GEN 3015 / GE 102

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Group Project No: 1
DESIGN THINKING IN PRACTICE
Lecturer: Dr Annamalai

Email: EAUS347@eau.ac.ae
Summary:
The project aims to allow students an opportunity to apply the design thinking process to solve a problem in an
organisation they are familiar with. For this project, select one problem to solve in one of the following industries
(Cements, Logistics, Mining, Oil and Gas, Green Supply Chain). Use the design thinking skills learned in class to identify
a specific pain point for customers/clients, employees, or both.

This assignment will assess the following learning outcomes:

LO1: Students will gain the knowledge to describe the difference between design thinking, innovation, and
entrepreneurship; and possess a shared vocabulary for the process elements of each.
LO2: Students will understand the processes of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
LO3: Students will understand the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation to successful societies and
economics.
LO4: Students will be able to demonstrate the skills for forming effective teams and using practices for the development
of team cultures that respect diversity.
LO5: Students will learn how to differentiate between an idea and a viable opportunity.

Instructions: For this project, you will need to:

1. Create a group of 5-6 members.
2. Conduct interviews: at least 3 interviews should be conducted, and a short summary of each interview should be
turned in with your project. (L01)
3. Create an Empathy Map (only the final version) (LO2)
4. Create a Journey Map (LO2)
5. Generate at least three How Might We questions (LO3)
6. Develop at least five possible solutions by brainstorming based on the How Might we question(s) (LO3 and L05)
7. Your Group will present your problem, process, and solution(s) to the class. (LO4)

You will get a group mark for this task, not individual marks. The task accounts for 30% of your final

Guidelines: Successful projects will clearly demonstrate:

1. Applying the design thinking process throughout
2. Risk-taking at every stage of the project (e.g. nature of problem explored, who is interviewed, ideas carried
forward, approach to the presentation, etc.)
3. Carrying forward multiple insights and ideas.
4. Showing where you have learned from feedback and how it has affected your solution.
5. Conducting interviews that reveal needs
6. A journey map that reflects what was learned in the interview and yields new insights
7. A How Might We question that reflects a need identified in the interview, perhaps something revealed in the
journey map (something that wouldn't have been obvious prior to interview)
8. At least 3 possible solutions that emerge from brainstorming (idea generation) that could be explored/prototyped
9. A clear, compelling, and engaging presentation

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Assessment Group Project and Presentation (Groups of 5-6)

Type of Assessment Design Thinking in Practice

Link to Course LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Learning Outcomes
Total Mark 30%
Weight 30%

Submission Deadline WRITTEN REPORT Submission on: Monday 03 MARCH 2025 @11:59
GROUP Presentation (20-30 SLIDES) Submission on: Monday 03 March 2025 @11:59
GROUP PRESENTATION SCHEDULE STARTS ON: TO BE INFORMED SOON
Description Assignment Tasks:
1. Choose an organization: Select an organization that you are familiar with (e.g.,
college campus, workplace, volunteer organization) where you can identify a
problem affecting customers/clients, employees, or both.
2. Problem identification: Conduct research and analysis to identify a specific
problem within the chosen organization. Gather insights by empathizing with
the affected individuals or groups and understanding their needs, challenges,
and aspirations.
3. Apply design thinking process: Utilize the design thinking process, including
problem framing, ideation, prototyping, and testing, to develop innovative
solutions for the identified problem. Apply various design thinking tools and
techniques to support each stage of the process.
4. Development: Create your proposed solutions to visualize and communicate
your ideas effectively. Use appropriate tools or software to develop interactive
prototypes, if feasible.
5. Test and iterate: Conduct tests or gather feedback from relevant stakeholders
to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of your prototypes. Iterate and
refine your solutions based on the feedback received.
6. Prepare a project report: Document your project journey, including the
problem identification, research findings, ideation process, prototype
development, testing results, and final solution. Present your insights,
recommendations, and the potential impact of your solution on the
organization and its stakeholders.
7. Deliver a presentation: Prepare a presentation to showcase your project
findings, solution, and the design thinking process followed. Clearly
communicate the value and benefits of your solution, addressing aspects such
as usability, feasibility, and scalability.

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Assessment # Assignment I- Written Report

Type of Assessment Written assignment – Word Limit: 2,500 (10% margin)

Total Mark &Weight 50 (20%)
Format ▪ Word document
▪ Cover page with: school name; program name; course name and code; topic
title; your name; semester; assignment number; and submission date
▪ Font: 12-point Times New Roman; 1.5-line spacing; 2.5 cm margins
▪ Please, use numbered / alphabetized headings to separate each section.

