D-TILE (6.910A/B): Design Thinking and Innovation Leadership for Engineers
D-TILE was a combination of 2 half-semester classes. The first half was lecture-based, covering the 12 step design process. The second half was a project involving LLMs through Voiceflow.
6.910A from the course catalog: Introductory subject in design thinking and innovation. Develops students’ ability to conceive, implement, and evaluate successful projects in any engineering discipline. Lessons focus on an iterative design process, a systems-thinking approach for stakeholder analysis, methods for articulating design concepts, methods for concept selection, and techniques for testing with users.
6.910B from the course catalog: Project-based subject. Students employ design-thinking techniques learned in 6.902A to develop a robust speech-recognition application using a web-based platform. Students practice in leadership and teamwork skills as they collaboratively conceive, implement, and iteratively refine their designs based on user feedback. Topics covered include techniques for leading the creative process in teams, the ethics of engineering systems, methods for articulating designs with group collaboration, identifying and reconciling paradoxes of engineering designs, and communicating solution concepts with impact. Students present oral presentations and receive feedback to sharpen their communication skills.
Cheatsheet and Prototype
Table of Contents
Part A
- Week 1: Innovation Process Overview, 12 Steps
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Reading 1: Double-Diamond Model, Human-Centered Design Process
- Week 2: Needs & Assumptions Analysis, Research & Discovery, Stakeholder Analysis, Boundary & Hazard Mitigation
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Reading 2: Design Thinking Mindset
- Week 3: Specify Desired Outcomes, Concept Generation, Concept Downselection, Concept Articulation
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Reading 3: Quantifying Innovation, K-Scripts
- Week 4: K-Scripts Review, Uncertainty Identification, Uncertainty Reduction
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Reading 4: A Framework for Company Innovation
- Week 5: Problem Space Definition; Launch, Iterate, or Stop; K-Script Exercise
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Reading 5: Innovation Can Be Taught and Measured
- Week 6: Ten Types of Innovation, Dominant Design Theory, Empathy
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Reading 6: Pacific Power Group Brainstorm, Bear and Honey
- Final Practice: Going through the 12 step process from memory
- Final “Cheatsheet”
Part B
- Week 7: Productization, Intro to Voiceflow
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Reading 7: Designing with Empathy, Little Bets
- Week 8: Empathy Workshop
- Week 9: Deliverable and Presentation Guidelines
- Week 10: Usability Testing
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Week 11: Making/Giving Great Presentations, General Life Tips (courage, but to and, factors of innovation leadership, sleep, learning from “failures”), Presentation Feedback
- Project: Playlist Generator via Voiceflow, LLMs, and the Spotify API
- Playlist Generator Voiceflow Prototype