Reflective Report on Design Thinking

This report provides a reflection on the learning from the design-thinking module and discusses the issues and challenges faced during the workshop. It also includes personal reflections on knowledge and personal development, as well as an action plan for short and long terms.

Running Head: Design Thinking 0
6/5/2019
Reflective Report | Student name
Design Thinking

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Executive Summary
This report will provide a reflection on my learning from the design-thinking module and
it provides different issues and challenges during workshop and activities. It will explain about
my learning from different activities, which were held on during the design-thinking workshop.
This report is based on the experience from different weeks of design thinking module. It
will provide career development and knowledge development. It will provide an action plan for
short terms and long terms.

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Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1
My Introduction to Report...............................................................................................................3
Personal Reflection (on knowledge development)..........................................................................3
Self-reflection skill.......................................................................................................................4
Brainstorming skill.......................................................................................................................4
Leadership skill............................................................................................................................5
Presentation skills........................................................................................................................5
Personal Reflection (on personal development)..............................................................................6
Skill development........................................................................................................................6
Empathy.......................................................................................................................................7
Learning skill...............................................................................................................................7
Reflective writing skill.................................................................................................................8
Action Plan......................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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My Introduction to Report
In this report, the personal reflection will give by me on two topics, which are knowledge
development and personal development. This reflective report is based on the designing thinking
process and its benefits in personal and professional life. Reflective writing is helpful for the
understanding of different works. The design thinking process is providing different approaches
to understand the problem and then find out the solution to that problem using different issues
( Rosenø, 2018).
In addition, the design-thinking process provides helps in innovation to resolve different
problems. It is necessary to understand a problem from a different point of view to create a
different solution to the same problem (Brooks, 2013). In that design-thinking workshop, I
learned about the prototypes for problem-solving, such as rapid prototype and brainstorming and
many others (Razzouk & Shute, 2012). In addition, critical reflection has provided many good
things from our experience and activities, as they are having many knowledgeable things to learn
for career development and personal skill development (Taylor, 2017).
This report will explain the skills development at a personal and professional level. It will
also provide details about knowledge development and its role in growth and success in
professional life.
Personal Reflection (on knowledge development)
In the first week, I learned about the design thinking process, which provides help to
understand the problem deeply and create their innovative solution, which is feasible and
implemented in real life. I had an activity in which i took different companies for evolution, such
as Apple, Blackberry, Coke, Swiffer, and a homer. I am in a team and provided a view about
those companies based on some criteria, such as user involvement, innovation, based on,
successful, and their interesting points. It was a good approach for the evaluation of different
companies. In addition, most of the companies used disruptive innovations to get high profit and
reputation in the marketplace ( Christensen, McDonald, & Raynor, 2015). When I carried out

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design thinking process (see the photo in blog entry 1, 21 March 2019), I learned that I am a
creative thinker and provide ideas to grow in the market for a company than previously thought.
I learned about the different prototype and analysis processes and it has provided me the
strength to handle many issues in my professional life. In addition, reflective writing is good for
the learning process, as it provides retouch all the things, which I already did in the past. It
provides help in my career development and knowledge management. I learned about different
skills during my workshop.
Self-reflection skill
Self-awareness is necessary for career development, which I know from that workshop. I
had joined a self-reflective activity, which was interesting for all group members. There are
many aspect and scale of 1-5. I have to provide a reflection on that aspect, such as patience,
open-mindedness, value observation, attentiveness, failure, focus on current reality, open to
views, thinker, user-centered, and many others. In addition, innovation has provided a big
amount of help in startups and business continuity. An entrepreneur creates new skills in
themselves to create new ideas to solve a social and business problem (Drucker, 2014). When I
carried out self-reflection (see the photo in blog entry 2, 2 April 2019), I learned that I am having
good strengths in myself, such as leadership, patience, and many others than previously thought.
I learned about many things from that design-thinking module, such as empathy,
brainstorming, mindset, innovation, and many others. In addition, there are many other methods,
which provides me confidence in myself. According to (Brown & Wyatt, 2010), the design
thinking process is helpful for social innovation. Most of the people think the same about a
problem. Therefore, it is necessary to think the different point of view for the same problem to
figure out all the critical situation and solutions to that problem.
Brainstorming skill
I learned about empathy and brainstorming from that activity. I can better understand
using visualizing a persona. I can understand the different issues of a person and provide
solutions for their problems. According to (Fook, 2010), refection is necessary to learn from our
experiences because critical situations always provide a lesson for a person and entrepreneurs
always take them as a suggestion to solve upcoming problems in future.

