Syllabus — Design Thinking (AR113)
Official GGSIPU syllabus for the B.Tech Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 2026-30 batch (first year, under USAR), applicable from the academic session 2026-27.
L 1 C 1
Teachers Continuous Evaluation: 100 marks. This is an NUES paper — there is no end term university examination; the concerned teacher evaluates it.
Course outcomes
- Explain the fundamentals of Design Thinking, Universal Design, and Sustainability. [K2]
- Analyze user needs and sustainability challenges using empathy-based approaches. [K4]
- Apply ideation techniques to develop innovative and inclusive solutions. [K3]
- Evaluate design solutions with respect to sustainability and SDG requirements. [K5]
Unit I (2 lectures)
Introduction to Design Thinking: What is Design Thinking?, Understanding Universal Design Principles and their implication, Design Thinking vs. Traditional Problem Solving, Identify and Analyze the needs of diverse and differently-abled populations.
Unit II (3 lectures)
Understand the SDGs and their applicability: What are the Sustainable Development Goals, Importance of adoption in Engineering and Innovation, Methods and Areas of Applicability, Sustainable and Inclusive Design.
Unit III (3 lectures)
Empathy and User Research Problem Definition: Understanding Users and Stakeholders, Observation Techniques through Interviews and Surveys, Empathy Mapping - Synthesizing User Insights, Writing Problem Statements
Unit IV (4 lectures)
Ideation and Creativity: Brainstorming– alternative thinking, Mind Mapping and creating Storyboards, Generate and evaluate multiple solution concepts, Concept Selection.
Textbooks
- Brown, T., & Katz, B. (2019). Change by design: How design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation (Vol. 20091). New York, NY: HarperBusiness.
- Norman Donald, A. (2013). The design of everyday things. MIT Press.
- Elliott, J. (2012). An introduction to sustainable development. Routledge.
References
- Manzini, E. (2015). Design, when everybody designs: An introduction to design for social innovation. MIT press.
- Department of Economic. (2020). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
- Cross, N. (2023). Design thinking: Understanding how designers think and work. Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Chick, A. (2012). Design for social innovation: Emerging principles and approaches. Iridescent, 2(1), 78-90.