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An integral element of education in Computer Science studies is a two-semester course “The software
team project.” In this course, last-year BSc students develop practical applications and acquire
techniques of application design and development, learn to work in teams as well as use support tools
in non-trivial software projects implemented in the full cycle of software project developing. The team
project imitates the work of employees in the real software-developing companies. Student projects
are carried out in different, often interdisciplinary, areas. The course was divided in a classical way
into the design (first semester) and implementation (second semester) stages.
An important didactic element of the course “The software team project” is the software developing
model used and the management process. The originally of course assumed cascade model of
application implementation, managed by classical methods. Now, this methods are evolving towards
such modern approaches as the Agile Method and Design Thinking.
Design Thinking is a new approach to software design which focuses on the acquisition of end-user
requirements and involves the end-user in the evaluation of solutions from the initial stages of
application developing. Depending on the specific situation, the future end-user in the student’ projects
is a representative of the company on the order of which the project is implemented, a lecturer
conducting the classes or a member of the group – the discipline leader, setting the requirements.
The article presents examples of the application of the method of Design Thinking in various ongoing
projects with different types of end users. Conclusions regarding the implemented approach, its
effectiveness and directions for further improvement actions are also presented in the article.
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