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Reflections on Design Thinking: Power, Privilege, and Practice


I was honored to learn that a Design & Technology Book Club selected my book as their featured read for the month. It is always a privilege to engage with fellow educators who are passionate about innovation, and the members sent over some truly thought-provoking questions regarding the text and how my perspective has evolved since its publication. I wanted to share those questions and my responses with you here, as they sparked some deep reflection on my own journey with Design Thinking.


Here are some key takeaways from our discussion.


Has the Vision Changed?: A common question was whether my view of Design Thinking has evolved. The short answer is yes. While I still believe it is a powerful, human-centered toolkit for navigating a world of constant change, I’ve realized that Design Thinking is only as effective—or as harmful—as the person using it.


As designer Jennifer Daniel noted, "Design is not good unto itself. Design is in fact neutral."

I’ve learned that without self-reflection, Design Thinking can inadvertently create a "savior complex," placing the designer on a pedestal. We must be hyper-aware of power dynamics and our own privileges. We need to check our biases and assumptions to ensure we are truly partnering with people, rather than just "fixing" things for them.


Cultivating Reflection and Depth: How do we encourage students to reflect? I’ve found that modeling is the most effective method. When I lead projects, I think out loud. I demonstrate my own reflection process so students see it not as a chore, but as an essential routine of creative problem-solving. For those interested in this, I highly recommend Creating Cultures of Thinking by Ron Ritchhart.


To ensure student designs aren't superficial, we must ground them in real-world contexts. As defined by PBLWorks, Project-Based Learning should actively engage students in personally meaningful projects. By asking, "What profession requires these standards?", we provide a context that demands deep inquiry rather than surface-level guesses.


Addressing Bias through Liberatory Design: To help students genuinely empathize, we must help them navigate their own identities and biases. I recommend using the Liberatory Design framework. Utilizing their "Notice" and "Reflect" phases helps students develop social-emotional awareness before entering a context. It prompts them to ask, "How do I maintain awareness of my biases?"


Resources from Learningforjustice.org are also fantastic for helping students understand their own group identities before trying to understand others.


Looking Ahead If you are interested in diving deeper, I am creating a digital learning experience to help educators move from a shallow understanding of Design Thinking to designing authentic, deep learning experiences.


Resources Used:

Creating Cultures of Thinking by Ron Ritchhart: https://www.ronritchhart.com/publications

 
 
 

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