Purposeful Experimentation in Design Thinking Prototyping: An Interview with Liz Chen

This spring, I had the pleasure of having Liz Chen from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health as a guest speaker in the Design Thinking classroom at the Asian University for Women (AUW). Her talk focused on her research over the past years that culminated in a new design thinking toolkit, published as “The Experimentation Field Book”. Through interactive exercises and customizable templates, the book helps readers translate ideas into actionable experiments, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability. It bridges the gap between the divergent and convergent thinking in design teams, encourages risk taking, and helps teams focus on deliberate experimentation through prototyping.

The book outlines a five-step process for experimentation that is based on extensive research and case studies:

1. Framing Testable Ideas: Ensure all team members have a shared understanding of the concept.
2. Defining Evidence and Success: Establish what success looks like and what evidence is needed to support it before designing the test.
3. Selecting the Test: Choose the appropriate method for testing the idea.
4. Building the Prototype: Create a stimulus to gather feedback.
5. Executing and Analyzing: Run the test, document the results, and iterate based on feedback.

In our interview Prof. Chen clarified what is meant by “experimentation” in the context of design thinking. She emphasized that experimentation involves testing assumptions and hunches before investing significant time and resources into a new idea. This process is integral to identifying viable solutions early and efficiently. She also stressed that “The Experimentation Field Book” is itself a prototype – feedback, questions and suggestions are encouraged.

Interview Recording

Edited Interview Transcript

Stefanie Panke: What first brought you to design thinking? Do you remember when you first encountered the approach and what initially drew you to it?

Liz Chen: I was thrust into this world not by choice originally. Back in 2014, I applied for a grant funded by the Federal Government, and part of the grant required us to learn IDEO’s design thinking methods in their San Francisco office. We then had to apply it to our specific team projects. At that time, I was working on a teen pregnancy prevention and adolescent sexual health intervention, hoping to create some sort of technological solution to improve sexual health outcomes for teens.

Our initial idea was an in-school sex ed app, which was very factual, with quizzes and Q&A. But we were told to hold that thought and first learn design thinking. We had to go back, do design research from scratch, and see if our original idea worked or if we needed to pivot. I was drawn to the methods because they were complementary to my PhD work in health behavior, yet very different. I loved the structured process, the rigor, and the tools available, while still allowing room for exploration and creativity. It also felt like a way to involve more community members in the research process, which can sometimes be limited by traditional methods.

Stefanie Panke: Your background is in public health, but at Innovate Carolina, you apply design thinking to a variety of public policy, societal, and organizational challenges. Could you share some examples of the projects you’ve worked on to give us a sense of the breadth of design thinking opportunities?

Liz Chen: Certainly. At Innovate Carolina, we’re part of the Design and Innovation for the Public Good team. We take on clients both inside and outside the university, staffing many projects with grad students who have received design thinking training. These students come from a variety of backgrounds, like information science and romance languages, which brings diverse perspectives to our projects.

Some internal university projects involve strategic planning, where we help teams figure out next steps in a creative, bottom-up way, rather than top-down. We’ve also contributed to research projects, like using puppet shows to teach about theater co-creation or addressing seafood mislabeling in North Carolina. Outside the university, we’ve been involved in pediatric clinical trials, creating tools to help parents make informed decisions about their children’s participation. The variety of projects demonstrates the versatility of design thinking.

Stefanie Panke: You also use design thinking in the classroom. In your view, what should educators learn about design thinking, and what is its potential for teaching and learning?

Liz Chen: I think learning the basics of design thinking can inform how instructors design or revise courses to meet students’ needs. Each group of students might need something different, so constantly iterating and adapting keeps courses relevant. It’s about creating opportunities for students to practice skills multiple times so they can improve, rather than just doing something once and moving on.

I also believe in the importance of a growth mindset and creative confidence. Students aren’t born smart or creative; they need opportunities to develop those skills over time. It’s essential to create spaces where students can make mistakes, iterate, and improve.

Stefanie Panke: You recently published a new book addressing a common challenge in design thinking: moving from the divergent stage to the convergent thinking stage. Can you explain what motivated the book and why this particular stage is tricky for many design thinking projects?

Liz Chen: The motivation came from collaborating with colleagues who recognized a gap in the field. There are plenty of resources for the front end of design thinking, like ideation, and the back end, like implementation. But there was a lack of tools to guide the middle stage, where we narrow down ideas and decide which ones to move forward. We wanted to create something accessible and rigorous for people to practice rapid prototyping and experimentation.

This stage is tricky because it requires a different skill set. It’s easier to come up with activities for ideation, but narrowing down ideas and testing them strategically is harder to teach. That’s why our book focuses on purposeful experimentation and gives tools to help people make informed decisions about which ideas to pursue.

