Systems and creative thinking and student experience of design

The design process takes an initial idea or problem and converts it to a final product or solution. Some state that creative thinking occurs when the initial idea is novel and becomes a valued product for a specific application. A definition of systems thinking states it as a means for working through the design process. It helps define a phenomenon holistically-by its contents, objectives, interactions, relationships, and environment- and uses analysis and synthesis to form new conclusions. This paper describes the basic theories behind systems thinking and creative thinking and relates them to the design process. The paper emphasizes the application of system and creative thinking in the freshman design course at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). This course emphasizes the use of systems and creative thinking in its instruction and application of the design process.