The YCP squad will organize two workshops on Design Thinking.

The 1st workshop will be tailored to the students’ needs (19 & 20th of May from 0900 – 12.00 AM) whereas another one on the 23rd & 24th of May (0900 – 1200 AM) will be delivered to the staff members. Both of the workshops will be delivered on the Chania campus and will be for free (for up to 20 people per workshop).

A few things about the Design Thinking follow:

Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown.

The Benefits of Design Thinking

All design starts with a felt need. Whether we are designing an object, a process, a curriculum, a space—whatever—we are always designing for an end-user. And the end-user is usually a fellow human (which is why Design Thinking is also known as “human-centered design”). Design Thinking begins from that simple fact: designing is always “designing for” someone. It provides a process for uncovering underlying needs through empathy, and then for designing a new-to-the-world innovation that will delight users’ by satisfying their needs.

All innovation starts with seeing things differently. Looking at a need with fresh eyes, with what Zen philosophy calls a beginner’s mind, can also help us to come up with new solutions. Design thinking is a process that helps us to take on that beginner’s mind as we approach a need or problem, asking broad questions like “how might we?” and “What if we,” without constraints. Though constraints will need to be considered later in the process, broader thinking in the early stages as we build prototypes can help us to find those “new-to-the-world” ideas that bring about real design success.

All successes start with failures. One of the key principles of Design Thinking is that design requires trial and error. Of course, trial and error are only useful because of what follows error—learning how to improve what we have designed. Design Thinking is based on this process of intelligent, fast, and inexpensive failure that frees us from “analysis paralysis,” and instead has a bias toward action. By using “rapid prototyping” followed by testing and reiteration, the process allows for continuous improvement that involves potential end-users.

This methodology has proven successful in many fields of work, inspiring wider and more creative thinking. This workshop will help you to become more empathetic, to see more clearly the deep needs of those for whom you are designing, and to design with boldness.

To follow the workshop please register on the following link – https://forms.gle/ebNxd9YpUmLJhNLW8 or contact Dr. Petridis (cpetridis@hmu.gr).