Design Thinking in C&T

Design Thinking in the Arts: Creating with Empathy and Purpose 

Across 2025, Springfield’s Art Unit continued to weave Design Thinking from classroom projects to authentic learning experiences and artist collaborations. Rooted in the principles of empathy, ideation, prototyping, and reflection, students were guided to view art-making not merely as production, but as a process of inquiry and purposeful design.

At Lower Secondary, students applied design thinking through projects such as Transitional Spaces and Imaginary Food City, where they observed, empathised, and designed visual responses in response to the big ideas of “Art tells stories about our world”. The Hike It! @ Singapore River learning journey deepened this process, where students explored sculptures as visual responses to commemorate history, connecting artistic intent with social context.

At Upper Secondary, the 2025 National Arts Council Artist in School Scheme Project A Cultural Piece of You exemplified human-centred design and culminated in a fashion design showcase by our Secondary 3 NT Art students. In alignment with syllabus Core Learning Experience (CLE) on Design Immersion, Secondary 3 NT Art students also attended a full-day learning journey to ITE College Central as part of the Secondary 3 NT Art Design Immersion Programme (DIP). Secondary 3 NA students also participated in the IgnITE Challenge where they explored problem-based learning scenarios and gained skills and knowledge on relevant industries and careers in relation to post-secondary pathways.

By fostering curiosity, empathy, and creative confidence, the Art Unit continues to nurture Springfielders as thoughtful designers and reflective creators, ready to make meaning and impact through art.

Design Thinking Experience in Design & Technology

At our school, D&T students experience the full design thinking process as they develop creative solutions that respond to real-world needs and constraints. Through hands-on engagement with resistant as well as mock-up materials, they learn to transform ideas into tangible outcomes while considering function, aesthetics, and sustainability.

In Lower Secondary, students undergo the Design Thinking process through two main projects making toy cars as well as stationery holders. The process begins with a Needs Analysis, understanding the design problem, by articulating the Design Situation, Design Brief, and Design Specifications to clarify and rationalise the design need. This is followed by Research, where students analyse design features of relevant products using the PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) technique to guide idea conceptualisation and development. During Ideation, students explore design possibilities for products such as toy cars and stationery holders through creative approaches like random line sketching and shape borrowing. In the Development stage, they create mock-ups of conceptual ideas to gather user feedback and refine their designs. Finally, through Prototyping, students realise their ideas using wood, developing practical craftsmanship skills while ensuring their designs meet user needs.

In Upper Secondary, students are expected to be inquisitive in seeking worthy design problems to undertake. They are expected to explore themes such as storage or display where their design path will  undergo a series of divergent and convergent steps as they derive a workable solution. D&T emphasises sketching, experimenting, and prototyping using appropriate materials, tools, and machines safely. Through these design-and-make projects, pupils cultivate visual-spatial thinking, aesthetic awareness, and technological understanding. They learn to exercise judgement on design appropriateness in relation to users, functionality, and the environment. Beyond technical proficiency, D&T nurtures values such as empathy, mindfulness, and environmental sensitivity. By turning ideas into physical objects, students gain confidence, pride, and a deeper appreciation of how thoughtful design can make a meaningful difference in everyday life.

Design Thinking in Food and Consumer Education and Nutrition & Food Science

Design Thinking plays an important role in both Food and Consumer Education (FCE) and Nutrition and Food Science (NFS), guiding students to apply empathy, creativity, and problem-solving skills in real-life contexts.

In Nutrition and Food Science, students used Design Thinking to create dishes tailored to their teachers’ preferences. They began by interviewing their teachers to understand their likes, dislikes, and dietary needs. With a set budget, they then worked collaboratively to plan their dishes, purchase ingredients from a supermarket, and return to school to prepare the meals. The activity concluded with the teachers tasting and providing feedback, allowing students to reflect and improve on their creations. Through this process, students learned to balance nutrition, taste, and resource management while applying Design Thinking at every stage — from research to prototyping and evaluation.

For Food and Consumer Education at the lower secondary level, Design Thinking was used to design a healthy dessert for the elderly in Singapore, focusing on the older generation within the students’ own families. Students considered the dietary and physical challenges faced by the elderly, such as weak gums and teeth, reduced motor skills, and the need for affordable, nutritious ingredients. They also learned that the elderly require meals higher in dietary fibre but lower in sugar and salt. In pairs, students created a banana pudding that met these criteria, ensuring it was both accessible and suitable for their intended users.

Design Thinking is also embedded in FCE through students’ Applied Learning Modules, where they are tasked to conduct background research, plan and modify recipes based on a given task question and age group, and independently create their final dish. These experiences empower students to think critically, innovate meaningfully, and apply food science principles in practical and empathetic ways.

Design Thinking in Music

In music lessons, Design Thinking is applied to help students learn creatively and purposefully through performing instruments such as the keyboard or ukulele. Students begin by empathising with their audience — understanding what makes a performance engaging and emotionally resonant. They then define the musical goal, such as performing a pop song confidently or playing in sync as an ensemble. 

During the ideation stage, students explore different strumming patterns, chord voicings, or instrumental textures to enhance their sound. As they prototype, they rehearse, record, and refine their performances based on feedback from peers and teachers. Finally, through testing, they perform for an audience, reflect on the experience, and identify areas for improvement. This process encourages creativity, collaboration, and ownership, allowing students to think critically and perform with greater musicality and confidence.