Think-maps: teaching design thinking in design education

A pedagogical framework for design learning and design teaching termed Think-Maps is introduced, presented and demonstrated. In this framework, domain knowledge becomes explicit as a significant component to be taught and transferred in design education. The Think-Maps framework proposes that by constructing a conceptual map that reflects one's thinking in a domain, we make explicit the knowledge learned. The learner constructs structured representations of concepts and their relationships to other concepts and fills these structures with the content of the specific design domain or design task. This resulting structured representation of knowledge can later be accessed and expanded in additional processes of design thinking. Web-Pad - a computational tool that implements these ideas is presented and illustrated. Web-Pad is used for organizing and representing conceptual maps of a specific domain. The Think-Maps framework and the Web-Pad tool are demonstrated in an educational environment. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.