Introducing Alternative Value Proposition Canvases for Collaborative and Blended Design Thinking Activities in Science and Engineering Education

Abstract

The value proposition canvas introduced in 2015 by Pigneur et al. is broadly used by entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to create new services and products. We decided to apply it for collaborative and blended design thinking activities in a specialization in human-Computer interaction for master students in computer and data sciences. While being very useful, the original value proposition canvas relies on a business-oriented vocabulary not familiar to science and engineering students. Moreover, its underlying profit-oriented objective makes it difficult to focus on impact and trust-oriented design activities. In this paper, we propose two alternative value proposition canvases, one dedicated to sustainability for development and one to explainability for artificial intelligence. The motivations why and the ways how these alternative canvases were elicited and used in higher education are also discussed.