Guiding Frameworks

Guiding Frameworks:

Human Centered Design.  Human centered design (HCD), also known as design thinking, can be defined as framework to translate creativity into innovation by focusing on human elements to understand users in a meaningful way by using primarily ethnographic research, synthesizing that data and identifying key insights that provide the foundation for understanding the right problem to solve. The framework includes tools to generate and select ideas and to prototype and test those ideas to maximize success. To accomplish this, design thinkers should approach problem solving possessing an open design mindset.

Life Design.  Using principles from HCD, life design is a framework, toolkit and mindset to help people to contemplate and act upon their options as the design their journeys in life. This includes first year experience, college experience and career choices while here at TCU and beyond.

Systems Thinking.  Understanding the overall picture is important. Systems thinking provides a set of tools and frameworks that helps design thinkers to consider all the stakeholders and all the consequences (intended and unintended) when examining a problem.

Social Innovation & Social Change Leadership.  It is possible to use all these frameworks to drive social innovation and real change. It is important to understand the problem to be solved and who is working on the problem before diving in. This framework includes tools and frameworks to help people lead responsibly and create social impact to change the world.