What is design thinking and how can it help you to better access, serve, and engage with your community?

The term ‘design thinking’ has become quite a catch phrase. You hear about companies using it to tackle challenges, meet the needs of customers, even re-brand whole countries. But what does it really mean and how can it help you and/or your organization?

Non-designers and designers alike will be introduced to the basics of practical design thinking and idea generation techniques that can be applied on a daily basis.  This workshop can benefit a range of individuals including entrepreneurs, non-profit professionals and/or someone looking to resolve challenges in their office or community. Whether you are starting something new or wish to approach a familiar situation with a fresh perspective, design thinking is a useful tool.

Through a series of dynamic hands-on (or minds-on) activities, we will brainstorm ideas, push them to their limits, and test them to determine the ones worth developing. Through this process you will learn how to advance your creative thinking and idea assessment skills to both resolve challenges and maximize daily opportunities.

Throughout this workshop, you will learn: 

1. ‘How to’ do empathic research: listen and learn from your community.
2. ‘How to’ facilitate brainstorming sessions: get new/innovative ideas from your collaborators and neighbors. 

3. ‘How to’ narrow down your ideas: learn practical ways to make decisions.

This workshop is not a “quiet taking-notes” kind of class, everyone will be participating, coming up with ideas, and going through the techniques. You will walk away with a cheat-sheet to help you bring these techniques into your daily life.

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This class is part of the STOREFRONT FOR LEARNING
221 E Broadway | Pushcart Coffee

“Storefront for Learning” will showcase a coffee shop turned into community classroom at night. Partnering with Pushcart Coffee, miLES is curating a set of workshops and classes that focuses on creative and educational agenda each night from May 1 - May 4 during the New Museum Ideas City Festival. 

miLES opens underused storefronts to new possibilities, with classes, events, co-working, and short-term space rentals. We work with residents, artists, businesses and landlords in the Lower East Side to identify, program and fill underused spaces and turn them into vibrant community hubs for working, learning, connecting, and starting up new projects.