Not Design, Not Thinking

Design thinking is a way of looking at the world, one particularly useful in today’s context. What is the predicament of the human being at the heart of everything? If AI takes over the world, what can stand up in the eye of the storm?

Drawing on examples from everyday life, from well-documented products and services, and from their own consulting practice, Ashok and Kalpana explore what design thinking is and is not, when it should and should not be applied, the human-centric attitude it requires, how empathetic observation leads to insights that data and market research miss, and how design thinking complements AI.

Ashok and Kalpana Korwar are co-founders of The School of Design Thinking in Chennai.

Prof. Ashok Korwar is a management thinker, teacher and growth advisor. An IIT Bombay graduate with a PhD from UCLA, he taught at IIM Ahmedabad for ten years and later worked closely with a number of growing businesses.

Kalpana Korwar is an architect and design consultant with a longstanding interest in design, education, the built environment and wellness. She studied at UCLA.

Together they are deeply engaged with Pune’s cultural life, and have for several years opened their home to intimate baithaks featuring classical musicians.