Reflecting on the Journey so far
The course Design Thinking for Creative Problem Solving has been nothing short of exciting and important learnings. As this was my last semester at New York University I believe I could not have made a better decision in choosing a course that was fun and valuable at the same time.
As someone who is embarking on the journey of entrepreneurship, this course perfectly aligns with the creative processes that are very valuable in starting your organization. Certain activities that we did in class such as Mapping the customer journey and identifying their pain points are something I hope to incorporate into my organization. Also developing mind maps of relationships of items and people involved is essential and something which I had never given thought to, even though it is very apparent that any product or service being built would be used by the customer and it is essential to understand their point of view and what their likes and dislikes are when using your product or service.
Using software such as Miro and Medium was also interesting which I had not had the experience of using before and I am glad I got the opportunity to do so with this class. Utilizing the Miro board for ideation where we could have the thoughts of everyone present in the team in one place was enlightening and helped in the flow of thoughts and getting the points across which would only have been possible in a physical setting.
Through this class, I also had the pleasure of working with my team on the problem of accessibility faced by disabled students which I believe everyone does not talk about. By conducting interview sessions and getting hands-on details about the challenges faced by such people we got to know that we were doing them the biggest disservice by treating them differently.
Another great learning from this class was the sessions we had with people from the industry and getting to know how the learnings we have had in the class are being implemented in the real world. By actively implementing some of the insights gained from these seasoned professionals we were able to see a positive change in our team project.
As I conclude this course at NYU, the lessons in design thinking have been invaluable, especially as I step into the world of entrepreneurship. The skills acquired, aren’t just academic; they’re practical for understanding customer needs and fostering team collaboration. Moreover, engaging with industry professionals and tackling real-world challenges, like those faced by disabled students, has underscored the importance of inclusive and empathetic approaches to business. This course has equipped me to not just start a business but to innovate responsibly and creatively.
