Improving the campus experience at the University of Toronto through student-led design
Everybody has biases, but how often do we take the time to reflect and identify them? In this blog, Amelia reflects on how reflexivity in the design thinking process can reveal hidden biases, foster empathy, and create change to uncover student needs and get to the root of complex problems.
Written by Amelia Di Meo, Research Coordinator, Master of Health Science, Translational Research
This year, the Innovation Hub partnered with the Centre for Community Partnerships to host a series of design thinking workshops for Alternative Reading Week (ARW) 2025. In this post, Amelia and ARW facilitators, Ruth and Lidiia, reflect on the power of learning through play.
Written by Amelia Di Meo, Research Coordinator, Master of Health Science, Translational Research
Design thinking can become so much more than just research practice. It can evolve into a powerful problem-solving approach within a profession, and finally, a mindset. In this blog, our outgoing Research Lead, Lidiia, shares her learnings from the last four years as an employee at the Innovation Hub.
Written by Lidiia Tulenkova, Research Lead, Honours Bachelor of Arts, Sociocultural Anthropology, Material Culture & Art History
Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones can go hand in hand with uncomfortable feelings. In this blog, Katrina reflects on her journey of learning throughout her four years at U of T and her time at the Innovation Hub.
Written by Katrina Sze Ching Soong, Qualitative Data Archivist Team Lead, Honours Bachelor of Arts, English and Philosophy Double Major, History Minor
Curiosity is a powerful tool for navigating how we interact with the world around us. In this blog, Manuela reflects on how she stays curious in her own life to broaden her own understanding of people and information, and the impact that acting with curiosity can have on ourselves, others, and the world.
Written by Manuela Mora Castillo, Blog Editor & Content Writer, Honours Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and History Double Major, Latin American Studies Minor
Design thinking isn’t just a process for solving problems, it’s also a mindset for creating. In this blog, Hayley discusses the unlikely connection between design thinking and music, drawing on the power of an iterative mindset coupled with a curious ear.
Written by Hayley Park, Senior Project Assistant & Communications Lead, Honours Bachelor of Arts, Communications, Culture, Information & Technology
In this blog, Manavi talks about how she uses mind maps as a creative learning tool to help break down complicated concepts and thoughts into simpler pieces of information in professional, academic, and personal settings.
Written by Manavi Goyal, Blog Editor & Content Writer, Honours Bachelor of Science, Psychology Specialist, Economics Major, and Sociology Minor
Amelia, Research Coordinator, reflects on her experience of getting herself and past teams to think creatively when getting stuck.
Written by Amelia Di Meo, Research Coordinator, Master of Health Science in Translational Research
Sticky notes are powerfully simple tools that help us ideate, iterate, and imagine. In this blog, Hayley discusses her experiences using sticky notes to facilitate brainstorming and collaboration at the Innovation Hub.
Written by Hayley Park, Senior Project Assistant & Communications Lead, Honours Bachelor of Arts, Communications, Culture, Information & Technology
In this blog, Manavi discusses extending the use of design principles into research and other types of reports in order to maximize student creativity in and inspiration from papers.
Written by Manavi Goyal, Blog Editor & Content Writer, Honours Bachelor of Science, Psychology Specialist, Economics Major, and Sociology Minor