BETTER INNOVATION BY DESIGN? CAN A COLLABORATIVE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH ASSIST A PARADIGM SHIFT IN EDUCATION PRACTICE?

This paper is a case study aimed at exploring the cross-disciplinary synergy between design thinking and product engineering. Teams of Bachelor of Engineering students were given a product engineering innovation challenge and asked to solve it using a design thinking methodology. The results were compared to similar groups who did not make use of design thinking. The questions were: would design thinking assist in the development of innovative product design solutions and if it does - how & why? What are students really thinking & doing when engaged in creative product design innovation? The results indicate that the processes, practices and persona inherent in design thinking do indeed facilitate innovative product design.