Design Thinking

A Pioneer In The Use Of Design Thinking In Education

At Ekya Schools, we use Design Thinking as part of the curriculum to enable our students to be problem solvers in the real world. Through Design thinking challenges, students learn to work with multiple perspectives, access and make sense of information, apply critical thinking and intuition, iteratively learn from failure and create solutions that integrate both ideation and empathy. Ekya Schools has a unique toolkit that supports the Design Thinking Process. The toolkit enables students to experience each creative process in the context of problem-solving with empathy as the key aspect of the process.

The Design Thinking Timeline

2025-2026: Compassion and Community

Compassion and Kindness Challenge: Students will explore ways to encourage spontaneous acts of kindness to enhance community well-being. This aligns with our core purpose of fostering empathy and creating positive social impact through design thinking.

Traffic Solutions Challenge: Participants will tackle urban mobility by developing alternative transportation methods to improve community health and accessibility. This challenge emphasizes our commitment to sustainable design solutions.

2026-2027: Care and Sustainability

Palliative and Elderly Care Challenge: Students will work on enhancing the quality of life for the elderly, focusing on dignity and independence. This builds on our previous successful projects like the Crew Aider and E-Pill Reminder

Food Wastage Challenge: Participants will reimagine food consumption practices to promote sustainable nutrition and minimize waste. This challenge embodies our emphasis on sustainable solutions and responsible innovation

2027-2028: Urban Development and Environment

Urban Design and Accessibility Challenge: Students will focus on creating inclusive public infrastructure that ensures equitable mobility. This challenge reflects our commitment to human-centered design principles.

Climate Change Challenge: Participants will develop solutions to cultivate environmental awareness and preserve biodiversity. This aligns with our goal of preparing students to address global challenges through innovative design thinking.

Design Thinking Tool Kit

Projects

Smart Bin

Students designed a ‘smart bin’ that rewards people who segregate waste and put them into the right bins.

 

Garbage Scanner

Students, in this project, designed a scanner that will help scan garbage and tell citizens in which bin they should dispose the garbage.

 

Dust App

Students designed an app that allows citizens to locate garbage bins around their homes. The garbage bins are fitted with sensors that have shutters that keep them closed, especially beneficial during rainy seasons and preventing unpleasant odours.

 

Crew Aider

Students created a device that would help the elderly who had problems related to hand and arm movements and could not sign documents/ hold pens or pencils. The device was designed to hold a strap fixed to a frame that would support the wrist of the person who needs to sign/ write.

 

Energy Tracks

Students designed a track to be placed on footpaths that will use the energy from the track to turn street lights on. They encouraged the need for the elderly to walk and keep fit. They also designed special wheelchairs that move on these tracks as well.

 

The E-Pill Reminder

The E-pill reminder was designed to help the elderly to take their medicines regularly. The students developed insights based on personal experiences at home and decided to ease their arduous process of taking multiple tablets. The E-pill reminder is designed to send a message on their phones and lights would blink in the box itself to indicate which one to take.

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