Design Thinking is a Mindset, Not a Research Paper

A few days ago I had the honor of facilitating a district wide workshop on Design Thinking in Grand Rapids, Michigan with about 30+ educators. The session began with teachers introducing themselves and I dove into describing the Design Thinking Framework that originated in Stanford, California by David Kelly.  As we went through describing concepts such as "developing empathy for your end user" and sharing a Back Pack Design Challenge by some savvy kids in Texas all seemed to be going relatively well with rich conversations taking place here and there. However, there is one question (usually always one) that caused me to stumble a bit in answering. Perhaps, because it has been a while since I have dedicated any real time to designing and crafting a workshop centered around Creative Confidence, or perhaps, it has more to do with that I was blessed with facilitating this workshop with only about 10 days to prepare. Nevertheless, it was one of those times where I wish I had responded a with a bit more eloquence but alas. I should have known the question would come from her as her body language and energy were not receiving the presentation up to this point. Its no wonder she raised her hand and said, "Well, this Design Thinking stuff, how is it different than action research?"  I noticed as a facilitator I must remain neutral as I felt a streak of being defensiveness rise up in me. I had to return to my heart center and remind myself that my role as a facilitator is to acknowledge great questions when they arise and place them in the proper context. It's also about helping the entire group move forward towards your desired results of the workshop. Both of these ideas seemed to be a bit lost however, upon reflection here are a few key points that I believe distinguishes Design Thinking and Action Research.

1. Design Thinking is a mindset whereas action research is a framework that follows a set script and procedure. 

2. Action Research produces just that a research paper; Design Thinking produces a product that is actually "tested" and receives proper feedback.
3. In action research, the researchers are the primary consumers of the data whereas in Design Thinking the end-user is the primary focus.
4. Action research requires one to begin analyzing data rather than encourage folks to begin to brainstorm on possible solutions.
5.  "Fail early and fail often" is the mantra of the Designer because the more one fails the closer one can get to being more in touch with what the user needs; there is no such mantra in this idea of action research until the conclusion of the process.

Thank you to those who challenge my thinking in honest attempts to discover new truths. Lets design our thinking to ensure that we are constantly growing growing learning and thriving as people and particularly as educators. It is in this spirit of innovation that we can build better places to learn.