Design Thinking en la Investigación Acción

Recognized by the Institut de Desenvolupament Professional de la UB.

Design Thinking appears as a strategy to tackle problems that seemed to be far from the challenges of traditional design. Since its inception, this approach has been expanding and diversifying, developing a series of methodological and procedural resources focused on designing solutions and interventions for different contexts.

Therefore, Design Thinking aims to develop a creative methodology as a way to generate more innovative and simpler solutions, which are more focused on the human being and their real and emotional needs.

Objectives

• Introduce and explore the basic concepts and main methodological tools of Design Thinking.
• Reflect on the relationships, affinities, divergences and tensions between Design Thinking and Action Research.
• Offer methodological and technical tools typical of Design Thinking that can serve as support in Action Research projects.

Description of the activity

The workshop will be developed through an experiential and eminently practical methodology. From a brief theoretical introduction, the participants will be accompanied in the different stages of Design Thinking: empathize, define, devise, prototype and evaluate. This process will allow the realization of a series of prototypes of educational interventions. At the same time, it will serve as a basis for situating a dialogue about the affinities, divergences, possibilities and tensions between Design Thinking and Action Research.

This dialogue will allow us to reflect on the potential of Design Thinking to offer complementary methodological tools in Action Research projects. In particular, from the identification of a series of challenges of contemporary education.

Teaching staff

Laura Malinverni is a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher at the University of Barcelona. Her research focuses on creative methods to research and design technologies with and for boys and girls. Member of the Esbrina research group.

Bettina Steren dos Santos is a professor and researcher at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. She is currently a visiting professor at the University of Barcelona, in the Esbrina research group, developing research on the “Construction of a transformative methodological proposal for teaching in Higher Education”.