At our GDTA Spotlight session on May 23rd, 2023, we welcomed Guido Caicedo, Executive Director of i3lab, Dr. Sharon Guamán-Quintanilla, Academic Coordinator, and Isabel Alcívar, Lecturer and Design Thinking Facilitator. They discussed about “Turning freshmen into DThinkers.”
In this spotlight, the experience of ESPOL University (Ecuador) in implementing a mandatory design thinking course for all freshmen students were presented. The session included the story behind the decision to create this course as part of the curriculum, challenges faced, lessons learned, how it is currently taught, and the results of its application on students’ skills (problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork).
Guido Caicedo is a professor of engineering and entrepreneurship at ESPOL. He has an M.Sc. in Computer Science and a Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin and ESPOL. His extensive experience and knowledge have allowed him to lead teams of technology companies that have developed services on online platforms. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded two Internet security companies and was a product manager for another company that marketed the first secure online credit card platform and the first electronic magazine distribution platform in Latin America. He has spent around 18 years helping other entrepreneurs develop and boost their businesses. His mantra is Create Value Now.
Sharon Guamán has a PhD in Business Economics and Educational Sciences, a degree obtained from the University of Ghent (Belgium). The subject of her doctoral thesis and her research products have been focused on the specialized analysis of the Design Thinking methodology on the development of 21st century skills among university students. She works as academic coordinator at i3lab-ESPOL and has been a university professor for more than 6 years in the areas of projects, innovation, and entrepreneurship. She has also been a facilitator of workshops in the areas mentioned above for private and public, national, and international institutions.
Isabel Alcívar is dedicated to improve work systems. She is a professor for the Industrial Engineering program & i3lab at ESPOL. She teaches courses on Design Thinking, Ergonomics and Process Optimization. Her professional and research interests lie at the intersection of Industrial Engineering and Design Thinking: particularly, how design thinking contributes to design better engineering solutions for manufacturing & service processes, and to develop essential skills. She also works with student clubs to promote creative acts in undergraduate students. She holds a MS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University (USA) and BS in Industrial Engineering from ESPOL (Ecuador).
Design Thinking has been reshaping the minds of many students and professionals globally for the past 20 years and is fast becoming the winning mindset that drives innovation and solutions to complex problems of our time. The mindset has seen major support from academia and professional networks with some great expansion over the years.
How can Design Thinking drive real change? Since 2015, Impact Week has evolved from a volunteer initiative into a thriving social enterprise, empowering communities, fostering skills, and sparking impactful social businesses.
In 2022, the Global Design Thinking Alliance (GDTA) set out to celebrate Design Thinking coming of age, as well as the discipline’s global expansion.
At this GDTA session on June 15, 2021, Alejandro Rodriguez, Associate Director for Industrial Design Department at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and his team talked about “Education and Design Thinking: How Tecnológico de Monterrey is applying Design Thinking across all their campus, education and innovation.”
On September 12th, 2023 we welcomed our speakers Jessica Menold, Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and also Dr. Matt Parkinson, Professor of Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University.
In our session held via zoom on February 17th, 2022 at 3:30 pm (CET) / 9:30 am (EST), we welcomed our speaker Jeanne Liedtka from UVA Darden School of Business.
The D-School Potsdam is stepping into a new chapter! With a fresh brand identity and an updated teaching structure, they continue to push the boundaries of Design Thinking education. At the GDTA Spotlight: “Crafting Tomorrow”, Monika Frech, co-head of the academic program team shared
Transform with Design presents examples of creative organizations across industries and geographies, and recounts the stories of how they adapted design thinking to build their innovation capabilities. Written by leading industry experts and design-thinking scholars, the book features ten anecdotal experiences by professionals who detail the implementation of design thinking as it unfolded for them. Contributors share how they navigated the many barriers and obstacles they encountered along the way and describe their experience from early beginnings to the present, revealing valuable lessons for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
In this session, Dr. Assaf Krebs, Dr. Yigal David, and Daniel Altman of GDTA member institution Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art talked about: “Intermediate spaces – Two perspectives on engineering, design, Design Thinking, and life itself. From Sound Engineering to Human Surfaces”.
Adam Somlai-Fischer, Co-Founder of Prezi, shared how a personal challenge sparked a global storytelling revolution. Discover the magic of spatial visual storytelling, AI’s role in transforming presentations, and the impact of LLMs on visual thinking.
At our GDTA Spotlight session on January 18th, we were welcoming our speakers Isabella Stranger, Gastón Roca and Yael Gitman from D-School Chile. They talked about how the first Latin American D-School came to life at the very core of a Chilean University, what they have built in 3 years of history, and what challenges they are hoping to tackle next.
At our GDTA Spotlight session on November 12th, Maria Stashenko, Director, Design Thinking Center Moscow, talked about “Innovation Pace in Times of Pandemic: Research Insights”.
Martin Schwemmle: “Future Skills Navigator: Upskilling Humankind For a Better Future”
In a discussion with GDTA President Uli Weinberg, Ricardo Ruffo and Reinaldo Campos from Echos Innovation Lab in Brazil shared how they are creating online Design Thinking learning experiences between Australia and Brazil.
On Tuesday, May 21st we held a free interactive 60-minute session with Maria Stashenko & her team form Design Thinking Center Asia. After a brief introduction everyone played a round of their game live online:
Join us for a free session of the GDTA Spotlight on Tuesday, June 18th at 9.00 am SAST / 7.00am GMT for “Connecting the African Design Thinking Community: An Emergent Learning Network” with Jenni van Niekerk!