Design Thinking Meets Business – The DeserTech Challenge

Design Thinking is a human-centered creative approach to innovation and problem solving. It draws from the designer’s ability to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business to succeed.

By incorporating design thinking tools into their everyday practice, MBA students & Business Executives develop an exploratory and creative skill set critical for innovation and decision making.
Design Thinking for Business is an immersive course that presents students with a real challenge, allows them to explore the entrepreneur inside of them, be exposed to the startup nation ecosystem in Israel, using design tools, brainstorming solutions with a team, creating an MVP prototype and presenting it to funders.

Participants in the course will team with students in Israel in the fields of Engineering and Design, to address unmet needs and create a viable solution.

Teams will propose and prototype a solution that involves engineering and product development, accompanied by a business strategy for possible commercialization.

Israel boasts several R&D centers which specialize in the desert. Also, Israel is a world leader for the number of startups per capita. This course will connect HKU’s students with local players to share knowledge, ignite new ideas and ideate solutions.

Course Challenge: Deserts account for 40% of the earth’s surface. 20% of the population live in desert areas. As global temperatures rise and the human population expands, more of the planet is vulnerable to desertification: the permanent degradation of land that was once arable. How might we thrive in the desert?

Our challenge partners for the course will include the Israel Ministry of Energy, the Mekorot Water Authority & Innovation Africa (an NGO).