How computational thinking and design thinking can help you keep up with AI technology
Do you want to keep up with how quickly technology is changing? The best way to do this is by learning to use computational thinking and design thinking.
Computational and design thinking are key skills to help you take advantage of today’s technology. Photo: ShutterstockImagine waking up to your alarm clock playing your favourite song of the week. Your coffee is automatically being made by a machine. Your lessons for the day are designed just for you. This is not a scene from a film. It is something you could experience now thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).
Technology is changing quickly every day. To keep up, you should learn two skills: computational thinking and design thinking.
Computational thinking helps us solve the problem in a correct way
Have you ever faced a difficult problem and thought, “How do I solve this?” That is when you can try using computational thinking. This approach breaks down big problems into smaller parts that are easier to handle. It encourages you to look for patterns or trends in data to explain why this problem is happening.
For example, you can use computational thinking to organise a school event. First, you break the project into smaller parts. Then, look at past events to see what went well. Use that information to help you create a timeline with goals to keep everything on track.
Design thinking helps us solve the correct problem
Design thinking encourages you to ask questions like: “How can I create something that people will enjoy?”
This approach is focused on empathy, or understanding what people need. You also use creativity to make solutions that are fun and helpful.
You can try using design thinking to create a new app. First, talk to people to understand the problems they have with current apps. Then, define how your app can help them in a creative and easy way. Finally, put your app to the test to see if it works.
Thinking in AI
AI is changing our world in many areas of work, and it could improve our lives. Computational thinking and design thinking can help us work with AI to create new technology. If you use these approaches, you can affect how AI develops.
Here are two examples of how AI works with computational and design thinking.
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Large language models (LLMs): Think of LLMs like ChatGPT as personal tutors. With a tough essay topic, LLMs can help you break it down into specific ideas to research. It can also find patterns in your writing style to give advice for improvements. In the end, this leads to a solution for a better essay.
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Recommendation systems: Platforms like Netflix and Spotify use AI to understand what you like watching or listening to. This process is an example of design thinking. The company shows empathy for what users want to watch or listen to. It defines the user’s favourite genres of shows and music to improve their experience. Then, the company tests their ideas to see how users respond, and it continues improving its suggestions.