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I learned about the journey map in which I designed a journey map my career planning
and different processes. I had mentioned about my semester and their examinations as well as its
feelings and experiences. In addition, there are many different tools for reflective writing, such
as blogs, Johari window activity, and many others (Gray, 2007).
In addition, I had mentioned about myself in that sheet and I found out that I have much
strength, such as learning, open-mindedness, open to view, and many others and I have some
weakness, such as a focus on current reality, comfortable with chaos, thinker. I should improve
those skills in myself. Therefore, I need to work on my skills to enhance them and remove my
weaknesses. According to ( Dubey, 2018), design thinking process has provided many skills to
improve professional growth and increase the efficiency of a person, such as leadership, time
management, teamwork, motivation, and many others. In addition, the design thinking process
has helped into the development of confidence through different activities, such as interview and
group activity (Dunne & Martin, 2006).
Leadership skill
I learned about motivation, leadership and many other skills from that activity. After that
activity, I worked on my skill improvement and I developed many skills in myself, such as time
management, motivation, leadership, and many others. I also learned about the selection process
for career development. In addition, most of the business is having a huge level of competition
and design thinking has provided help to innovate innovations, which can provide a competitive
advantage to companies (Martin, 2009).
Presentation skills
I learned about the presentation making and it affects the professional career
development. It has increased my knowledge of different tools and confidence. In that week, I
learned about stage fear, which has generated because of the lack of language and comfort in
delivering a presentation in front of different people. Design thinking is important for the
development of a person at various levels, such as personal, social and professional. It provides
many benefits to enhance skills and grow in the market based on the skills (Razzouk & Shute,
2012). The term design thinking is defined as a process of innovation which draws from the
designer’s toolkit in order to integrate the requirements of the consumers. A recent study

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identified that thinking like a designer can transform the way companies develop items, services
and strategies (Razzouk & Shute, 2012). Such kind of process enables consumers to utilize
creative techniques and tools for addressing numbers of challenges occurred in the workplace.
From previous studies, I identified the key aspects related to design thinking and evaluated their
importance in this modern generation. However, I argued that the term design thinking is a non-
linear and iterative approach which seeks to examine consumers, issues assumptions and produce
innovative solutions. I learnt that there are major five stages of the design thinking process, for
example, empathize, Ideate, Defined, Prototype and define. It is observed that the design
thinking process offers consumers to think outside the box and I learnt that it has the capability
for solving any kind of problem occurred in the workplace.
Personal Reflection (on personal development)
I had good experience form design thinking workshop and it was helpful for me to
understand many problems in personal and professional life. It has helped in my professional
career development and knowledge management. In addition, innovation and technologies are
highly used to develop new skills in a person and those skills are providing help for the growth
of professional career (Brown & Ulijn, 2004).
Skill development
I learned about different skills for business and career development. It was based on the
skills development and I learned that skills make a person perfect for a job. I had enjoyed that
activity and learned that teamwork provides better results. In addition, design thinking is a tool
kit for managers to grow in the industry based on their skills and knowledge (Liedtka & Ogilvie,
2011).
I learned about the marketing basics and analysis, which can be used to manage different
business processes at the workplace, such as value chain analysis from that workshop. The
analysis is necessary before launching a product and service in the market. The company uses
value chain analysis to know about the margin from that product launching in the market to the
company. It is very important for companies to control and manage the processes used in the
value chain because lack of proper configuration can impact on the developed products and
services. In addition, this analysis has provided help into the understanding of management

