Hawaii Bulletin

Hawaii Bulletin

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Design Thinking Workshop on Saturday
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Design Thinking Workshop on Saturday

Ryan Kawailani Ozawa's avatar
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Mar 02, 2015

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Design Thinking Workshop on Saturday
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share
Photo by Ed Morita

It looks like Saturday is the day to think differently in Honolulu. While one group of educators will be exploring "deeper learning" in Manoa Valley, another group of people are gathering to learn about "design thinking" less than a mile away.

The "Design Thinking" methodology was developed at Stanford University's design school and championed in the early 1990s by the design firm IDEO. It's a way of thinking that is still being taught today, and calls for specific steps in a process: define, research, ideate, prototype, choose, implement, and learn.

There are often a lot of Post-It notes, colored pens, and arts and crafts supplied involved.

Saturday's design thinking Design Challenge workshop, offered through the University of Hawaii Outreach College's Pacific New Media program, will revolve around a one-day design challenge. By working through the process, participants will hopefully learn an innovative, iterative process that can be applied anywhere.

Photo by Ed Morita

My first exposure to design thinking was five years ago, after a presentation by IDEO alum Lawrence Shubert sparked a grassroots session at the 2011 Unconferenz. That led to the formation of a Design Thinking Hawaii group on Facebook and countless design thinking workshops ever since.

Leading the charge for design thinking in Hawaii is Oceanit, a science and engineering firm founded in 1985. The company is now teaching design thinking as part of a new Business Transformation Services Division. While they say it came about "almost by accident," Oceanit has been on board from the beginning. From highlighting the potential of design thinking in the field of education in 2011 to facilitating a design thinking session at last year's Sustainability Summit, the company has been evangelizing the process for years.

Photo by Ed Morita

The workshop on Saturday will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Krauss Hall room #012. It will be led by my friend and Oceanit director Ian Kitajima, along with his coworkers Raviraj Pare (a Stanford University design school graduate) and Natalie Waters. You can register online (the cost is $195 per person).

If one day is not enough, there's a week-long design thinking bootcamp coming in June.

Photos by Ed Morita and courtesy Oceanit on Flickr.


Subscribe to Hawaii Bulletin

By Ryan Kawailani Ozawa · Launched 6 years ago
Island innovation in focus. Hawaii-based science, technology, startups and entrepreneurs, featuring local leaders, creators, educators, and more.

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Design Thinking Workshop on Saturday
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Gallery: ThriveHI Pau Hana
A sold-out crowd of Honolulu-based tech workers (and their friends) packed the courtyard of Honolulu Beerworks in Kaka‘ako yesterday.
Apr 14, 2023 â€¢ 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
13

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Gallery: ThriveHI Pau Hana
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Preview: Hawaii Angels Turns 22
The leading investment network for seed-level private equity investors in Hawaii starts a new chapter in 2024.
Jan 15, 2024 â€¢ 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
3

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Preview: Hawaii Angels Turns 22
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Hub Coworking Expands to Entrepreneurs Sandbox
Cofounder Nam Vu looks back at the pandemic and shares his bright vision for the remote-work future.
Apr 22, 2023 â€¢ 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
7

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Hub Coworking Expands to Entrepreneurs Sandbox
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

© 2025 Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.