CONFERENCES
E&PDE 2026 - 28th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education
The Conference will bring together representatives from education and industry interested in sharing new perspectives on design education.
Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
UNCOVERING NEUTRALITY: A CRITICAL PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BIAS IN DESIGN THINKING FRAMEWORKS
Raghani, Smruti
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Buck, Lyndon; Brisco. Ross; Bohemia, Erik
Author:
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
Symbiosis Institute of Design, Symbiosis International (Deemed) University, India
Page(s):
103 - 108
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-1-912254-24-8
ISSN:
3005-4753
Abstract:
The design thinking framework has become one of the central pedagogical approaches in contemporary product and design education. Models such as Double Diamond and Human Centered Design are examples of the same. These frameworks encourage creativity, teamwork, as well as compassion towards the user. At the same time, they also tend to cover underlying social and cultural assumptions. Many of these core principles are indirectly rooted in the Western, heteronormative, and able bodied perspective. Because of this, users from diverse cultural, gendered, and embodied backgrounds are unintentionally excluded.This paper adopts a critical design pedagogy perspective to examine how such frameworks shape students’ understanding of users, design problems, and potential solutions. This study investigates three design schools which are operating in different cultural context . The investigation is based on the qualitative comparative method. It studies and analyzes the curriculum material, studio evluations and student reflections to identify where bias is noticed, predominantly in empathy mapping, stakeholder prioritization, and prototyping activities. Results show that consistent models of the “universal user” often support limited viewpoints and confine opportunities for inclusive innovation. The research debates that questioning the assumed neutrality of design thinking is essential for developing design education that is both innovative and socially unbiased. Such a methodology ensures that future designers are prepared to produce products and services that honestly reflect the diversity of human experience.
Keywords:
