Instructor Resource
Neck, Entrepreneurship, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Chapter Exercises and Projects
Chapter 6: Using Design Thinking
Chapter Learning Objectives:
6.2 Demonstrate design thinking as a human-centered process focusing on
customers and their needs.
6.4 Illustrate the key parts of the design thinking process.
6.6 Demonstrate how to interview potential customers in order to better
understand their needs.
Proposed Activities
Activity 1: Design Thinking
(This can be done solo or as a team exercise; it can be used for online, face–to-face, or a
blended format)
Define design thinking and its role for entrepreneurs. Develop a needs assessment to
identify what people in your community need. You can start by identifying key
demographics and choosing one group.
E.g. You may choose parents of school age children
Dog owners
Where might you go to receive local statistics on the people you are interested in? Who
may have existing data? How would you go about assessing needs? What data collection
methods would you use to understand what these groups need?
Instructor Resource
Neck, Entrepreneurship, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Learning Objectives:
6.2 Demonstrate design thinking as a human-centered process focusing on customers
and their needs.
6.5 Demonstrate how to observe and convert observation data to insights.
6.7 Identify and describe other approaches to design thinking.
Activity 2: Empathy Based Interview
(This can be done solo or as a team exercise; it can be used for online, face–to-face, or a
blended format)
Develop an empathy based interview protocol to capture the experience and needs of a
Learning Objectives:
6.1 Define design thinking.
6.3 Describe the role of empathy in the design thinking process.
6.5 Demonstrate how to observe and convert observation data to insights.
6.7 Identify and describe other approaches to design thinking.
Instructor Resource
Neck, Entrepreneurship, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Activity 3: Empathy Map
(This can be done solo or as a team exercise; it can be used for online, face–to-face, or a
blended format)
Develop an empathy map based on the learning about the experience of someone who
is different than you. What was this process like? What did you learn? What was difficult
about this process?
Learning Objectives:
6.3 Describe the role of empathy in the design thinking process.
Activity 4: Brainstorming
(This can be done solo or as a team exercise; it can be used for online, face–to-face, or a
blended format)
Conduct a brainstorming session and abide by the IDEO’s brainstorming rules listed in
your chapter to address the following questions in your text (or you can come up with
your own questions).
• How might we enhance the entrepreneurship education experience of students?
• How might we improve how the elderly live independently?
• How might we redesign how adults learn in virtual worlds?
Learning Objectives:
6.2 Demonstrate design thinking as a human-centered process focusing on customers
and their needs.
6.4 Illustrate the key parts of the design thinking process.
6.7 Identify and describe other approaches to design thinking.