Design Manifesto
Five Guiding Design Principles

The following five design principles are a product of teamwork built on problem-solving during the Design Thinking Challenge: A Solution to Teacher Burnout and Well-Being during the COVID-19 pandemic. As York and Ertmer note, designers “engage in problem-solving throughout the ID process, using principles derived from a multitude of sources” (2020, p.171).

As my teammate and I can attest, this process began with one empathy interview (Doorley et al, 2018), and extended into a repertoire of tools to not only provide a solution to the design process but to authentically address and provide tangible support for the actors involved. I offer the following as a final iteration of the design thinking process.  


Principle 1 – Listen and Acknowledge
Ask: Who are we designing for? What are their needs?
Develop: Create opportunities for dialogue. Offer varying discourses for different entry points. Compassionately and empathetically seek out the lived experiences of actors to acquire shared knowledge.
Goal: Share knowledge to inform design.

Principle 2 – Address and Adapt
Ask: What do we think? What can we come up with? What can be accomplished?
Develop: Create various settings for collaboration. Discuss knowledge gained in the questions, and consider goals.
Goal: Collaborate to co-create.

Principle 3 – Strive for Better
Ask: What do we know? How can we use it?
Develop: Look to the past for precedent (Boling, 2010), and speak to the present by asking authentic questions. Look back to inform the present. Share lived experiences to acquire shared knowledge and to develop a Community of Practice (CoP) (Cousin & Deepwell, 2005).
Goal: Learn from the past, don’t repeat it.

Principle 4 – Make it Inclusive
Ask: Are we designing with a culturally safe and inclusive mindset?
Develop: Provide opportunities for feedback, through both open dialogue and anonymous feedback. Accept and acknowledge feedback to support all members.
Goal: Support members for fair and equitable contribution; build community.

Principle 5 – Intention
Ask: Are we designing with intent?
Develop: Make intentional choices, be clear and concise. Use effective tools and resources to support members. Provide opportunities for reflection, assessments, and meaningful engagement.
Goal: Transparency.

 

 

References

Boling, E. (2010). The need for design cases: Disseminating design knowledge. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.14434/ijdl.v1i1.919
​​
Doorley et al. (2018). Design Thinking Bootcamp Bootleg. Adapted from Hasso Plattner Institute for Design, Stanford University.
dschool.stanford.edu/resources/design-thinking-bootleg

York, C. S., & Ertmer, P. A. (2016). Examining instructional design principles applied by experienced designers in practice. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 29(2), 169–192. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.212