Developing the Creative Abilities and Competencies of Future Digital Professionals

This article describes the development of recommendations for using the project thinking approach in training and university education of future digital economy specialists. An overview of the key design thinking methodologies is presented. Recommendations for implementing the design thinking approach in academic disciplines are given through an example of a step-by-step description of a specific case. The design thinking approach aims to develop a person's creative abilities through empirical rules and experience, emotional intelligence and recognizing the value of other people's opinions. The article describes the methods used in design thinking: visualization tools (empathy, customer journey, and stakeholder maps), Customer Development tools, guerrilla ethnography, POV articulating, and rapid prototyping. The article also presents the primary tools used in design workshops for developing innovative ideas and adaptive problem solving. A case in formulating design thinking, titled "How can one improve the impression left on the students of professional refresher courses?" is detailed and accompanied by comments on the solutions the participants of presented design workshops.