Method case study - Making design thinking tactile: unlocking meaning and experiences with tactile tools and generative prototypes

Design thinking can feel separated from the embodied exploration of ‘design doing’ by practitioners. Integrating thinking and action together, in embodied tactile activities, is central to design. While design thinking activities offer more embodied forms of thinking to non-designers, there is still more room for tactile engagement, making, and iterative exploration. This case study details ways of integrating ‘tactile thinking’ into design thinking through a focus on two complex healthcare design projects. We detail two tools, Generative Prototypes - artefacts created to generate conversations through enacting use - and Tactile Tools - a physical collaborative workshop facilitation method. In the first context, tactile tools are used to define the problem, which balances the big picture with lived experience in the design of new models of healthcare. In the second context, where the design problem is more defined, Generative Prototypes are used to elicit end-user participation in the medical device development process.