The Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design, better known as the d.school, was founded in 2005. The d.school is a hub for innovators at Stanford.
Design thinking, i thought, was never the simple culmination of a thousand sticky neon squares, posted and reposted on walls and whiteboards in the loft-style, high-end d.school. But then, what is it for?
Design thinking classes are focused on “creating innovators rather than any particular innovation,” and the art of design thinking is best learned by doing. On another d.school webpage, design thinking is defined as “a methodology for innovation that combines creative and analytical approaches and requires collaboration across disciplines.”
Among the keys to design thinking is the idea of empathy. Design thinking is understanding your audience before you can create a solution to the problem.
If you want to get more information, they publish great articles on medium:
https://medium.com/stanford-d-school