Submission • No extension for the deadline.

• Every day of delay will result in a 5% deduction from the mark (1 mark).
• You must submit your essay via Turnitin. No email submissions will be
accepted.
Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Description Assignment: Understanding Design Thinking, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.
This assignment is in the form of a written report about design thinking in practice.

Guidelines for
Completion
Written Report:
In your report, you are required to explore:

• Exploring Design Thinking, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (Learning

Outcome 1)
In this section, you are required to:
• a) Provide a comprehensive explanation of design thinking, innovation, and
entrepreneurship. Discuss their similarities, differences, and the relationship
between them.
• b) Identify and describe the key process elements of design thinking, innovation,
and entrepreneurship. Explain how these elements contribute to the success of
each concept.
• c) Develop a shared vocabulary for the process elements of design thinking,
innovation, and entrepreneurship.

• Processes of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Learning Outcome 2)

In this section, you are required to:
• a) Analyze and compare the processes of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Discuss the stages, activities, and key considerations involved in each process.
• b) Evaluate the role of creativity, problem-solving, and risk-taking in the
processes of innovation and entrepreneurship.
• c) Provide real-world examples of successful innovation and entrepreneurship
initiatives.

• Importance of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Learning Outcome 3)

In this section, you are required to:
• a) Examine the impact of entrepreneurship and innovation on successful
societies and economies. Discuss the benefits and challenges associated with
fostering an entrepreneurial and innovative culture.
• b) Explore the role of government policies, educational institutions, and support
systems in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
• c) Provide case studies or examples that highlight the positive effects of
entrepreneurship and innovation on economic growth and societal well-being.

• Effective Team Formation and Diversity (Learning Outcome 4)

In this section, you are required to:
• a) Discuss the importance of effective team formation in the context of design
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 thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• b) Identify and explain the practices for developing team cultures that respect
diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
• c) Reflect on personal experiences or observations of successful team dynamics
in innovative and entrepreneurial settings.

• Differentiating Ideas and Viable Opportunities (Learning Outcome 5)

In this section, you are required to:
• a) Differentiate between an idea and a viable opportunity. Explain the criteria
used to assess the viability of an opportunity.
• b) Apply a practical framework or methodology to evaluate the feasibility and
market potential of a given idea.
• c) Present a case study or personal example illustrating the transformation of an
idea into a viable opportunity through design thinking, innovation, and
entrepreneurial practices.

Rubrics Refer to the rubrics below:

Please, note, that the allowed similarity percentage as generated by Turnitin does
not exceed 15%. Anything in excess will be penalized by the reduction of 1 point
for every increase of up to 10% (e.g., similarity from 40% to 50% will result in
reduction of 3 points)
Please, note, that the essay must be in your own words and reflect your own
understanding. Cheating (in any way) will lead to failing this assignment and
probably this course. Please, refer to the “Academic Honesty Policy” uploaded to the
VLE.

Assessment Will be available on Moodle.

Feedback

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Type of Assessment Group Presentation- 20 Minutes
Total Mark &Weight 50 (10%)
Format ▪ PDF
▪ Cover page with: school name; program name; course name and code; topic
title; your name; semester; assignment number; and submission date
▪ Font: 12-point Times New Roman; 1.5-line spacing; 2.5 cm margins
▪ Please, use numbered / alphabetized headings to separate each section.
Presentation: in Groups of 5-6,
• Prepare a presentation summarizing the findings of the research and
analysis.
• Clearly present the background of the chosen business, the failed
earlier versions, reasons for their failure, and the successful version's
entrepreneurial and innovative strategies.
• Use visual aids, case studies, and examples to enhance the
presentation and support key points.
• Provide recommendations or insights on how the learnings from the
case study can be applied to other entrepreneurial endeavours or to
improve the innovation process in organizations.

The presentation format for the assignment will be as follows:

Content: The presentation should cover the following aspects:

Introduction: Introduce the problem and the organization it
pertains to.
Problem Identification: Clearly identify and describe the specific
pain point for customers/clients, employees, or both within the
organization.
Design Thinking Process: Explain how the design thinking
process was applied to understand and address the identified
problem.
Solutions and Recommendations: Present innovative solutions
and recommendations based on the design thinking approach.
Implementation Plan: Outline a step-by-step plan for
implementing the proposed solutions within the organization.
Impact Assessment: Discuss the potential impact of the proposed
solutions on the organization and its stakeholders.
Conclusion: Summarize the key points of the presentation and
emphasize the significance of design thinking in solving real-world
problems.

