Design Thinking 101: What Schools Should Be Teaching

In a time when industries are changing faster than syllabuses, there's one mindset that never goes out of style: design thinking.

What Is Design Thinking?

Design thinking is a human-centered problem-solving approach employed by companies such as Apple, Google, IDEO, and NGOs addressing global issues. It follows five core stages:

1. Empathize: Understand people's needs and emotions.

2. Define: Identify the problem to solve.

3. Ideate: Brainstorm creative solutions beyond the obvious.

4. Prototype: Build quick models or examples to test ideas.

5. Test: Try it out, learn from it, and improve.

This isn't just theory. It's a process rooted in curiosity, creativity, and action, qualities every future-ready student needs.

Why It Belongs in Every Classroom

Traditional education teaches students what to think rather than how to think critically. Design thinking, however, can be seamlessly integrated into conventional subjects, enhancing the learning experience and preparing students for the real world. For instance, in a history class, students can use design thinking to propose alternative solutions to historical events, fostering critical thinking and creativity. Here's what happens when students learn design thinking:

• They become critical thinkers who don't settle for surface-level solutions.

• They become better communicators, using feedback to improve ideas.

• They build real-world confidence by turning ideas into action.

In short, they stop being students and start becoming innovators.

How Raffles Jakarta Is Doing It Differently

We don't wait for the industry to tell us what to teach. We anticipate it. At Raffles, design thinking is embedded across programs, from Fashion Marketing to Digital Media Design to Business.

• In our classrooms, students learn to pitch, prototype, and refine their ideas in real time.

• In our collaborations, they solve real industry problems with real partners.

• In our portfolio culture, students present how they solved a problem, not just the result.

• We don't just teach skills. We train mindsets.

Where Creativity Meets Opportunity

Our students have:

• Developed fashion campaigns based on empathy-driven research.

• Prototyped business concepts that solve niche market needs.

• Used design thinking to create impactful social media storytelling.

And it doesn't stop there. We host design sprint sessions, workshops, and international showcases where students put their thinking into the world, not just their notebooks.

See student success stories here 

Final Thought: The Future Belongs to Creative Problem Solvers

Design thinking isn't just a buzzword; it's the new literacy for tomorrow's leaders.

At Raffles Jakarta, we're proud to be ahead of the curve in incorporating it into everyday learning.

Because the best education doesn't give you all the answers. It teaches you how to create your own.

Arman POUREISA

Marketing Manager

Business Management Lecturer

Raffles Jakarta