How do we prepare our children for a world that is constantly evolving? Professor Pieter Jan Stappers of the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands shared how design skills can be taught. He stressed that critical thinking, creativity and learning from mistakes are now some of the most sought-after qualities in the workforce. As a result, integrating design into education can help equip students with these skills for the 21st century and beyond.
Why would a bank hire a designer? Chooake Wongwattanasilpa, Managing Director and Head of User Experience and Design at DBS Bank, shared four common myths about designers and explained why they have a bright career ahead. He also revealed that there is a growing number of opportunities available for them to work in non-traditional design sectors like financial services.
Is failure the end of the road? Chan Weixuan, Head of Open Innovation at Procter & Gamble, Singapore (P&G), convinced the audience otherwise. While she lacked the courage to question business assumptions when she first joined P&G, she said that she eventually leveraged design thinking to define the right problem for a product, propelling it to success in China.
What is the difference between design and creativity? Pascal Soboll, Managing Director and Founder of Daylight Design in Germany, pointed out that the former can encourage the latter. “Creativity is a mindset,” he said, and the most important quality that CEOs seek today. This is why schools should integrate design thinking into the curriculum and encourage students to strive to be involved in design.