Program
Jiang·China Human-Centered Design Challenge is a two-week bootcamp and competition for Chinese college students across disciplines. We hope to empower them with the toolkit and mindset of human-centered design, so they can apply what they learn to create innovative solutions to social challenges within their communities. Our ultimate goal is to initiate the human-centered design thinking movement among college students in China, who have the potential to serve as a new generation of Chinese social architects.
Students will spend two weeks learning design thinking by tackling real-life challenges in China. By the end of the bootcamp, each team will present their tested design concept to industry professionals, and are encouraged to continue their project afterwards.
Why should you be interested?
International instructors and mentors- – Daily guidance from design instructors and professionals from Northwestern University Segal Design Institute
- – Continuous support from a diverse team of peer design mentors from the US and China
Professional curriculum- – Design Thinking and Communication curriculum inspired by Northwestern University
- – Design guidance provided by Design For America
- – Present projects on the demo day in front of experienced designers from top design firms such as IDEO, Loe Design
Academic support from top universities- – Northwestern University Segal Design Institute in the U.S. and China Academy of Art (ranked #1 in China) are our academic advising partners
- – IDEO design toolkit
Diverse lectures and workshops- – Given by experienced speakers, who are experts from various industries, including design, digital startups, manufacturing, automobiles, finance, marketing, non-profit organization
- – Continual feedback from instructors and users
Enriched field trip- – Visit cutting-edged design firms and makerspaces in Beijing
Meaningful impact- – Solve real-world problems and interact with users
- – Avenues for continued project implementation after Jiang China Design bootcamp
Dates: July 10- July 23 (2 weeks)
Location: Yiwu Creative Space, Beijing, China
Daily schedule includes:
– Core Instructions
– Team Work Sessions
– Experience Speaker Discussions
– Fun Time
Students will experience the following entire process of Human-Centered Design within two weeks:
– User interview based on empathy
– Reframing the problem
– Brainstorming & ideation
– Rapid prototyping
– User testing
What is human-centered design?
Human-centered design (HCD) is a creative and interdisciplinary approach to tackling social challenges. HCD thinking proposes a set of tools that can empower any individual to develop empathetic, innovative, and impactful solutions to the problems facing those around them.
Read a human-centered design story:
With firsthand knowledge of diabetes and its effects on children, Hannah Chung designed Jerry the Bear as an educational toy for diabetic kids. Click here to read how a Hannah is making a difference in kids’ lives using human-centered design.
2015 JCD Challenge Review
Project
Jiang·China’s 2015 projects will be centering on several different topics including air pollution, education, mobility of physically-challenged individuals and senior citizens, etc., which are affecting millions of people in China.
Instructors
Prof. Stacy Benjamin
Stacy Benjamin is the Director of the Segal Design Certificate program at Northwestern University and a member of the Executive Committee for the Segal Education Council.
Prof. Ken Gentry
Ken Gentry is a Senior Lecturer and McCormick Adviser working mainly with first-year students. He teaches Design Thinking and Communication and courses in the Biomedical Engineering department.
Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams is the Maker in Residence at the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University. He is a founding partner of the active design practice Welcome Industries and is the owner of Farwell Co., a handmade goods company that he started.
Chaz Li
Chaz Lu is a Design Lead at IDEO, Shanghai, specialized in interaction design. He creates strategic, tangible and sustainable user experience for businesses and has worked with state-owned-enterprises, multinational companies and ambitious start-ups in Asia.
Min Chi
Bits x Bites Innovation Senior Project Manager.Graduated from College for Creative Studies in Detroit in product and transport design, Min has worked in the design industry in the US, Japan, Taiwan and China in the past decade. Prior to joining Bits x Bites, he founded and led a diversified design firm that thrives to deliver business-driven feasibilities and solutions through co-creation methodologies.
Tian Cai
Bits x Bites Innovation Design Researcher. Tian holds a MDes in Design for Social Impact from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Tian leads and participates in user-centered design projects from food innovation, healthcare, education to spatial design.
Design Mentors
Michael Narea
Michael Andres Narea is the Program Manager of the EdTech Innovation Lab at GSVlabs. Before joining the GSVlabs team, he devoted two years of his life to create and adapt design thinking curriculum for high school audiences in South Florida and Costa Rica as a founding member of New Frontiers Education.
Willa Wang
Willa is the founder of the social entrepreneur Farnear. She holds a bachelor degree in industrial design from Tongji University. Before starting her own entrepreneur, Willa worked at Yi-gather, the biggest social innovation center in Southern China as electric products designer, user interface designer and user researcher.
Ge Zhou
Undergraduate architecture student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a minor in women and gender study. Ge is interested in ways design shapes the culture and society we live in.
David Bacisin
Design for America designer at Case Western Reserve University, USA.
Karen Schmitt
From Netherlands, now master student of industrial engineering and innovation project at Northwestern University. Focusing on innovative thinking and fast modeling, striving to research for advanced technology and the interaction between human and environment.
Elvely Xu
Social Designer, Kaiwu Educational Space of Action Innovation(KESAI), also an Event Curator, Chu Social Design Competition. Has substantial marketing and BD experience in BAT, Douban and Volvocars China. Acts as a social design mentor in KESAI with PBL education skills.
Application
Target applicants:
All undergraduate and graduate students in China interested in learning about design, entrepreneurship, and making social impact. No specific major or past design experience is required.
Application procedure:
The application for Jiang·China 2015 has been officially closed! Keep following our website and send us an email at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you next year!
About Us
We are supported by a strong team of students and advisers from Northwestern University, Case Western Reserve University in the US, as well as students from various universities in China, including Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, China Academy of Art, etc.
Founder
Jenny Wang
(Northwestern University)
Executive Director
Claire Yuan
(Washington University in St. Louis)
Program Director
Michelle Pannone
(Virginia Tech)
Marketing Strategy
George Yang
(Fudan University)
Marketing Director
Mandy Xu
(Beijing Foreign Studies University)
Operations Director
Chen Xiang
(Beijing Foreign Studies University)
Human Resource Director
Sissi Tao
(Renmin University of China)
Special Thanks
Yijun Yan Jiamin Chen Tang Li Yiyi Liu Xiaofei Wang Shuhan Qi Jamie Wu Yiran Wang Yang Yu Hazel Yan Jiayi Wang
Being a partner or sponsor at Jiang China will be a rewarding venture for your organization. Having your company associated with a pool of talented young professionals and aspiring designers in China says a lot about your commitment to innovation, knowledge and the power of good design. In addition, being a partner or sponsor for Jiang China has plenty of tangible perks. Interested? We are happy to talk. Email us at [email protected].
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