Design Thinking Workshop exclusively for PhD students and post-docs from all disciplines

The Design Thinking Workshop is open to PhDs and postdocs. It will take place on Thursday, 28 September 2023 from 9 am to 5 pm at frei[raum] (Pfaffenwaldring 45, 70569 Stuttgart). Participation is free of charge and catering will be provided.

"Design Thinking is about getting to the root of problems instead of just treating some of the symptoms." (Hasso Plattner, Funder HPI, 2015).

Problem- and solution-oriented thinking and acting are important skills that many scientists* can already test in their academic career. Some are already familiar with design thinking as a creative method that deepens precisely these competencies - but it is more than that: It is about first intensively dealing with a concrete problem in an iterative process and closely observing its users. The team then works together to identify a range of possible solutions, one of which is selected and translated into a prototype according to the "fail fast, fail often" principle.

Design thinking is a practical method that is best experienced in its application. Therefore, the Elements4Founding project, together with the Young Entrepreneurs in Science initiative of the Falling Walls Foundation, is offering a one-day workshop on September 28, tailored to PhD students and post-docs, which will allow you to try out the method in a protected setting among like-minded people and to go through the entire Design Thinking process once, based on a specific challenge! No prior knowledge is required and participation is free of charge.

Workshop Objectives: 

• Solve a design thinking challenge in one day and learn more about the application of the method and techniques
• Run through the Design Thinking process together in a team and receive valuable tips and assistance from experienced Design Thinking coaches
• Learn more about empathy and understanding of the users to solve problems in the application.
• Take away valuable experiences and skills for your future to develop your own innovative potential - in academic, personal and professional context
• Network with other PhD students and post-docs in the comfortable workshop atmosphere of frei[raum].

Since the number of participants is limited, we ask you to register by September 20 via Young Entrepreneurs in Science.

The workshop is conducted by the Young Entrepreneurs in Science Initiative of the Falling Walls Foundation. It is hosted by the University of Stuttgart, more specifically the Elements4Founding project of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research (ENI), funded by the Vector Foundation, part of the Startup Campus 0711 and YES partner of the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, the Universities of Ulm, Konstanz and Hohenheim.