Towards an Understanding of the Role of Visualisation and Experimentation in Design Thinking Processes with Novice Designers

Design thinking (DT) used by established design teams has been a topic for research since the 1960s. However, the use of design thinking in organizational settings carried out in novice design teams, that is, users with no experience of design and design methods can still be regarded as a newcomer in research. There is a strong discourse in the field of DT acknowledging the benefits of visualization and experimentation to facilitate and enhance the design process. However, research shows that there is a lack of understanding of the role visualization and experimentation plays in specific phases of design thinking. This work-in-progress paper investigates how a design thinking process can provide a novice design team with resources to release the team’s problem-solving capacity based on the participants’ practical experiences and needs. The study is based on a co-creation methodology including a DT process divided into four phases. Methods used were focus groups with a novice design team including five participants from three different companies within the field of welfare technology. In addition, participant observations were used to capture the participants’ interactions within the different design phases. Expected outcomes will incorporate identified good practices and design guidelines. The study will contribute to unfolding knowledge about how participants from local practices can ensure effective collaboration to cope with emerging dilemmas.