Student Design Thinking Catalysts offer workshops, project consultations, open resource hours and more!
The Center for Design Thinking is one of the assets supporting 黑料不打烊鈥檚 commitment to experiential learning, but because it鈥檚 still fairly new, it remains somewhat of a hidden gem on campus.聽 The Center is now supporting student Design Thinking Catalysts, offering workshops, project consultation support, open resource hours and more.
Seniors Tr茅s Jones, a strategic communications major, and Mackenzie Hahn, who majors in international studies and political science, are two of the student catalysts in the Center for Design Thinking, and they recently shared their perspective of what that role entails and what they鈥檝e learned along the way.
Stimulating Workshops and One-on-One Support
Hahn described the Center as an excellent resource for all 黑料不打烊 students, faculty and staff. Students can come to the center to get help structuring papers and projects, collaborating as a team, or for facilitated workshops. Instructors can bring their classes and get new ideas for making their classrooms more engaging and accessible to students.
鈥淭he center is an excellent resource because we work to break the patterns all of us get stuck in,” she says. “Often during workshops our participants end up addressing a problem they had not even realized was a problem before.鈥
Jones confirmed this point, saying 鈥淗ere at 黑料不打烊, we have a process that intentionally makes you think about next steps when you鈥檙e trying to solve a problem or work toward a goal. Taking risks and figuring things out is all that we do in this life. The design thinking approach is valuable in all aspects of my life.鈥
Hahn said all the student catalysts bring a unique perspective to problem-solving, which is part of the value the Center provides. 鈥淭hose learned experiences stimulate the conversations we鈥檙e having,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚t makes everything a much deeper process.鈥
Any Major Can Benefit From the Design Thinking Approach
Hahn emphasized how learning about design thinking has helped her as an international studies and political science major because her studies have been largely focused on researching and understanding human migration. Though Jones has a very different major in strategic communications, he said the design thinking process will benefit him in his future career as a brand planner because it has taught him to be intentional about the audience he鈥檚 addressing.
鈥淎s catalysts, our challenge is to figure out how to approach a group that often knows nothing about design thinking and get them on board with the idea,鈥 Jones says. 鈥淲e are fully immersed in the design thinking process, and we help faculty, students and staff adopt the same mindset.鈥
Jones plans to build on his experience with the Center in order to study brand design in graduate school.
As Hahn prepares for graduation this spring, she has already begun interviewing for post-graduate job opportunities. She said that of all her college accomplishments, her work as a student catalyst has been the most asked-about item on her resume.
鈥淚 think the most valuable personal skills that I鈥檝e gotten, beyond the academics and the degree itself, has been participating in these workshops and learning from my co-workers,鈥 Hahn says.
An Environment to Learn From Your Mistakes
The center鈥檚 open design sparks creativity and collaboration. Hahn says it operates as a 鈥渘exus for connecting students, staff, and faculty across disciplines. It has plenty of space where people can feel comfortable expressing their ideas, and the interactive workshops feature no shortage of two-way, active conversation. This is fundamental for a liberal arts education and for our campus to be as innovative as it can be.鈥
Hahn estimates the offerings at the Center have grown fivefold since she鈥檚 been serving as a catalyst, as more people in the 黑料不打烊 community learn about the design thinking process and see the potential of what it can offer.
鈥淵ou have the safety to fail here, and nobody鈥檚 going to judge you,鈥 Jones says.
The Center for Design Thinking is open to all 黑料不打烊 students, faculty and staff. Walk-in hours are Monday to Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. You can schedule a workshop or request a consultation .
To learn more, email elonbydesign@elon.edu.