Design Thinking for More Equitable Futures: A Panel Discussion

Design thinking is an approach to innovation that encourages change makers to empathize with the people who are experiencing a challenge and navigate an iterative learning process. It has been widely adopted in corporate, civic, and educational settings and has been praised for its potential to foster imaginative and humane responses to complex challenges. But it has also been the subject of critiques, for instance, that despite its claims to fostering empathy, it values certain, privileged perspectives over others.

In this panel discussion, three social innovators will provide practical advice to those who hope to engage in design thinking work and ask broader questions about design thinking, power, and equity. This session will be facilitated by Dr. Amy Zidulka and we will be joined by panelists: 

• Maryam Mohiuddin Ahmed, a lawyer and social entrepreneur, co-founded the Social Innovation Lab in South Asia, and is a Senior Fellow at Social Innovation Canada. 
• Dr. Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon is the Director of the Equity Innovation studio at Think Rubix, a Black-led social innovation consultancy; he is applying innovation-based evaluation approaches to universities and parastatals in Botswana. 
• Dr. Jaspal Sandhu is the Executive VP at Hopelab, a social innovation lab for youth mental health; he also teaches art and design at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. 

This is a free public event in advance of the Royal Roads Design Thinking Practitioner and Educator Conference. The conference aims to: (1) provide practical strategies, community, and support to those leading design in the workplace and the classroom and (2) broaden the design thinking conversation to further consider issues of equity, power, and inclusion.

We encourage you to register for this webinar even if you are unable to attend. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the webinar recording.