Design thinking in hospitality education and research

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to outline why design thinking is an engaging process and provide a methodical framework to approach complex, multi-disciplinary problems in ways that consistently yield solutions that are successful and often creative in unpredictable ways. It is a framework for thinking about complex, multidisciplinary problems and the one that applies to just about anything.

Design/methodology/approach

Service design is all about taking a service and making it meet the user and customer needs for that service. It can be used to improve an existing service or to create a new service from scratch. To adapt to service design, the designer will need to understand the basic principles of service design thinking and be able to focus on it.

Findings

This paper explores the possibilities for applying design thinking in the hospitality industry in general and hospitality education and research in particular. The functional areas of the hospitality profession are explored, evaluated and then integrated as a holistic design to provide coherence, connectivity and linkages.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates an application of design thinking to hospitality research and education.

Citation

Bhushan, S. (2019), "Design thinking in hospitality education and research", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 449-457. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-04-2019-0022