This is the final assignment for the Stanford University Course on Design Thinking Action Lab.

1. Design Thinking Conclusions
Insights from Empathizing to Testing –
Take It Home: Apply Design Thinking
Carsten Weerth, Bremen/Germany
Stanford University – Design Thinking Action Lab

2. Conclusion of the DTAL
The task was to conclude which elements are
crucial for the Design Thinking Process and what
new insights were learned.
Therefore the task was ‘to reflect on your
experience with the design challenge and how
you might apply the skills and mindsets of
design thinking to your own work and interests.‘

3. Special Instructions
1. Your list of 3 key takeaways/learnings (step 1).
Feel free to be concise.
2. Your process map (step 1).
3. A reflection (text and/or images and/or video)
about how design thinking skills and mindsets
could be applied to problems you care about (at
your work, school, community or at home), and
more broadly to your field or industry (step 2).

4. My 3 key take aways/learnings
• Design thinking is a five step process…
• We learned DT to be a linear process:

5. My 3 key take aways/learnings
• Design thinking is a five step process…
• However it can also be displayed circular…

6. My 3 key take aways/learnings
• Design thinking is a five step process…
• And it can be displayed in many other ways…

7. My 3 key take aways/learnings
• Design thinking is a five step process…
• And it can be displayed in many other ways…

8. My 3 key take aways/learnings
• Design thinking requires to empathize…
• Therefore it is important to understand the needs
and requirements of the stakeholders…
• Interviews are important to form insights and a clear
definition of what you want to do/solve…

9. My 3 key take aways/learnings
• Design thinking requires to prototype and test…
• Prototyping helps to understand weather your idea
works…
• Build prototypes with creative building materieals
whenever possible… (or use programms or tools)…
• Testing your prototypes with real life persons and
applicants is important in order to receive feedback…

10. My Process Map
• My process map looks like this:
Empathize
Define
Idiate
Prototype
Test
Reflect
Reflect
Reflect
Reflect
Reflect
Adapt
Adapt
Adapt
Adapt
Adapt

11. A Perfect Process Map
• A perfect process map looks like this:

12. Application to a real problem
• A common book project consisting of many
different papers...
• Empathize: What are the stakeholders expecting to
get/gain? Authors? Contributors? Editors? Publishers? Readers? […] Who are the stakeholders?
• Define: A short line must be coined for insight and to
define the aim, e.g.:
• “We need a process which helps to understand the
stakeholders and makes the production of a book
(essay collection) possible…”

13. Application to a real problem
• A common book project consisting of many
different papers...
• Idiate: Brainstorming/Brainwriting/Mindmaps about
possible solutions
• Prototype: Create a common project and draw a plan
how to manage the process (who is doing what, up
to what time and who is editing)?
• Test: Test your project plan with your collaborators,
ask the stakeholders about their input…

14. Acknowledgements...
This presentation was made for ‘Take It Home:
Apply Design Thinking‘ - the eighth and final
assignment of Leticia Britos Cavagnaro‘s
MOOC Design Thinking Action Lab, Stanford
University.
This assignment shall be the conclusion and
application of the Design Thinking Process to a
real life problem.

15. Acknowledgements...
The diagramms are taken from the internet
(by a ‘google pictures‘ research with the words
“Design Thinking“):
In the order of appearance - URL:
- http://www.worldbridgerdesign.com
- http://www.xn--kreativittstechniken-jzb.info
- http://www.Design-Thinking-Ideo.jpg
http://www.yesnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/-2011/10/Yes_Glossory_DT.png
- http://www.daisywang326.wordpress.com
My process map has been produced by myself.