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Unboxing Creativity | Design Thinking Workshop by GID Lab Interns
November 29, 2023, 12:30-1:30 pm, MLG 203
The 2023 Fall Quarter GID Lab Interns created and led a peer design thinking workshop titled “Unboxing Creativity”. The goal was to give students from across campus insight into how design thinking can be used to address everyday problems, as well as larger global challenges.
The workshop which drew twelve participants, began with the Lost on a Desert Island icebreaker. Students were divided into small groups, given a list of random objects, and the scenario that they are stranded on a deserted island. Each group selected three objects that they would bring to the island and then described why to the larger room.
Following the icebreaker the participants used the 5 whys exercise to drill down on a problem that was causing them stress and then came up with ideas to meet their challenges. Long commute times, jump starting a career while still in school, and balancing course work with professional development opportunities were some of the challenges that students addressed.
After the 5 whys exercise students built protypes that visualized their solutions, including an interactive calendar, redesigning a commute to reflect new travel times and routes, and an “education circuit” where learning underpinned everything inside and outside of school.
GID Lab Intern Maria Babko said about Unboxing Creativity, “producing the workshop for students was a fun learning opportunity. We were able to put our design thinking coursework in action and have impact!”
Jannat Musawi, Fall 2023, Winter 2024
arrow_drop_down_circleJannat Musawi
Jannat Musawi is a junior double majoring in Psychology and Social Welfare, minoring in Global Honors. Born and raised in Iraq, Jannat wants to use her experience and learning as a GID intern “to return to Iraq and help tackle some of the country's most pressing issues through innovative and creative approaches.”
Cecil Susi, Fall 2023, Winter 2024
arrow_drop_down_circleCecil Susi
Senior Cecil Susi is majoring in Computer Science and Systems, minoring in Global Innovation and Design. “The internship is giving me the opportunity to apply design thinking skills to hands-on projects across campus and beyond. I enjoy getting to work collaboratively with fellow students to design more inclusive and creative spaces for our community.”
Angelina Akinshev, Spring 2023
arrow_drop_down_circleAngelina Akinshev
Angelina is a junior majoring in Urban Design, minoring in Sustainable Urban Development, and pursuing a certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She is passionate about using innovative design to better the lived experiences of people because she sees design thinking as foundational for creating better urban and other lived environments.
Maria Babko, Spring 2023, Fall 2023
arrow_drop_down_circleMaria Babko
Maria is a senior double majoring in Communication and Computer Science, minoring in Innovation and Design. She is part of IRIZE, a project that strives to provide free period products on the UW Tacoma campus. She also interns at Degrees of Change, an organization that trains diverse leaders to build more vibrant and equitable communities.
Tien Cao, Spring 2023, Fall 2023
arrow_drop_down_circleTien Cao
Tien, a senior, is majoring in Photo/Media and minoring in Innovation and Design. Tien creates user experiences that exceed expectations, continuously seeking ways to improve human-technology interaction in real-world challenges. She is excited to continue learning and push the boundaries of design to produce meaningful programs that positively impacts the community.
Marissa Morris, Winter 2023
arrow_drop_down_circleMarissa Morris
Senior Marissa Morris is majoring in Communications and minoring in Global Innovation and Design. “The GID Award has given me the opportunity to practice design thinking outside of the classroom. This program has facilitated a space for challenging my mind as I have had to think carefully about ways to problem solve within the campus community. Also, I enjoy the collaborative aspect, working within a team has been exciting and motivating.”
Santino Wong, Winter 2023
arrow_drop_down_circleSantino Wong
Senior Santino Wong is majoring in Communications and double minoring in Teaching, Learning and Justice and Global Innovation and Design. “The GID Award has inspired me to think more broadly about how I can apply design thinking in communications and education, as well as address community issues. The Award has helped me develop skills that will be valuable in graduate school, as well as in my career in special education.”
Aaliya Jones Spring 2022, Fall 2022
arrow_drop_down_circleAaliya Jones
Aaliya Jones is a junior working to obtain her degree in Urban Design and a Minor in Innovation and Design. With a background in interior design, she brings her focus, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.
“Under the guidance of the Global and Innovation Design Lab, this quarter I am looking forward to learning how to create long-term equitable solutions for problems while satisfying the desires of the people who recognize there is a problem and those who are in a position to create change.”
LJ Norman, Fall 2021
arrow_drop_down_circleLJ Norman
“My experience as a GID Awardee has been insightful, rewarding, and fruitful. I learned about design thinking and the methods employed to put thinking into action. I really liked learning how to card sort as a means to create usable information architecture.”
Yingchong Zhen, Fall 2021
arrow_drop_down_circleYingchong Zhen
“Overall, the experience of being a part of the GID lab was super fun and meaningful to me. As an urban study and community planning student, this designing experiment of the GID webpage will benefit me when I need to design cities in the future.”
Faith Kim, Fall 2020, Winter and Spring 2021
arrow_drop_down_circleFaith Kim
“I joined the GID Lab to learn more about user centered design and research, how to implement design-thinking in my life, as well as to strengthen my teamwork skills. By joining the team I realized how much I love this field and am excited to see where this path takes me in the future!”
Kalyn Jones, Fall 2020 and Winter 2021
arrow_drop_down_circleKalyn Jones
“I like observing the thought process behind creating new applications and programs and learning how developers try to meet the needs of users. Working with the Global Innovation and Design Lab has given me new insights into the functioning of workshops and working in a team environment and I’m looking forward to future workshops.”
Ayda Kedirkhan, Fall 2020
arrow_drop_down_circleAyda Kedirkhan
“I was born a designer. I grew up co-designing solutions to many of my family’s struggles. I am an immigrant, a woman, an older sister, dark-skinned, and so much more. My identities have helped me learn to create with intersectionality and accessibility in mind. I love that UX design is interdisciplinary and advocates for the user.”
Anh Lam, Spring 2020
arrow_drop_down_circleAnh Lam
“My goal in applying to the GID Award was so I could learn creative problem solving and apply it to developing innovative solutions to help both locally and globally.”
Mailyn Abon, Spring 2020
arrow_drop_down_circleMailyn Abon
“I applied to the GID Award because it seemed like a good opportunity to explore design thinking while gaining the hands-on experience I’ve been needing to help get my foot in the door of User Experience.”
Abdul Abubakar, Winter and Spring 2020
arrow_drop_down_circleAbdul Abubakar
“What I love the most about the GID Lab is that it provides me with an opportunity to showcase and refine my creative ability while working on meaningful projects.”
Lan Allison, Fall 2019 and Winter 2020
arrow_drop_down_circleLan Allison
“This has been an amazing opportunity to get first-hand, real-world experience in the field of global learning and design thinking. I am thankful to have gained new skills and knowledge of the work that can be accomplished in the GID Lab.”
Christopher Sim, Fall 2019, Winter and Spring 2020
arrow_drop_down_circleChristopher Sim
“The GID Lab provides me an opportunity to leverage the design thinking process to empower local organizations to solve problems — like affordable housing — that affect our community.”