle
author_facet Tay, Jo Li Marie-Joelle
author_sort Tay, Jo Li Marie-Joelle
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Design thinking has recently gained popularity outside of the design industry, especially in the business sector. Companies are recognising the value that design and design thinking brings, especially in terms of solving problems. The growing interest in design thinking has provided design students with opportunities to engage with industries outside the creative industries sector, such as consulting. At the same time, work-integrated learning (WIL) is a pedagogical strategy that is well-suited to design disciplines, since designers typically have to work with client organisations or individuals to develop solutions. Working with clients requires many of the soft skills (e.g. teamwork, organisation, etc.) sought after by employers – skills that are also crucial for a successful career in design. In this paper, the author describes how design thinking and WIL were used together for a unit that is part of the Graphic Design major at Curtin University. The author also reflects on the role of design thinking and WIL in creating and supporting industry engagement, as well as their combined impact on design education and student engagement.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-793702020-11-23T06:57:18Z Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator Tay, Jo Li Marie-Joelle 1203 - Design Practice and Management 1302 - Curriculum and Pedagogy Design thinking has recently gained popularity outside of the design industry, especially in the business sector. Companies are recognising the value that design and design thinking brings, especially in terms of solving problems. The growing interest in design thinking has provided design students with opportunities to engage with industries outside the creative industries sector, such as consulting. At the same time, work-integrated learning (WIL) is a pedagogical strategy that is well-suited to design disciplines, since designers typically have to work with client organisations or individuals to develop solutions. Working with clients requires many of the soft skills (e.g. teamwork, organisation, etc.) sought after by employers – skills that are also crucial for a successful career in design. In this paper, the author describes how design thinking and WIL were used together for a unit that is part of the Graphic Design major at Curtin University. The author also reflects on the role of design thinking and WIL in creating and supporting industry engagement, as well as their combined impact on design education and student engagement. 2020 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79370 restricted
spellingShingle 1203 - Design Practice and Management
1302 - Curriculum and Pedagogy
Tay, Jo Li Marie-Joelle
Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator
title Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator
title_full Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator
title_fullStr Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator
title_full_unstemmed Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator
title_short Engaging with industry through Design Thinking: Reflections of a WIL educator
title_sort engaging with industry through design thinking: reflections of a wil educator
topic 1203 - Design Practice and Management
1302 - Curriculum and Pedagogy
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79370