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”.
This book was created for all those who want to become design thinkers by truly experiencing it. The authors Jeanne Liedtka, Karen Hold, and Jessica Eldridge point out that the innovative potential of design can only be embraced by changing the ways we think and act. That contains the process of becoming a more real and authentic version of ourselves. Therefore it is necessary to dive deep into design experiences to effect positive impacts not only in yourself, but also in your team and organization. With this guide you will be accomplished successfully through different process phases in your personal design thinking journey.
Dr. Assaf Krebs, Co-Director of Design Factory Shenkar
Dr. Krebs holds a B.Des in Visual Communication (Bezalel Academy of Art and Design), and a further BA, MA and a PhD in Classical Studies (Tel Aviv University). He has been working in the field of visual communication for many years and served as a Senior Art Director in Future Brand Israel. Krebs has participated in various art and design exhibitions in Israel and abroad. In recent years he has been part of Material Flow Collective, a group of 12 designers working together on new ecological design thinking methods (Organism 144, the group collaborative design installation will be presented at the Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts and Design in March 2021). Krebs’ academic research focuses on skins and surfaces as a metaphor and epistemological turn in philosophy, psychoanalytic theory and cultural criticism. He is an MC researcher in COST (CA19129) – Decolonizing Development: Research, Teaching and Practice; a researcher in Fish Skin Lab: Developing Fish Skin as Sustainable Raw Material for the fashion Industry (Horizon 2020); and in Theology in the Age of Anthropocene (The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute).
Dr. Yigal David, Co-Director of Design Factory Shenkar
Yigal David has been acting for more than two decades in several VP and CEO positions in various Israeli telecom corporations. He is specialized in corporate strategy and product development. Yigal, a Shenkar’s Industrial Engineer, holds an MBA and Doctorate degree, both from Middlesex University London. Today, he is a faculty member and a lecturer in the School of Industrial Engineering at Shenkar. His research interests include Entrepreneurial Innovation, Product Development, Emerging Technologies, Voice Sentiment Analysis and Consumer Behaviour.
Daniel Altman, Director of Development and Strategy, Open Innovation
Daniel is a former chairperson of “Shenkar Students’ Union” and the co-founder of “Dots – Student Entrepreneurship Club”. He is a Shenkar alumnus, holding an M.Sc & B.Sc from the “School of Industrial Engineering and Management”, with a specialization in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creative leadership. In the past two years, his position was, Shenkar’s ex-president (Former Minister of Education) Prof. Yuli Tamir’s, Advisor for development & strategy. Daniel co-initiated Shenkar’s special projects such as Design Factory Shenkar, SUGAR Network, Global Jamweek, Sustainability R&D Center, and more.
In his session, Indigenous Inspirations: 5 Design Lessons from 5 Tribal Women, Anirban uncovers timeless, empowering design principles drawn from the lived experiences of tribal women across India—and what they reveal about building more sustainable, human-centered futures.
Remember the experiments and challenges you faced while starting a new project? Before 2019, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu didn’t dream a small idea would turn into so many new research projects, competitions to encourage students to innovate and the first D-School in Romania.
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.
In this session, Jeanne Liedtka, United Technologies Corporation Professor of Business Administration, University of Virginia – Darden School of Business, discussed her upcoming book “Experiencing Design: The Innovator’s Journey”.
In a discussion with GDTA President Uli Weinberg, Richard Perez, Founding Director of the Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking (d-school) at the University of Cape Town, and Faculty Members Luke Doman and Mark Jackson talked about how they adapted their programs during Covid-19, using technology that is accessible for all students, and shared their vision for the future of the d-school at UCT.
How passion, collaboration, and persistence turned an idea into a thriving business. Born from one of the first cohorts of the D-School Potsdam, Dark Horse defied the odds to become a sustainable business venture.
In our session held via zoom on April 7th, 2022 at 4:00 pm (CEST) / 10:00 am (EDT), we welcomed our speakers Lynne Martin, Strategic Lead for Design for Business at V&A Dundee, and Annie Marrs, Lead Officer at UNESCO City of Design Dundee. Lynne and Annie talked about “Entangled Values: The Power of Networks”.
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.
The Global Design Thinking Alliance, in collaboration with the IEEE Standards Association and Vienna University of Economics and Business, invited you to the GDTA Spotlight Special Edition “Value-Based Engineering in Design Thinking,” which took place on March 10th, 2022, from 9:00-11:30 am (EST) / 3:00-5:30 pm (CET) via Zoom.
In our last session on June 28th, 2022, at 3:00 pm (CEST) / 09:00 am (EDT), we welcomed our speakers Prof. Dr. Falk Uebernickel, Professor for Design Thinking and Innovation Research at Hasso Plattner Institute, and Dr. Danielly de Paula, Senior Researcher at Hasso Plattner Institute.
In our January 2026 GDTA Spotlight, Ricardo Ruffo (Founder & CEO of Echos) explores how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping Design Thinking — from crafting outputs to stewarding intelligent systems.
Discover how AI can expand imagination, accelerate experimentation, and help teams reframe problems in entirely new ways.
In our talk on February 20th, 2024 four educators from SNS Insitutions Coimbatore, India shared their insights on Design Thinking in education starting with K12 to PhD in several streams. SNS had recently crossed 25yr mark with nearly 14K + student fraternity and nearly 37k+ alma mater. The Design Thinking Framework is applied to improve the quality of teaching methodologies to increase student engagement. For this to come true, one measure introduced is 3P Culture: Purpose, Process, People.
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.
On June 27th, 2023 we welcomed Vindhya Umapathy, Design Thinking Lead at CMR University (Bangalore, India). She spoke on the topic of “Fostering Design Thinking Mindsets amongst University Students“.
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.
Martin Schwemmle: “Future Skills Navigator: Upskilling Humankind For a Better Future”