Design Thinking Masterclass- On the 20th of September 2024, students of JD School of Design for the Design Thinking Masterclass. An afternoon was passed eagerly waited; the Design Thinking Masterclass had kept every single individual electric with excitement in store for everyone. The course was meant to be delved into from different backgrounds and disciplines of design by these students. This masterclass is not a lecture, but a chance to develop an imagination and novel skills to come up with a solution.

The speaker was Ginevra Franchi, co-founder of Cono Studio, a design consultancy firm with its headquarters in Milan. Ginevra’s experience is vast and diversified between two continents as well as various fields in design. She graduated in graphic design from the School of Visual Arts in New York and has a master’s in Design Innovation Strategy & Product at the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Milan. Over many years of rich experience, Ginevra has acquired numerous awards in design and innovation and as a trainer is known for her hands-on methodology.

Getting to Know the Art of Design Thinking with Ginevra Franchi

As she entered the room, Ginevra  Franchi,  introduced the students to the sceptical ones to the concept design thinking. “In the simplest terms, design thinking is a user-centred process for solving complex problems,” she explained. “It involves empathy, creativity, and rationality as solutions to complex problems. Focuses on the needs of the user by whom you are designing and why.”

Her introductions recalled to the minds of all students, whether from fashion design, interior design, or other creative fields, that empathy in the design process was key. She went on to enlighten how design thinking allows brands to engage more intensively with the audience, makes user experiences richer, and differentiates it from the competition.

The real-time case studies Ginevra presented opened the eyes of the students to witness first-hand. She told them about her work experiences at Cono Studio on projects that applied design thinking, not just to solve present issues but to predict future issues. She motivated the students to be forward-thinking while using their design approach. She demonstrated to them how the needs and trends of users could develop various designs.

Hands-on Approach: Real-Time Problem Solving

True to the interactive nature of design thinking, the masterclass was not a presentation by itself but an action-oriented and engaging experience. The room buzzed with creativity as the students brainstormed, sketched, and debated their ideas. Ginevra travelled around different groups, talking to each of them and urging them to think “out of the box”. In this case, she was surprised by the idea put forward for a modular, green fashion line. Their solution: make a garment that could be customized in numerous styles, thus reducing waste and prolonging the life of the product. Ginevra admired their user-centred approach and appreciated how they had brought the core steps of the design thinking process to bear to solve an issue at hand.

A precious learning experience

At the end of the masterclass, the students have had an opportunity to benefit from insights into how design thinking could be used in various industries. Practical examples presented by Ginevra inspired them to deepen their thought on their work and how they possibly might work out such practices in their future works.

Q&A session after This was the time when students requested Ginevra to open up about her life, thinking about design in the future, and tips on how one can develop her skills in design thinking. It was a good ending to a master class that not only expanded their knowledge but also made them leave inspired and prepared to push their creativity to the limits.

The JD School of Design did not treat the Design Thinking Masterclass as something academic but more as a transformational journey that reignited the passion for creativity and innovation from its participants while exposing them to many possibilities about design thinking in shaping the future.