Playground for practising design thinking. Training activities and toolkits for teaching problem framing.

This study employs the metaphor of a “playground” to investigate how effective learning environments, along with situated guides and tools, can support non-design students in engaging with the early phases of the design process, specifically design research and problem framing. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks and the authors’ practical experience in applying and teaching design thinking, the research presents a structured, yet flexible, toolkit designed to assist educators in facilitating design-based learning for students with non-design backgrounds. The toolkit was developed and iteratively refined through an action research process conducted across three academic courses. Emphasising empathy, ambiguity navigation, and creative exploration, the toolkit aims to foster design mindsets and enhance students’ problem-framing capabilities. The findings include both practical outcomes, such as the toolkit and associated methods, and pedagogical insights relevant to educators and researchers implementing design thinking in non-design contexts. By examining the opportunities and challenges of transferring design thinking methodologies and practices across disciplines, this study contributes to the broader discourse on design pedagogy and its role in non-design education contexts.