This study aims to develop a curriculum to enhance the design thinking of art and design students in higher vocational education in Guangzhou, China, and assess the effectiveness of its implementation. Collected data using the Design Thinking Scale (DTLS). A total of 31 participants came from majoring in art and design at a higher vocational college in Guangzhou, China. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the mean and standard deviation of design thinking before and after, and paired sample t-tests were used to detect significant differences between design thinking pretest and post-test. The results showed that participants in the curriculum preferred specific strategies, and there were significant differences between before and after the test. Therefore, it provides evidence that the curriculum developed in this study has potential and feasibility and positively impacts students' design thinking abilities. This study provides an in-depth curriculum analysis and integrates educational theories, teaching models, and practical perspectives to enhance students' design thinking abilities. In addition, curriculums that enhance students' design thinking abilities can provide appropriate guidance for students and professional educators. The results of this study can serve as a teaching medium and method for evaluating students' design thinking abilities in art and design curriculums.