#dconfestival

[mgekeler]

Really great to hear #designthinking stories from across the world at the #dconfestival @dschoolatuct https://www.instagram.com/p/CjnCiOaImVL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[atlastalisman]

Collaborating with D.Collective for DConFestival2017 in Berlin. Creating a participatory design thinking experience of 1) Reading the space 2) Feeling the space 3) Playing the space. All set in the awe-inspiring Axica building designed by Frank Gehry.

[system180-blog]

Interview mit Anton, Produktmanager von System 180 zu den Upgrades 2017, der Design Thinking Line®.

[furmanbydesign-blog]

d.confestival Rewind: Good Morning, Potsdam!

At Furman, we're stepping outside of the box to develop new understandings about our roles as learners, teachers and designers in a complex world of constant flux.  Last month, a team from Furman traveled to the Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking in Potsdam, Germany to attend the d.confestival, the world's first conference on design thinking. Over the course of the three-day event, the Furman team met with thought leaders in higher education, social innovation, technology, management and a number of other fields to explore design thinking as tool for creating sustainable solutions for complex problems.   Through a series of workshops and active discussions with experts, we put the creative problem-solving method to work with teams of people from around the world. See below for a day-by-day recap of the d.confestival and stay tuned for updates and projects stemming from our visit to the d.school! Day 1: Opening Session, as told by Ben Riddle

 This conference was one of those times where the right conversation in the right place and the right time would lead to exciting opportunities for collaboration. After taking my seat in the main lecture hall before the opening session, I took note the diversity of the faces in the room. Thinkers from Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, Indonesia, the Americas and the Middle East were on hand to explore the field of design thinking as a global community.  Uli Weinberg, director of the HPI d.school in Potsdam, opened the conference by shedding light on the HPI design thinking program, which includes two semesters of intensive training for graduate students in any field. The last class of students at the HPI d.school was comprised of 125 students from 75 different disciplines, hailing from 60 different universities! During their first semester, students work together in interdisciplinary teams, applying the method and learning from their own mistakes to build creative confidence. In the second semester, students collaborate with partners from companies to solve real world problems with real world implications - these are classes with tangible outcomes. 

Hasso Plattner, cofounder of software giant SAP, was second to take the stage. In his d.note presentation, Plattner outlined the important role that human-centered design has played in the the success of his company. Plattner showed how design thinking brings "something like creative chaos to a company in a permanent way", stating that we need to forget about typical worries and constraints that often arise when solving problems - "Let us think free from constraints when we build something". According to Plattner, when designing a solution with people in mind, we should think first about desirability, then feasibility, then viability. Hasso capped his presentation by stating, "Let's get back to the place where we were creative, when we were all equal as children." After Hasso's d.note presentation , a rapid-fire series of talks explored the implementation of design thinking in a corporation or organization. Key points from these presentations are listed below:

- When implementing design thinking in an organization for the first time, have strong partners at the grassroots, management and administrative levels. 

- "It's not about creating one dream team; it's about all teams dreaming". 

- Current success is one of the largest inhibitors to future innovation. - Complexity is not a key for creating successful solutions. There is beauty in simplicity.  - Design thinking is about creating with intentionality. - "It's hard to get out of the same boring assumptions when you're sitting in the same gray box that you've always sat in."  The d.confestival is only the beginning of our journey forward.   Stay tuned for the next d.confestival Rewind: Afternoon of Day 1. 

[thomasboth]

Working the circus tent of the

[furmanbydesign-blog]

Design Think the Future

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to problem solving that is meant for any field of life. This method sparks collaboration between creative and analytical thinkers, ensuring that solutions that are built using both sides of the brain. By focusing on empathy, teams of learners from different backgrounds are able to innovate based on actual needs and desires, ensuring that concepts are both impactful and sustainable.

Over time, the spheres of social science, art, business, engineering and design have influenced the Design Thinking process. Originally pioneered at Stanford University in California, Design Thinking is actively studied and scientifically explored at the Stanford d.school and the Hasso Plattner Insitute of Design, along with other leading institutions around the world.

Design Thinking allows the line between teacher and student to blur. By working together, teams of lifelong learners practice the process, adapt it to unique circumstances and apply it to their own challenges. Design Thinking is based on three basic insights:

1. Collaboration: Radical collaboration in strong, multidisciplinary teams leads to innovative ideas beyond the obvious.

2. Iteration: Since the first idea might not be the best solution, an iterative process is passed through multiple times: understand, observe, define point of view, brainstorm, prototype and test.

3. Flexibility: An open and flexible environment creates a culture of collaboration and influences the creation of ideas.

Design Thinking is engaged learning at its core. On September 20th, a team from Furman University will take part in the d.confestival, the world’s first global conference on Design Thinking. At the HPI Institute in Potsdam, Germany, Furman will learn from thought leaders and work with innovators to design-think the future. Back on campus, we’ll begin to map out the future of Design Thinking at Furman. Join us.

  For more information and links about design thinking, check out this LiveBinder.