• General • Your assignment should be well-structured and organized, with clear headings
Requirements: and subheadings.
• Use appropriate referencing and citation (APA or your institution's preferred
style).
• Support your arguments and analysis with relevant theories, models, and
examples.
• Use a mix of academic literature, industry reports, and credible online sources
to gather information.
• Submission • Submit your assignment as a PDF file through the designated online submission
Guidelines: platform.
• Ensure that your name, student ID, and the module name are clearly stated on
the cover page.
The assignment must be submitted by the specified deadline.
• No extension for the deadline.
• Every day of delay up to 5 days will result in a 5% deduction. After that no
submission is accepted.
You must submit your essay via Turnitin. No email submissions will be
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 accepted.

Criteria Excellent Good Poor

Introduction
Introduction Completely focused on the Focused on the topic, but The topic is not properly
topic; includes definitions without definitions or introduced; there are no
and/or explanations to explanations; contains definitions or numbers to
introduce the topic numbers that fail to describe explain the problem
properly; contains correct the magnitude of the problem
numbers to describe the properly, are not relevant or
magnitude of the problem are incorrect

Scientific Content
Main body content Information is gathered Information is gathered from Information is gathered
from appropriate and related but limited sources; from limited sources; the
diverse sources; the report the report addresses with in- report poorly addresses
addresses with in-depth depth analysis most of the the issues referred to in
analysis all the points points referred to in the the guidelines; or more
referred to in the guidelines; or the report than 30% of the questions
guidelines. addresses all issues but are left unanswered.
without proper analysis.

Conclusion The conclusion includes The conclusion evaluates The conclusion fails to
sufficient evaluation for all some of the key points evaluate any of the key
key points described in the described in the analysis points described in the
analysis analysis; or is missing
Recommendations The recommendations are The recommendations are The recommendations are
valuable, showing logical and supported with related to the topic but
comprehensive some evidence from the unsupported by evidence
understanding, and are report, but lack actual / from the report; or are not
supported with evidence practical value related to the topic; or are
from the report missing
Organization
Organization and The report is well The report is for the most The report is badly
structure organized and clear. It part well organized and organized and lacks clarity.
adheres to the described clear. It adheres for the most It doesn't adhere to the
format. part to the described format. described format.
Communication The report is well written The report is well written for The report is not well
from start to finish, the most part, with minimal written, and contains
without spelling, linguistic spelling, linguistic and many spelling, linguistic
and grammar errors. grammar errors. and grammar errors.
References
Citation and listing Almost all the references Most of the references (70- References are not
are correctly cited (>90%) 90%) are correctly cited and correctly cited and/or
and correctly listed in the correctly listed in the correctly listed in the
reference list according to reference list according to reference list according to
APA style. Harvard style. APA style.
Marks

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 PRESENTATION
• Introduction and context – speakers set the scene well; the team clearly outlines
the focus and aims of the presentation and why it matters. /5 marks
• Quality of research and narrative – the journey map and the “How might we?”
questions are clear; (10 marks) - A minimum of three possible solutions are
/20 marks
clearly presented; theory from Module I has been applied (10 marks)
• Impact of the presentation – the story is logical, coherent, engages the audience,
and is interesting and well structured; the presentation is creative (10 marks) – /15 marks
the group demonstrated team knowledge and coherence (5 marks).
• Q&A session: questions from the audience were handled well. /10 marks

Total: /50 marks

Report Items Grade

Concept and vision (10 marks)
o Clearly applies the design thinking process and demonstrates the steps.
o Describes the product, service or process linked to the end users’ point of view, and demonstrate
expertise in the issue presented.
o Outlines a brief description of the “problem”
Applying Empathy (10 marks)
o Conduct interviews: at least five interviews should be conducted and a short summary of each
interview should be turned in with your project.
o Create empathy maps for the interviews.
Generating ideas (5 marks)
o Applies at least two of the tools and techniques to actively generate ideas
Approach to innovation (5 marks)
o Based on the idea generation outputs and findings, the group presents the POV
o Discussion on the customer’s needs and insights that inspired the POV

Outcome (10 marks)

o Generate at least three How Might We question
o Develop at least five possible solutions by brainstorming based on the how might we question(s)

Paper Organization, Write up, Grammatical mistakes, General Formatting (10 marks)

Total /50

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