Design Thinking

Think-Make-Improve (TMI)


Source: Invent to Learn, Martinez & Stager, 2013

The students are encouraged to use an iterative design cycle such as TMI to help them imagine what they want to make and to maximize time for making.

It's important to be flexible as the design cycle may be used in different ways depending on the problem. For example, a student's project might require a lot of building and fixing and less of sketching designs. It may also need more time for iteration, without needing to share their prototype with the rest of the class

Think

The Think stage may include several processes such as:

  • Finding the problem ("What's the problem that needs to be solved?")

  • Identifying your audience ("Who has the problem?")

  • Asking questions

  • Brainstorming

  • Identifying and asking experts

  • Gathering materials

  • Sketching initial designs

  • Researching

  • Deciding who to work with

Make

The Make stage is where the action occurs. These are what you may see at this stage:

  • Building

  • Tinkering

  • Creating

  • Experimenting

  • Testing strategies or materials

  • Coding or programming

  • Observing others

  • Repairing their creations

Improve

During the making process, students might either:

  • finish their work and be satisfied with their creation.

  • get stuck or find that their project doesn't work.


There is always room for improvement, so students have the choice to make it better, or to fix their creations.


When students get stuck...

How might you help students who are struggling to make, fix or improve their creations? Some students might need help finding a different strategy, or they might need to think of their problem or solution in a different way. Some ways to get them unstuck may include:

  • Observing what their peers have created

  • Talking it out

  • Changing one variable at a time ( or the process of eliminating one incorrect strategy at a time)

  • Doing some more research

  • Using different materials

  • Playing with it

  • Asking an expert

  • Taking a break