Design thinking and agile practices for software engineering an opportunity for innovation

Abstract

Commonly, the instruction of Software Engineering implements processes that are inherent to the theory and practice of software development. Traditional and Agile methods lay the foundation for building “functional software products” that meet the requirements of a system of a larger scope. However, if we consider software as a product that frequently has the mission of satisfying the needs of human users, we can go beyond the typical “analysis - design - implementation - testing” process, to reinterpret it with the “empathize - define - ideate - prototype - testing” proposed by Design Thinking, a development methodology commonly used in creative and innovative professional settings. In this work, we study the use of Design Thinking as a methodological approach for the instruction of Software Engineering at undergraduate level, in courses that have the particular aim of creating innovative software products from scratch. We describe the similarities and differences between Design Thinking and Software Development Processes, taking as instance Agile Practices. We compare evidence on methods and deliverables produced by students in their learning path using Agile Practices and Design Thinking in two different educational environments. Finally, we discuss coincidences, weaknesses, and opportunities to keep investigating in this topic as a research subject, toward finding practices to promote in students both creativity and technical discipline to develop innovative software solutions.