Imagine a San Luis Obispo that had an efficient parking system, or a Ticketmaster that would actually let you purchase those Taylor Swift tickets. These problems could be solved if more people used the concept of “design thinking” — a process used to help solve complicated issues with user experience at the forefront of the solution.
Jason Tham, an associate professor at Texas Tech University, will be giving a talk on the concepts of design thinking and social innovation on Monday, April 29. This talk will focus on how design thinking as a mindset and methodology can help the practitioners of this approach solve complex issues and aim for positive social change.
Tham, who has a doctorate in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication, will be speaking from 2:10 to 3:30 in the Advanced Technologies Lab Building (Bldg 7). Tham says that he was drawn to speak at Cal Poly after working as a consultant to a UX (user experience) research project spearheaded by the Cal Poly English Department.
“I am excited about the opportunity to meet with students and faculty members who are interested in the UX and design,” Tham said.
A contributor at Harvard Business School says the goal of this concept is to “provide all professionals with a standardized innovation process to develop creative solutions to problems.”
Although the idea of design thinking originated in order to map out the designing process, it’s a theory that is applicable within all majors and skill sets.
“Design thinking is a tool for designers from a range of disciplines to generate creative solutions to wicked problems, or problems that lack a single solution,” Dr. Krista Sarraf, Cal Poly’s director of the technical and professional communication program, said.
Sarraf said that this process is a valuable asset to Cal Poly students because many students do design work, as design intersects with the studies of communications, engineering, architecture and more.
RSVPs are not required to attend the event, but are encouraged by the department and can be accessed using this link. Tham will be available for a Q&A session at the conclusion of the talk.