Stefanie Panke: Can you give an example of one tool from the book that helps with purposeful experimentation?

Liz Chen: One of my favorite tools links assumptions about ideas to the data you need to collect. We often fall in love with our concepts and convince ourselves that we’ll figure out later if they work. But we need to flip that process and first identify the assumptions that must be true for an idea to succeed. Then, we connect those assumptions to data and set thresholds to determine if the idea is worth pursuing.

For example, with a concierge concept for a train station, one assumption might be that having an in-person greeter creates a warm welcome. We’d want to collect data from customers to confirm that this assumption holds true, and we’d set a target, like 50% of customers describing a positive experience. Only after laying out this logic would we start building and testing the concept.

Stefanie Panke: That’s a great example of how to ensure prototypes are effective, not just fun or detailed. When you teach design thinking, what specific skills and competencies do students walk away with?

Liz Chen: One key skill is the ability to differentiate between divergent and convergent thinking, and to plan activities that focus on one or the other. Students also learn to listen better and relinquish control, especially when interacting with community members or customers. They realize that they’re not always in the driver’s seat, and that can be an uncomfortable but valuable growth experience.

Stefanie Panke: In your own work, what inspires you and keeps you iterating on your approach to design thinking?

Liz Chen: I’m a lifelong learner, so I’m always looking for new perspectives and ways to improve. The field of design thinking keeps evolving, whether it’s incorporating equity, ethics, or artificial intelligence. I stay motivated by meeting new people and attending professional events to hear what others are working on, which helps me reflect on my own stance and approach.

Stefanie Panke: Speaking of AI, how do you think generative AI will change the way we practice design thinking?

Liz Chen: I think AI can play a helpful role, especially in idea generation and brainstorming. But I believe it’s important for students to build the muscle of brainstorming without technology first, so they understand the process. Once they have that foundation, AI can expand their options. In public health, for example, we’re using AI to fill in missing data, and I can see a future where AI helps us test prototypes in certain scenarios. However, I don’t think AI will ever fully replace the need for in-person testing and engagement.

Stefanie Panke: What qualities of design thinking do you think are most important to preserve as the field continues to evolve?

Liz Chen: Iterative testing and embracing failure are critical. Design thinking isn’t about getting it right the first time; it’s about learning from mistakes and improving. I also think making things tangible is essential. It’s not enough to just generate new insights; we need to test those insights in real-world applications.

Stefanie Panke: What inspires you outside of your scholarly work? Do you have any creative hobbies?

Liz Chen: I’ve been reassessing my hobbies as my family goes through some life transitions. I’m considering returning to adult ballet classes, which I haven’t done in over two decades. I’ve also taken visual arts courses and have been thinking about creating a children’s book on public health. I believe that engaging in creative activities outside of work helps me approach my university roles with fresh perspectives.

Stefanie Panke: Thank you so much for your time, insights, and creativity. Is there anything else you’d like to mention about your book or current projects?

Liz Chen: Thank you for having me! I’d like to remind everyone that the Experimentation Field Guide is still a prototype in itself. We’d love to hear feedback from anyone who uses it, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with ideas or questions.

Learn More

Experimentation is crucial for innovation, serving as the bridge between idea generation and implementation. In our daily lives, we frequently experiment: We test new recipes, new routes to work, try out a new sport, or teach our dog a new trick. Organizations highly value testing new products, services, and strategies. However, there is a lack of practical advice on designing and conducting effective experiments for design teams. This book is a practical guide for creating and executing useful experiments in real-world settings. It takes readers from various backgrounds and disciplines through the basics of identifying testable ideas, choosing an evidence base, prototyping, and testing, enhancing skills and creativity through an interactive, exercise-based approach.

The authors are creating an educator package to accompany the book for teachers and facilitators, including teaching plans and rubrics for templates.

• Read a preview (PDF)
• Download Assumptions to Evidence Template (PDF)
• Download Test Digest Template (PDF)

About

Liz Chen is an associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior and also serves as the Health Behavior MPH Concentration Lead. Dr. Chen has over a decade of experience as a teacher, public health practitioner, and researcher and earned both her MPH and PhD degrees in this department. Dr. Chen’s research interests are at the intersection of adolescent health, technology and design thinking (i.e. human-centered design). Her current research focuses on how to integrate design thinking mindsets and methodologies into public health training, practice, and research. Dr. Chen has a pan-campus role as Design Thinking Lead for Innovate Carolina, UNC’s office for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development. A native of Westwood, MA, Dr. Chen served as a high school science teacher through Teach For America in Eastern North Carolina before starting her public health training. She was also named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 class for Social Entrepreneurship for her work in developing and launching the Real Talk storytelling app for teens.