A mix of design thinking, application and case studies, Solving Critical Design Problems: Theory and Practice is a practical resource book for beginning designers to engage in more critical practice.

It explores how design is increasingly used to solve large, complex, modern‑day problems that span design disciplines and worldviews. With myriad examples and 16 case studies from various fields this book demonstrates how various types of design thinking have historically been used to address design challenges, and how designers can implement them with a critical eye. With examples and concepts from international leaders, this book will help readers find novel ways of engaging in design research, problem‑framing and ideation by breaking old habits of mind, biases and assumptions to rethink new approaches to old problems. This new edition includes deep discussion on how to decolonize your mindset and design practice, integrations of topics such as artificial intelligence, data collection, surveillance and monitoring, and health care. New global case studies include the Masai Cow Corridor by cave_bureau, Ice Watch by Olafur Eliasson and Black Diaspora’s by Kholisil Dhilwayo.

With over 100 images to help support and explain the ideas presented in the text, this book will appeal to students in design studies, experience design, industrial and product design and interaction design, as well as landscape and environment design.

Tania Allen is Professor of Design Studies in the Department of Media Arts, Design and Technology at North Carolina State University’s College of Design. She has taught design research and design thinking for over 15 years. Her research focuses on critical cartography and data visualization, employing theories from anthropology, action research, and participatory design to “thicken” data visualization by centering the stories and experiences underlying data collection and communication. As co‑director of the design research group co‑lab, Allen develops methodologies for critical mapping that embrace cartography’s analytic power while challenging embedded assumptions. She is author of Solving Critical Design Problems: Theory and Practice (2018, 2026) and co‑author of articles on critical cartography in digital humanities and Confederate memorialization. Her current work includes research on the impact of racially restrictive covenants on the current housing crisis in Raleigh and the U.S.