Design thinking as a medium of professionalism and learning: A case of business incubator

Abstract

This article is a case study that explores the understanding of design thinking strategies undertaken by final year students in the field of design and architecture in Business Incubator (BI) projects. The BI project is developed by the university with its partners or by students themselves with the determination that the project still provides a potential effect on BI. Many previous studies have been developed with reference to how Business Incubators (BIs) benefit students and contribute successfully to a developing country. The present study aims at investigating the university students’ perspective as BI’s executors who are required to remain professional while maintaining the importance of BI implementation in their university. Additionally, the uniqueness of the present study is that the design thinking approach used in the project provides also scientific enrichment in design methods. Furthermore, such an approach is universal and flexible in helping students who are still studying but they are required to be professional in running the project. We can figure out the shift in the use of this design thinking method when it is run by new learners in a real project world, not in a simulation studio.

Keywords

• design
• architecture
• business
• incubators
• strategic
• thinking