Idea Spark Workshop: Design Thinking

This event was held on Monday 10 August 2020

Idea Spark Workshop

By joining this workshop you are under no obligation to submit a proposal to the Grand Challenge or the Idea Spark Competition. Those that intend to, however, will find this workshop will help you to develop a great submission. This is a skill development workshop for anybody to join, regardless of your affiliation to the University.

The University of Newcastle’s Grand Challenge is an annual initiative with the aim of encouraging multi-disciplinary teams to propose and develop potential solutions to a complex challenge. The most compelling submissions will share in $50,000 in funds to advance their idea.

This year the Grand Challenge has focussed on a complex problem that has both local and global significance – controlling mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can be a major annoyance, but also present an increasing threat of disease.

This Design Thinking Workshop will provide you with a framework to develop ideas for solutions that you can submit into the new Idea Spark Competition stage of the Grand Challenge and be in the running to win on of ten $500 School Locker vouchers. Who knows? You may even stumble across a great idea that you can pursue as part of a Grand Challenge project submission!

Workshop is free but bookings essential - register here.

You will learn how to:

  • Define the ‘wicked problem’, then break it down to smaller, solvable pieces
  • Understand human needs through ‘empathy mapping’ and creating a ‘user journey’
  • Adopt a hands-on approach to prototyping
  • Test a solution to the problem using design thinking methods

Your facilitator Dr Rewa Wright is a lecturer in creative technology within the University of Newcastle's School of Creative Industries' FASTlab.

The Grand Challenge is open to all University of Newcastle students, staff, academics and alumni across the globe, as well as the wider community. It is a great way to meet new people, be exposed to fresh ideas, learn new skills and build creative, original work while having real-world impact. Great ideas come from everywhere, so no matter your background or experience you’ve got everything to gain by participating.