Module: Design Thinking & Creativity for Innovation

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Design Thinking & Creativity for Innovation
Module Code	BAA1034 (ITS: MT5205)
Faculty	DCU Business School	School	DCU Business School
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	5

Description

This module examines design thinking and provides students with an understanding of how creative and practical efforts can be leveraged to better frame problems and ultimately to adopt solution-focused practices. Design thinking encompasses novel approaches to analyse and assess how creative solutions can be applied to complex business problems across different industries and contexts. Workshops and practical sessions will be used to equip participants with the requisite lateral thinking skills that enable them to deploy and leverage established frameworks of design thinking. Participants will focus on the journey from ideation to prototype development, learn and understand the importance of empathy in product design, and develop skills in the framing and solving of both business and societal problems. These skills, which draw on many disciplines, will better equip participants to understand the process of journey mapping and to leverage appropriate methodologies to better solve customer problems. Additionally, the role of innovation teams and managing the innovation process across International boundaries will come under examination. A key focus of the module is on digital disruption, how technology is transforming industries and how this impacts the value proposition of existing goods and services. Case studies will be used to highlight best practices across the globe and to illustrate how creativity, co-creation and viability screening can be leveraged together to create tangible and profitable solutions.

Learning Outcomes

1. Deploy the tools of design thinking, including established approaches to the framing of problems.
2. Determine how design thinking principles can be applied within a wide variety of business and societal contexts.
3. Work as part of a collaborative team on a real-life business problem.
4. To understand the theoretical foundations of design thinking.
5. To be able to compare and contrast methods of design thinking with traditional approaches to innovation.
6. To develop an understanding of User experience (UX) and Consumer Experience (CX).

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	Lectures, seminars and interactive workshops.
Fieldwork	25	Working as part of a team on a collaborative project.
Independent Study	30	Assigned readings
Independent Study	48	Study and synthesis of course materials and additional readings for individual assignment(s).
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	20071	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Henrique Machado Barros	Module Teacher	Marty Reilly, Peter Robbins

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Group project	Group project to be advised by lecturer.	30%	n/a
Assignment	Individual assignment(s) to be advised by lecturer.	70%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative Topics:
An introduction to Design Thinking. User Experience and Consumer Experience. Converting ideas into Action. The framing of problems. Models & Frameworks of Creativity. Solution-focused thinking and digital disruption. Design thinking in different contexts.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Liedtka, J., & Ogilvie, T.: 2011, Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers,, Columbia Business School Publishing,
Brown, T.: 2009, Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, Harper Collins,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

1: In addition to case studies, class discussions and debates, a number of readings will also be utilized from a variety of peer reviewed academic journals, eg, R&D Management, Technovation, Creativity and Innovation Manage,