Improving the campus experience at the University of Toronto through student-led design
Maxine started at the Innovation Hub in Fall 2022 as a Design Researcher and in April 2025, they stepped into the role of the Design Research Team Lead. In this blog, Maxine reflects on how their experience at the iHub has given them the courage to embark on a new chapter as a leader and discusses what they are learning from their very first leadership role.
Written by Maxine Ramos, Design Research Team Lead, Master of Information, UX Design
In this blog, Kubra reflects on her experience of being a design researcher for the Innovation Hub, and how secondary research helped increase her confidence in data collection for the Supporting Student Leaders to Create Change project.
Kubra Nur Saykili, Design Researcher, Honours Bachelor of Science, Cognitive Science
The Innovation Hub is ready to take on new design thinking and storytelling projects for the 2026-27 academic year. Our student teams can help you co-create programs, services, resources, and spaces. Working together, we help you build positivity around your project and ensure the highest possible student engagement in the process. Our teams are hired and trained specifically for your project and work directly with you and your teams throughout the process.
In this blog, Thadseja reflects on the presence of storytelling throughout her life. From being in front of a camera in her early years, to now using these same skills in her career, she hopes to use storytelling in her future career as a psychologist.
Written by Thadseja Perinpanesan, iHub Photographer, HBSc Psychology and Neuroscience at University of Toronto Scarborough.
In this blog, Bela discusses the importance of building her sketching skills when working on graphic design projects. Although she’s seen how things can start off rough at the beginning, she reflects how collaboration during the iterative process reveals a clear vision by the end.
Bela Wong, Graphic Designer, Honours Bachelor of Arts in Art and Art History and Communication, Culture, Information, & Technology (CCIT)
In this blog, Jenny reflects on her time at the iHub – first as a Design Researcher and then as part of the Community Engagement team. Jenny discusses the power of design thinking to create community.
Written by Jenny Phung, Community Engagement Designer and Event Facilitator, Honours Bachelor of Science, Double Major in Global Health and Book & Media Studies, English, Certificate of Sustainability
The Innovation Hub team visited the Tangled Art Gallery this November for the International Persons with Disabilities Day. In this blog, Catherine reflects on this visit and the importance of “crip art”—art created by disabled artists.
Written by Catherine Dumé, Community Coordinator, Master of Arts, Political Science
In this blog, Brooklin reflects on the November Innovation Hour event which focused on engagement and belonging for diverse students. Discussions during the first event highlighted a shared belief that meaningful inclusion exists primarily in the services, spaces, and personal touch that shape support and belonging for diverse students.
Written by Brooklin Becker, Audiovisual Storytelling Team Lead, Master of Information, Knowledge & Information Management
In this blog, Thadseja discusses her experience as a photographer at Innovation Hub and the essential skills learnt throughout the term. She also discusses the power of staying open-minded and how far it can take a person.
Written by Thadseja Perinpanesan, iHub Photographer, HBSc Double Major in Psychology (with Co-op) and Neuroscience at University of Toronto Scarborough
Engineers are trained to jump quickly to solutions, but design thinking helps us to understand the needs of the people we are designing for. In this blog, Harish reflects on how he learned that listening to human stories and understanding people’s experiences in design thinking creates better solutions than relying only on quantitative data.
Written by Harish Shankar, Qualitative Data Archivist, Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Engineering Science