Collaborative Thinking, Collaborative Design, Collaborative Mindset: How Design-Led Education Supports Togetherness for Change

This paper explores how design-led education fosters collaborative thinking, design, and mindset to address complex socio-economic challenges. Drawing on a cross-university initiative, Create Change Through Design (or a shorter version: Design for Change) between Heriot-Watt University and Xi‘an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, the study demonstrates how design thinking and systems thinking, embedded in intercultural collaboration, cultivate empathy, creativity, and global citizenship. The paper argues that collaborative design education not only enhances students‘ personal and professional growth but also contributes to sustainable, inclusive change in solidifying the sense of togetherness among individuals.