The development of creativity and design ability in a group of undergraduate students enrolled in a design course were explored in this study. A review of literature was used to develop a coding scheme that integrated the domains of creativity, design, and activity theory which was then applied to content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). This study used a mixed methods research design and an activity system analysis (Engeström, 2014; Jonassen, 2002). Participant surveys, design journals, and interviews were used to assess the students’ design thinking traits during the 15-week course duration. The overarching finding of this study was a description of how a community emerged among the students and instructor. This community acted as a collective design tool to help the students expand their design creativity. The data supporting this finding were as follows: (1) high levels of learner autonomy supported participants’ motivation; (2) the course community provided extended time and opportunities for practice; and (3) participants’ final reflections centered on experience within the community and newly felt creative agency (Karwowski & Beghetto, 2018; Royalty et al., 2014). How this occurred is discussed, a five-factor model of the course activity system is proposed, and an assessment instrument for similar courses is provided. Guidelines for the design and implementation of similar courses are proposed, and suggestions for continued research are offered.