Abstract
The complexity of environmental and sustainability challenges has created an ongoing need for innovative and integrated approaches to address them. Design disciplines have a long history. The method “design thinking”, originally applied in architecture, engineering and business, has led to new and creative problem solving, thus creating much potential for use in sustainable development planning. While principles of good design are well established, there has been limited integration of design thinking with environmental science, sustainable development planning and education.
 This research was focused on how a sustainability approach can be merged with design thinking to develop socially responsible and environmentally sustainable products and services. The case study has been carried out in the master’s study course Sustainable Development Planning. Some of basic principles and stages of design thinking, such as empathy, creativity, collaboration, responsibility and interdisciplinary approach have been tested by using students project work evaluation regarding certain criteria and survey after the study course.
 The first results of approbated design thinking principles and methods, significant advantages and disadvantages and the perspective of using this method have been analysed and discussed. As the result from this study proposals for the improvement of the content of this study course and related study courses (a study course on sustainable development issues is compulsory in all undergraduate study programs in Latvia) and for the specification of test tasks have been developed, considering also future needs to provide the study course remotely.
Highlights
Design has long been understood as creating aesthetic, visually beautiful and functional products
Design process is characterized by part of innovations that can take the form of a product, service or systems design, information or infrastructure design, as well as design thinking (DT)
DT strategy, principles and methods are well-developed, it is little integrated into the sustainability science and education for sustainable development (ESD)
Summary
Design has long been understood as creating aesthetic, visually beautiful and functional products. Interpretation of the nature and relevance of design has been historically different, the recipient of design is invariably a human. Design historians believe that just as industrialisation (the first two industrial revolutions) took place, there was a change from society and economy where a human was preparing heritable, long-serving things to a society where things gained short-term value, thereby facilitating their faster turnover of use with a shorter life cycle. As designers work with what could exist in the future, compared with artists and scientists, who are working in the present, it is a complex, holistic and interdisciplinary action. Design thinking (DT) method has historically been much used in solving complex, changing, disputable issues of the interested parties in an integrated way.
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