HCI Education: Innovation, Creativity and Design Thinking

Abstract—Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) education needs re-thinking. In this paper, we explore how and what creativity and design thinking could contribute with, if included as a part of the HCI curriculum. The findings from courses where design thinking was included, indicate that design thinking contributed to increased focus on innovation and creativity, as well as prevented too early fixation on a single solution in the initial phases of HCI design processes, fostering increased flexibility and adaptability in learning processes. The creativity and adaptability may be the best long-term foci that HCI education can add to its curriculums and offer to students when preparing them for future work practices. Keywords-HCI; innovation; creativity; design thinking; education. I