Blog
Design Thinking: The Ideal Purse Workshop at Global Village
2024-06-14
Introduction
Global Village hosted an exciting workshop that brought creativity and collaboration to the forefront. Inspired by the Stanford University d.school’s Wallet Project, a dedicated member of Global Village organized and facilitated the Ideal Purse workshop. This interactive event guided participants through the innovative process of designing and creating a personalized wallet for a fellow participant, fostering a hands-on learning experience that emphasized empathy, rapid iteration, and teamwork.
The Inspiration: Stanford d.school's Wallet Project
The Ideal Purse workshop drew its inspiration from the Stanford University d.school’s Wallet Project. The Wallet Project is a design thinking exercise that challenges participants to create a wallet that meets the unique needs and preferences of a partner. This project emphasizes understanding the user’s needs, ideating creative solutions, prototyping, and iterating based on feedback. It’s a practical application of design thinking principles that encourages empathy, collaboration, and innovation.
The Workshop Process: Designing and Creating a Personalized Wallet
Participants in the workshop embarked on a journey through the design thinking process, which included several key stages:
- Empathize: The workshop began with participants pairing up and conducting interviews to understand their partner’s needs, preferences, and daily routines. This step emphasized the importance of empathy and deep listening in the design process.
- Define: Based on the insights gathered, participants identified specific challenges and opportunities for improvement in their partner’s current wallet. They formulated a clear problem statement that guided their design efforts.
- Ideate: With a well-defined problem in mind, participants brainstormed a variety of creative solutions. No idea was off-limits during this phase, encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and collaboration.
- Prototype: Participants then moved on to creating low-fidelity prototypes of their wallet designs. Using simple materials such as paper, cardboard, and markers, they built initial models that could be quickly tested and modified.
- Test: The final stage involved sharing the prototypes with their partners for feedback. Participants learned the value of iterative design as they refined their wallets based on their partner’s input, striving to create a product that truly met their needs.
The Impact of the Ideal Purse Workshop
The Ideal Purse workshop was more than just a creative exercise; it was an opportunity for participants to develop crucial skills in empathy, communication, and problem-solving. By engaging in this process, attendees learned how to approach challenges with a user-centered mindset and the importance of iterating on their ideas to achieve better results.
Looking Forward
The Ideal Purse workshop at Global Village was a resounding success, providing participants with a hands-on introduction to design thinking principles inspired by the Stanford d.school’s Wallet Project. Through the interactive process of designing and creating a personalized wallet, attendees honed their skills in empathy, creativity, and collaboration. This workshop emphasized the value of user-centered design and the power of iterative prototyping. As Global Village continues to host innovative events like this, the community grows stronger and more connected, ready to tackle future challenges with creativity and empathy.
