: 10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V5I4P124
Ardiaz Ajie Aryandika. "A Design Thinking Approach to Mitigating Socio-Digital Pathologies: The Case of Online Gambling and Illegal Lending in Indonesia" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 201-207, 2026. Crossref. http://doi.org/10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V5I4P124
The rapid advancement of digital technology has given rise to two critical social problems in Indonesia: online gambling (judi online) and illegal online lending (pinjaman online ilegal). Both phenomena exploit digital accessibility, low financial literacy, and social peer pressure to trap individuals, particularly the youth, in cycles of addiction and debt. This study applies the Design Thinking methodology to analyse, define, and propose solutions to these interrelated social issues through a user-centred approach. Using primary data from surveys and interviews, combined with secondary literature analysis, this study identifies key pain points, including psychological dependency, financial loss, data exploitation, and social disintegration. The proposed solutions include a social media educational campaign to raise awareness of online gambling and a digital cooperative lending platform (koperasi simpan pinjam online) registered with the Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK) as a safe financial alternative. Prototype testing demonstrated positive user reception, with constructive feedback for refinement. The findings affirm that empathy-driven iterative design processes can generate meaningful and scalable responses to complex socio-digital challenges in Indonesia.
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Online Gambling, Illegal Online Loans, Design Thinking, Financial Literacy.