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knowledge. I have applied those concepts in my professional life as well. I learned that always
reflect on our experience to learn from them and use that knowledge for problem-solving. I had a
very good experience from that activates and now I am working on my different skills to
improve as well as develop new skills in myself.
I learned about self-reflective practices, which are helpful to know about over strengths,
such as learning, open-mindedness, patience, and many others and few weaknesses, such as a
focus on current reality to use them for career development and business development. In
addition, learning is the best way to grow in the market and enhance over skills. There are many
other methods and tools present in the market, but design thinking is the best process for learning
and reflection. From previous studies, I observed that the as compare with the other innovative
processes the design thinking is one of the best approaches that have the potential for solving
problems and improve the productivity of the companies in an effective manner. Moreover, such
kind of process can be used in the large business industries for generating groundbreaking
solutions in an innovative way. I analyzed that the fundamental concept behind the design
process is more than just an approach which provides a collection of hands-on processes to help
other people for solving problems and developing innovative ideas. I also learnt that the test is
one of the effective stages of the design thinking process that help the developers to test the
developed products and designer can return to the previous step if any problem occurs in the
product. Therefore, I found that from the perspective of business design thinking is a more
effective and reliable approach.
Empathy
Empathy provides the essential start line for design questioning. The primary degree of
the method is spent learning the user and information their needs, and objectives. This means
watching and engaging with humans in order to recognize them on a mental and emotional
degree. Throughout this segment, the fashion designer seeks to set apart their assumptions and
collect actual insights approximately the user. In the present era, critical reflection is necessary to
understand others and ourselves as well. In addition, critical reflection is useful to develop new
skills based on our strengths and remove weakness (Thompson & van Vliet, 2018).

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Learning skill
I learned about the visualizing a persona in which I have to draw an image to assume
someone else and provide views from another person’s point of view. It was amazing and I
learned that a problem can be understood from a different point of view and it provides new
solutions. I learned that using visualizing different issues of a person and understand his thoughts
for different purposes. However, would still require more design thinker to resolve many
economic, social and environmental challenges ( Fanguy, 2018). When I carried out visualizing
persona (see the photo in blog entry 4, 9 April 2019), I surprised that I am good in visualization
part than previously thought. I had an activity in which I have a paper that has 30 circles. I have
to provide a solution to different problems. It was important for my personal and professional
development, as it provides me the strength to handle different issues. According to (Hobcraft,
2017), the innovation manager uses a design thinking process to solve different problems at the
workplace, which are related to time management, teamwork, and many others.
I had developed learning skill from that design-thinking workshop, which is highly used
in my personal development.
Reflective writing skill
Reflective practice is providing help into professional development in most of the fields,
such as teaching, engineering, management, and many others (Steh & Saric, 2017). Furthermore,
design thinking is the best way to develop new skills and change the way of thinking to
understand the different problem. Apart from it, blog writing is the best practice to learn and
reflect on our experiences from different activities (Yang, 2009). According to (Zeichner & Liu,
2010), critical reflection is needed for understanding the critical analysis of a process. A teacher
is always critically analyzing the entire answer sheet to provide proper results. In addition, a
person should critically reflect on their learning from their experiences. It works in a cycle and a
person should use it to develop new skills to manage their different works.
Action Plan
In the next five two year, I will be an assistant manager at a good place. According to
(Brooks, 2013), an entrepreneur should have effective communication to implement their plans

