Design Thinking in Action

Recently my Creative Technologies/Design Thinking class was given the opportunity to redesign the Cornwell Lounge in the Upper School McCallie-Kennedy Library. Our challenge is to create a teen-friendly space. We imagine this space will have comfortable furniture that can be moved into different configurations and can act as a hub of learning. We will also include some type of technology which might include a projector, or a monitor with Apple TV, and/or a floor to ceiling whiteboard. I decided I wanted to be the leader and complete this project throughout my senior year.

We started this endeavor using the design thinking steps of empathize, define, ideate, and prototype. The empathy part involved understanding the needs of a teen and head of library services, Mrs. Holmes. We interviewed Mrs. Holmes so we could understand her needs and desires for the room.

After the interview, the ideate process began. We used post-its and sharpies to brainstorm any ideas. This step is important, and using the post-it notes allowed us to visualize our ideas. We sorted the ideas into categories, and then we were ready to begin prototyping. We are still in the process of sketching our ideas, developing designs in CAD programs, and creating physical prototypes. Stay tuned for more information about this process in future blogs!