Developing User-Centered Design Thinking Skills Through Collaborative Projects

This study explores the development of User-Centered Design Thinking (UCDT) skills through collaborative projects. The objective was to assess how team-based design challenges can enhance participants' design thinking competencies, including empathy, ideation, and iterative problem-solving. A total of 50 participants, divided into 10 teams, worked on real-world design problems over 6 weeks. Quantitative data was collected through pre- and post-project assessments, while qualitative data was gathered from user feedback and weekly reflections. The results showed a significant improvement in UCDT skills, with an average increase of 36.4% in skill development. A strong positive correlation (????=0.74) was found between collaboration efficiency and skill improvement, highlighting the role of effective teamwork in fostering design thinking competencies. User feedback scores further confirmed the high quality of the solutions produced. The findings suggest that collaborative projects are an effective pedagogical tool for developing UCDT skills, offering important implications for both educational curricula and professional design practices. Future research with larger sample sizes is recommended to further validate these results.