English For Design

English For Design: Writing Effective Design Briefs with Design Thinking

Whether you are a designer, engineer, educator, or project manager, this course will help you write clear, actionable, and user-centered design briefs. By the end, you will be able to craft briefs that not only guide projects efficiently but also spark creativity, encourage collaboration, and lead to impactful solutions. Let’s bridge the gap between concept and clarity by applying Design Thinking to design briefs!

Design Thinking Process Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Empathize
• Conduct user research to understand the needs, challenges, and preferences of users.
• Synthesize findings into actionable insights to create a user-centered design brief.

Define
• Clearly articulate the problem statement for the design project based on user research findings.
• Identify and prioritize key user needs, challenges, and expectations.
• Reframe the design challenge into a focused, actionable problem statement that guides the next stages of the design brief.

Ideation
• Brainstorm a wide range of creative solutions for addressing the identified problems in the project.
• Use techniques like mind mapping to encourage divergent thinking.
• Evaluate and shortlist ideas based on feasibility, innovation, and alignment with user needs.

Prototype
• Develop low-fidelity prototypes or mockups for the project that represent their proposed solutions.
• Use tools such as sketches, models, or digital wireframes to communicate their ideas effectively.

Testing
• Test their prototypes with a sample of target users to gather feedback on functionality and user experience.
• Observe and document user interactions with their prototypes to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
• Analyze feedback to iterate and improve their solutions, ensuring alignment with the needs of users.