Course

Unit I

Introduction to Design Thinking. History & fundamentals. Relevance of design thinking in public policy. Participatory design and co-production. Public policy frameworks and participatory design. Rationale and ethical dimension of co-production.

Unit II

Empathy & Ethnography. Understanding users and their needs. Defining the problem statement. Ethnographic research methods in the context of policy formulation. Ideation and Creativity in Policy Design. Brainstorming and divergent thinking. Techniques for generating innovative policy ideas. Convergent thinking and selecting the best ideas.

Unit III

Prototyping Policy Solutions. Low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes. Testing and refining policy solutions. Policy experimentation and adaptive policymaking. Policy Implementation and Scaling. Overcoming barriers to policy implementation. Scaling policy solutions effectively. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Unit IV

Collaborative Design and Multi-Stakeholder Engagement. Co-design and co-production in public policy. Engaging stakeholders and building partnerships. Managing conflicts and facilitating consensus. Institutionalization for Systematic Design Thinking. Importance of values to anchor innovation. Regulatory impact analysis. Public-private partnerships.

Unit V

Communication and Storytelling in Policy Design. Crafting compelling policy narratives. Visual communication and data visualization for policy-making. Presenting policy ideas and proposals effectively.

Prerequisite: NA

Summary: This course introduces students to the principles of design thinking and their application in the field of public policy. The course begins by outlining the concept of co-production: solutions to social problems often cannot be simply handed down to end-users, but need to be produced by the end-users themselves interacting with the supplier of the solution. Applying the tools of design thinking and qualitative methods students will learn to better diagnose the end-users’ actual needs and preferences and use these insights to develop feasible policy options. Since many societal challenges represent “wicked problems” with many interdependent factors and stakeholders, a significant part of the course is dedicated to the exploration of methodologies of collective decision-making. The students will learn to apply tools of creative problem solving and consensus building to design and implement policies in a complex multi stakeholder context. Real world examples through case studies will be used for contextualized understanding.

Course Objectives:

1. To gain a basic understanding of the principles and concepts of co-production and design thinking in the context of public policy.
2. To develop a critical understanding of how to apply design thinking methodologies to policy challenges.
3. To understand how to evaluate the effectiveness of design thinking in addressing complex policy issues.
4. To gain knowledge and tools to collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary teams to co-create innovative policy solutions.
5. To be able to communicate policy ideas and proposals effectively using various forms of media.

Course Outcomes:

• CO1: Develop a mindset necessary for effective design thinking, such as divergent and convergent thinking, empathetic thinking, ethnographic approach, adaptive policy-making, etc.
• CO2: Apply tools of design thinking to formulate policy solutions to complex societal challenges.
• CO3: Be able to explain and advocate for design thinking in a team or organizational context.
• CO4: Evaluate policy impact and show how ethnographic research can be translated into policy action.
• CO5: Formulate recommendations to improve decision-making and performance across an organization or chosen area of policy analysis based on the principles of design thinking.

Skills:

• Systems thinking: mastering the ability to understand and analyze complex systems to identify leverage points for policy interventions.
• User research: Proficiency in conducting qualitative research methods to understand the needs, preferences, and behaviors of diverse stakeholders.
• Ethnographic research: gaining expertise in immersive fieldwork methods to uncover deep insights into the lived experiences of communities affected by policy decisions.
• Policy implementation: developing skills in project management and stakeholder engagement to ensure effective implementation of policy interventions.

-Program outcome PO – Course Outcomes CO Mapping

Program Specific Outcomes PSO – Course Objectives – Mapping

Evaluation Pattern:

*CA – Can be Quizzes, Assignment, Projects, and Reports, and Seminar

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• Brown, T. (2009), Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, HarperCollins.
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• Voorberg, W. H., Bekkers, V. J. J. M., & Tummers, L. G. (2015). A Systematic Review of Co-Creation and Co-Production: Embarking on the social innovation journey. Public Management Review, 17(9), 1333-1357.