OLA Conference 2018

Curious about Design Thinking, a.k.a. user-centered design? This program will begin with an overview of our Design Thinking-based reboot for Multnomah County Library’s teen summer reading program and ongoing results. Participants will learn how Design Thinking (DT) encourages empathy, connection, and experimentation. Through the application to teen programming, we’ll discuss how DT encourages creative and nimble thinking to serve youth, who have grown up in a world where iteration is everyday. Our panel will discuss the range of time and staffing that can be required (hint: less than you might think) and break down the steps to getting started. Presenters will lead a mini-workshop of exercises and applications for Design Thinking to illustrate concepts, and participants will brainstorm internal and external challenges where they may apply user-centered design in their workplace. Ultimately, attendees will learn, question, practice, and then leave with some tools with which to explore user-centered design in their work.