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in the market. In the next five year, I will be a good manager in a good company or restaurant to
manage their business processes with my skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and many others.
Missions Activities Timeframe Rationale
Increasing
understanding
of problem-
solving
Creation of prototype
models to explain the given
problem and find their
solution
2-3 months It will increase my patience
towards problem-solving
Increasing
leadership skill
Identifications of
weaknesses and overcome
them from participating in
different group activities,
which requires leadership,
such as presentation,
cardboard model design,
and many others
1-2 months It will beneficial for handling
different teams and their team
members as a manager in a
good company
Increase
creative
thinking
Identify different issues in
business problem and create
different types of solution
based on their feasibility
4-5 weeks It will improve my design
thinking and learning process,
which will provide many
benefits into career
development
Conclusion
In conclusion, I learned many things from that design-thinking workshop and it will
improve my skills, which can be used for career development. This reflective report has
explained about knowledge development and personal development, which are necessary for my
future. In this report, self-reflection, and brainstorming has described, which are required for
knowledge development. Skills development is necessary for personal development, which is
helpful at the workplace and growth of career. This report has provided an action plan, which
will help me in growth and success in my future.

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Finally, it is concluded that design thinking is necessary to find a solution for different
types of problem through creative thinking. It will improve my different skills, such as
leadership, confidence, self-awareness, and many others.

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References
Christensen, C. M., McDonald, R., & Raynor, M. E. (2015). What Is Disruptive Innovation?
Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation
Dubey, A. (2018, February 18). 10 Amazing Leadership Lessons From Design Thinking.
Retrieved November 21, 2018, from addicted2success.com:
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-amazing-leadership-lessons-from-
design-thinking/
Fanguy, W. (2018, jun 1). Why the world needs more design thinking. Retrieved from
www.invisionapp.com: https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/world-needs-more-
design-thinking
Rosenø, A. (2018, February 12). Design Thinking - More Than Just a Method. Retrieved from
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/design-thinking-more-than-just-method-axel-
rosen%C3%B8/
Brooks, C. (2013). Entrepreneurs Answer the Question: 'Why Is Innovation Important'.
Retrieved December 10, 2018, from Business News Daily:
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5167-innovation.html
Brown, T., & Ulijn, J. (2004). Innovation, entrepreneurship and culture: the interaction between
technology, progress and economic growth. (3rd ed.). London: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Brown, T., & Wyatt, J. (2010). Design thinking for social innovation. Development Outreach,
12(1), 29-43.
Drucker, P. (2014). Innovation and entrepreneurship (1 ed.). London: Routledge.
Dunne, D., & Martin, R. (2006). Design thinking and how it will change management education:
An interview and discussion. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 5(4), 512-
523.

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Fook, J. (2010). Beyond reflective practice: reworking the “critical” in critical reflection. Beyond
reflective practice: New approaches to professional lifelong learning, 37-51.
Gray, D. E. (2007). Facilitating management learning: Developing critical reflection through
reflective tools. Management learning, 38(5), 495-517.
Hobcraft, P. (2017, August 17). An introduction to Design Thinking for Innovation Managers.
Retrieved from blog.hypeinnovation.com: https://blog.hypeinnovation.com/an-
introduction-to-design-thinking-for-innovation-managers
Liedtka, J., & Ogilvie, T. (2011). Designing for growth: A design thinking tool kit for managers.
New York: Columbia University Press.
Martin, R. L. (2009). The design of business: Why design thinking is the next competitive
advantage. (1 ed.). Boston: Harvard Business Press.
Razzouk, R., & Shute, V. (2012). What is design thinking and why is it important? Review of
Educational Research, 82(3), 330-348.
Steh, B., & Saric, M. (2017). Critical reflection in the professional development of teachers:
Challenges and possibilities. CEPS Journal, 7(3), 67-85.
Taylor, E. W. (2017). CRITICAL REFLECTION AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING: A
CRITICAL REVIEW . PAACE Journal of Lifelong Learning, 26, 77-95.
Thompson, K., & van Vliet, P. (2018). Critical reflection on the ethics of mindfulness.
Australian social work, 71(1), 120-128.
Yang, S.-H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of practice.
Educational Technology & Society, 12(2), 11-21.
Zeichner, K., & Liu, K. Y. (2010). A critical analysis of reflection as a goal for teacher
education. (Springer, Ed.) In Handbook of reflection and reflective inquiry, 29(103), 67-
84.