Design Thinking in the Mountains

Design thinking is known for it’s strong emphasis on human needs an empathy for the people you design for. It often tackles big city or global topics. But, what if next to human needs we start to look into what nature and the World really need? What if we start very local in an outdoor environment?

During this 5 day course you will experience the design thinking method by working on a rural and natural challenge. We use nature and the outdoors as an inspiration. You will be using several Design Thinking tools, such as empathy and context maps that will boost your knowledge about creativity. How about using mountain biking as an explore tool? During the week we will go on several outdoor adventures (hikes, kayaking, paddle board) to reflect on what you have learned and to get new inspiration for the next design phase.

Let’s take design thinking out of the workshop space, out of the city and into the nature and the outdoor environment to really create sustainable solution for the land, the water, the forest its animals and the people that live in the rural areas.

During this course we will have you experience different design thinking techniques and emotions in an outdoor environment. You’ll combine inspiration that you get from nature and being outside with the different design thinking techniques to crack a real case in the Pyrenees.

Bachelor and master design students, bachelor and master students in the field of environmental, nature and cultural studies. And people that work in an one of the areas previously mentioned.

Jeroen Spoelstra, Marce Xirinachs, and Jens Gijbels will lead this summer course. They are experienced designers and have extensive knowledge on the Design Thinking process. This workshop is held at Unbeaten Adventures HQ in the Spanish mountain area near Barcelona.