Last month, I flew out to New York City to be a panelist at Princeton University’s TigerTalk series. This talk, entitled “Design Thinking: A New Liberal Art“, focused on the importance of teaching students how to tackle wicked problems early on and incorporating it alongside traditional curriculum at universities. The panel was chaired by Professor Derek Lidow ’73, the professor who has championed Design Thinking at Princeton and inspired me to incorporate it into my life.

Design Thinking is a methodology for solving problems, starting with empathy and following a process of ideation and iteration. As a mechanical engineer who designs consumer products, I use elements of this methodology every day to develop usable products for my clients. While this process is useful for solving small problems, it’s especially beneficial for tackling the most challenging problems in the world. There is no shortage of wicked problems out there. Surely giving the world’s brightest minds the tools necessary to approach these problems head on is one of the best ways to develop successful solutions. It was an honor to participate on the panel and to share my experiences as an engineer in a design field.

Keep thinking,

Annie

Featured Image from Julie Halsey’s recap of the talk, which can be found here.