As part of measures to bridge the gap between academia and industry, the Ho Technical University (HTU) and Node Eight, a digital innovation organization have collaborated to equip students with relevant skills and tools for the future of work.
The initiative which is dubbed Node X saw facilitators from Node Eight and Lecturers from the Computer Science Department taking students through the design thinking concept to investigate, curate and design solutions that impacted the very heart of the problems encountered.
The two-day Design Thinking Bootcamp was designed to equip individuals and organizations with creative problem-solving skills and a mindset that creates out-of-the-box solutions for today’s fast-paced world. The maiden edition saw about 30 students benefiting from what the students described as innovative thinking skills to meet real-world challenges. They hoped it would be repeated annually.
Bridging School-Industry Gap
The Head of the Computer Science Department at HTU, Adolf Sedem Adu stressed that the initiative ties into the department’s commitment to provide students with problem-solving skills; adding that “collaborating with organizations like Node Eight bridges the classroom-industry gap and make students competitive assets globally.”
He said the value added to the lives of the students are not just relevant for work, but useful for everyday life. Mr. Adu therefore urged the students to always incorporate the creative problem-solving and design thinking techniques acquired in all aspects of their lives for greater impact and transformation.
Prior to the main training session students shared their diverse problem-solving methods. Majority of them admitted they founded most of their theories on assumptions instead of investigation and data gathering.
The Process
Mr. Xorse Senanu of Node Eight guided participants who had been divided into six groups through the design thinking process, including how to investigate, gather data, conduct research and arrive at a definite rationale behind the problems.
In designing solutions, they explored different ideation techniques, empathized with users, brainstormed radical ideas to curate solutions, and tested their prototypes to ensure solutions were user friendly and fit for purpose.
In the breakout session, participants worked together to pinpoint the specific design thinking techniques used by a team of Stanford University students to build the Embrace Infant Warmer, a portable incubator for infants. They also worked on a design challenge that involved creating a new student portal for the university.
Students Share Experience
Seth Boye Afosah, a team leader of one of the groups summed up their experience saying, “Design thinking was simply two English words combined. I had no idea what it was or what it stood for. Previously, our problem-solving approach was completely different. Instead of empathizing with the end-user, we based our solutions on assumptions, which never seemed to address any of the problems identified.”
Nunoo Anna Frimpomaa, a third year BTech ICT student observed that having been introduced to a more innovative approach to problem-solving during the boot camp; “with design thinking, we no longer make decisions based on assumptions. Rather, we approach problems from the standpoint of the user. We can also think creatively and discover new solutions to unexpected problems.”
Another student added that the interactive nature of the design thinking boot camp stood out for her. She added that it is one of her best investments as it has pushed her to think creatively and she is eager to use the concepts in her final year project.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)