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FEAFN2002 Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving

Design thinking is an iterative problem solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge. The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, architecture, and fashion. Yet increasingly design as a discipline is expanding to include not just the shaping of artifacts but also the ways people interact with systems, services, and organizations. As the challenges and opportunities facing society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse, an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward. In Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving, students will develop skills as ethnographers, visual thinkers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of seminar discussions and collaborative projects. Case studies from different organizations that use design thinking to understand design process and outcomes are examined. Students will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. An overview of design thinking is provided and students will work with a model containing tools to help them understand design thinking as a problem solving approach. Over the course of the semester, students will directly apply what they have learned to public service and social entrepreneurial challenges about which they are passionate by producing a product in response to an articulated problem.

Credit points
15
EFTSL
0.125
Band
Band 3

Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) unit fee

A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is one that is subsidised by the Australian Government, which means students only pay the student contribution amount of the tuition fee. CSPs are only available to eligible domestic students.

The student contribution amount depends on the unit and how much funding the Government provides. Each unit is classified into a band based on its discipline (which may be different to your overall course discipline).   

2025 student contribution amount: $1,655


2025 grandfathered student contribution amount (for students who commenced before 1 Jan 2021*): $1,655

* If you are a continuing student (who commenced your course before 1 January 2021) you will continue paying the same amount as you would have, had legislative reforms not been implemented for any units that would otherwise have an increased student contribution amount.

Clinical Psychology & Professional Pathways 

For Clinical Psychology & Professional Pathways bands, the student contribution amount is determined by the accredited course. Visit our CSP page for further information, including a list of accredited courses. Students not studying in an accredited course will pay the fees listed above. 

Domestic full fee–paying places

A domestic full fee–paying place is one that isn’t subsidised by the Australian Government. These places are offered to postgraduate students or those who are ineligible for a CSP. Domestic postgraduate tuition fees are course-based annual fees, which means individual unit fees vary according to the degree. To find out more about domestic tuition fees and view the relevant fee schedule visit our fees website. 

International full fee–paying places

International tuition fees are course-based annual fees and the unit fee you pay will vary according to the degree you are studying. To find out more about international tuition fees and view the relevant fee schedule visit our fees website