Two multiplier events were conducted for the Higher Education users in Portugal.
Session 1: 3 June 2019, 17:00 – 20:00
Session 2: 14 June 2019, 17:00 – 20:00
At IPP the Multiplier Event was divided in two sessions as the main target groups (students and teachers) are currently undergoing exams and/or assignments evaluation and it was difficult to get a date that fitted everyone’s availability. This also allowed to a more practical and hands-on approach to the event that took place in a lab rather than in an auditorium.
Both sessions were organized under a common model:
- An introduction to Design Thinking by an external, invited speaker
- A short presentation of the DesignIt project
- A presentation of the DesignIt platform with a guided video tour
- A practical workshop where participants could use the platform following a problem that was given beforehand. Due to time restrictions participants were only able to follow the two first stages of the Design Thinking model, focusing on the Empathy stage.
Using the platform, participants shared the same theme and collected resources related to it, trying to understand the problem. Then they proposed some focused problem statements. A few issues with the platform (namely creating and updating challenges and adding notes to some challenges) added some difficulty with the process. One of the challenges was actually deleted in this process with all the canvases already filled which was a major problem as it was not possible to revert the situation.
Participants (mostly students and teachers from local Higher Education Institutions) liked the model and the platform but it was clear that they felt that much more time would have been necessary. In fact, they asked for a more extended workshop to allow to mature the ideas and knowledge of the model and platform. They reported on the platform issues but it was clear that it hadn’t harmed their interest.