Design Research
Developing a scale for design thinking mindset and abilities: Measuring the course impact among multidisciplinary undergraduate students

Abstract

Design Thinking (DT), the collaborative and human-centered problem-solving approach to tackling complex issues, is one of the most coveted skill sets of the twenty-first century. Institutions in industry and academia are actively seeking train- ing opportunities to increase their staff’s capability to harness the intricacies of DT. However, although there have been several different methods and curric- ula aimed at increasing individuals’ abilities in utilizing DT, previous studies do not put forth a validated scale that can be used to evaluate the impact of DT training on multidisciplinary undergraduate students with no prior DT experi- ence. We address this gap by providing a validated scale to measure the impact of DT mindsets and skills and to reveal the impact of a DT course based on self-reported quantitative data from 162 participants (control: 34, experimental: 128) who completed pre- and post-assessments. Moreover, we provide the result- ing two-factor structure, Flexible Thinking and Openness to Feedback, and show a statistically significant positive impact of a DT course for undergraduate stu- dents from diverse disciplines. In our experiment, modifying the IDEO Toolkit model by incorporating’video sketching’ and a’cryptomnesia-preventing guerrilla thinking task’ allowed us to develop a more affordable and universally accessible curriculum, as well as playing a crucial role in facilitating the development pro- cess. The validated scale developed in this research holds significant potential for adoption across educational, business, and industrial contexts, where fostering creativity and innovation is critical.

 

Role: Co-author, Concept Co-Creator

Type: Full Paper

Journal: International Journal of Technology and Design Education

Stats: h5-index:46

Date: 2025

Co-Authors: Berk Göksenin Tan, Özüm Karya Sakman, Çağlar Genç, Hayati Havlucu, Ceylan Beşevli, Zeynep Yıldız, Yağmur Kocaman, İhsan Ozan Yıldırım, Cansu Çetin Er, Ege Keskin, Sami Gülgöz and Oğuzhan Özcan


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Immersive Video Sketching: Low-Fidelity Extended Reality Prototyping for Everyone

Abstract

As the extended reality (XR) field advance, the need for tools assisting designers in the early-design phases for these immersive environments also increases. Although several tools exist, we still need a method that allows non-experts to engage in designing for XR, especially for collaborative contexts such as participatory design (PD) workshops. In this paper, we introduce Immersive Video Sketching (IVS), a low-cost prototyping method for early-phase XR design that can be easily employed by novice and non-expert designers. IVS combines body storming, paper prototyping and video sketching for XR environments. We tested IVS with 23 participants in a PD session focusing on XR game wearables. Our results showed that IVS can help non-experts to grasp the immersive nature of XR environments easily. On the other hand, a 4-hour design session might not be enough for iterations on design ideas and different design skills might create discrepancies in the outcomes.

 

Role: Concept Creator, Design Researcher, Main Co-Author

Type: Full Paper

Conference: Proceedings of the 24th International Academic Mindtrek Conference

Stats: Acceptance rate: 40%, h5-index:13

Date: 2021

Co-Authors: Juho Hamari


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MESMER: Towards a Playful Tangible Tool for Non-Verbal Multi-Stakeholder Conversations

Abstract

In this paper we present MESMER, a work-in-progress tangible conversation tool for playful design. Our work extends the Otherworld Framework (OF) [7] for tangible tools by centering specifically on play as a conversation topic. Here we unpack how early experiments with OF motivated our work and describe the current iteration of the MESMER tool, which comprises persona cards, various boards, and a shared physical token. MESMER is inspired by our findings from early trials with OF: performative playful interaction promoted playful and divergent thinking; embodied non-verbal communication led to shared insights, the board's contents and structure helped scaffold conversations, a diversity of personas and narratives seemed desirable, and role-playing personas encouraged multi-stakeholder empathy. Our ongoing research aims to help designers and researchers to facilitate engaging, fruitful and inspiring conversations where diverse stakeholders can contribute to playful technology design.

 

Role: Concept Co-Creator, Design Researcher, Main Co-Author

Type: Poster

Conference: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

Stats: h5-index:31

Date: 2020

Co-Authors: Ferran Altarriba Bertran, Ahmet Börütecene, Mattia Thibault and Katherine Isbister


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Otherworld: Ouija Board as a Resource for Design

Abstract

The Ouija board is a device to contact spirits from the so-called otherworld. Although it is considered paranormal activity, the way it works rests on ideomotor actions and we argue that the Ouija is a resource for design for the following aspects: It is a 1) collective tangible exploration tool operated by two or more people through a physical pointer that moves, seemingly on its own, around the letters to probe meanings by composing messages. It has been used by artists as a medium offering 2) creative stimulation to generate material and develop ideas for their work. The Ouija also enables people to express nonconscious knowledge, as research suggests, and thus can provide 3) access to tacit dimension. In this paper, we present the Otherworld Framework that describes its principal elements and provide speculations on how to exploit them in design for collaborative, engaging and unconventional group interactions.

 

Role: Concept Creator, Design Researcher, Main Co-Author

Type: Short Paper

Conference: Proceedings of the Halfway to the Future Symposium 2019

Stats: Acceptance rate: 52%%

Date: 2019

Co-Authors: Ahmet Börütecene


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Investigating the Effects of Legacy Bias: User Elicited Gestures from the End Users Perspective

Abstract

User elicitation studies are commonly used for designing gestures by putting the users in the designers' seat. One of the most encountered phenomenon during these studies is legacy bias. It refers to users' tendency to transfer gestures from the existing technologies to their designs. The literature presents varying views on the topic; some studies asserted that legacy bias should be diminished, whereas other stated that it should be preserved. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, none of the elicitation studies tested their designs with the end users. In our study, 36 participants compared two gesture sets with and without legacy. Initial findings showed that legacy gesture set had higher scores. However, the interviews uncovered that some non-legacy gestures were also favored due to their practicality and affordances. We contribute to the legacy bias literature by providing new insights from the end users' perspective.

 

Role: Concept Creator, Design Researcher, Advisor

Type: Extended Abstract (Poster)

Conference: Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems

Stats: h5-index:41

Date: 2018

Co-Authors: Ceylan Beşevli, Merve Erkaya and Oğuzhan Özcan


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