Accessibility and growth mark innovation in 2024

These programmes, held during semester one (February to May) and semester two (August to October), brought together students from diverse disciplines to tackle real-world challenges through a human-centred, collaborative approach. Partnering with the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), the programme emphasised the importance of fostering innovation in uniquely African contexts.

Here, we recap the highlights, focus, and outcomes of these dynamic weeks of discovery and creativity.

Semester one: Digital accessibility for tourist guides

Partnering for purpose

The first semester of the Foundation Programme in 2024 focused on enhancing the registration and onboarding experience for tourist guides. This challenge was posed by DEDAT, which manages the regulation and development of the tourism sector in the Western Cape. Their primary aim was to address barriers to digital literacy and create accessible processes for both new and renewing tourist guides.

Challenge statement

Students were tasked with answering the question:

How might we redesign the registration and onboarding experience to be more accessible for unregistered and renewing tourist guides in a world where digital registration provides easy access to valuable resources but feels inaccessible to those with limited digital literacy?

How the students immersed themselves in the challenge

As part of their immersion, students collaborated with RETZA Classic Enfield Tours and Rentals, a local tourism company that champions adventure and cultural discovery. This experience provided a tangible context for understanding the needs and challenges faced by tourist guides.

The students’ innovative solutions

From this week of creative problem-solving emerged several innovative proposals:

• A notification tracking system: An application tracking system that sends real-time updates to tourist guides through their preferred communication channels.

• A WhatsApp chatbot: A digital platform fostering community support, resource sharing, and efficient communication between tourist guides and DEDAT.

• ATM-style kiosks: In-person kiosks equipped with guided assistance for completing digital applications, reducing errors and dependency on DEDAT staff.

One participant reflected: "Being human-centred and thinking for the end-user and environment is at the heart of design thinking."

These solutions demonstrated the students’ ability to apply design thinking principles to create user-friendly, impactful innovations addressing systemic barriers.

Semester two: Unlocking growth for SMMEs

Fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems

The second semester of the Foundation Programme in 2024 focused on supporting small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in navigating a challenging economic landscape. Once again partnering with DEDAT, the challenge aimed to leverage innovation networks to unlock growth opportunities for SMMEs, ensuring their sustainability and competitiveness.

Challenge statement

Participants addressed the question:

How might we leverage innovation-fostering support networks for SMMEs to unlock new growth opportunities, overcome market stagnation, and ensure long-term sustainability in a rapidly evolving economic landscape?

Student immersion in the challenge and the resulting insight

This semester’s immersion site was UVU Africa, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering inclusive growth through innovation and technology. By engaging with UVU Africa, students gained insights into how technology and innovation can drive economic development, providing inspiration for their solutions.

The students’ proposed solutions

The student teams delivered a range of practical, forward-thinking proposals:

• An interactive video platform: Blending storytelling with data-driven insights to engage investors, NGOs, and government officials in supporting educational technology startups.

• A collaboration platform (Co-Lab): A hybrid solution combining a digital project tracking platform with a physical coworking space to enhance interdepartmental collaboration.

• An IP insight resource: A two-part initiative featuring roundtable discussions with industry experts and an online platform sharing insights on South Africa’s intellectual property laws, designed to attract foreign investment while supporting local innovators.

One student shared, "Embracing diversity is one aspect of teamwork that stood out for me. I grasped that teamwork thrives when everyone brings different perspectives."

These solutions exemplify the ability of design thinking to address systemic challenges and promote economic growth through innovation.

Setting the stage for innovation

Both semesters of the Foundation Programme followed a structured six-phase framework, empowering students to systematically approach complex challenges:

1. Understand: Students explored the broader context of their challenge, drawing on personal experiences and diverse perspectives to deepen their understanding.

2. Observe: Immersions at RETZA and UVU Africa allowed participants to gather firsthand insights through site visits, interviews, and stakeholder engagement.

3. Define a point of view: Teams synthesised their observations to reframe the challenges from the user’s perspective, ensuring a human-centred focus.

4. Ideate: Generating a wealth of potential solutions, teams refined their ideas to address specific user needs.

5. Prototype: Students built tangible representations of their solutions, enabling them to explore feasibility and identify potential flaws.

6. Test: Final presentations to project partners provided invaluable feedback, helping teams refine their ideas and assess real-world applicability.
   

As one student remarked: "Many times, I want to rush things, but I learned to let the process run and learn from it."

The impact of diversity in action

Central to the success of these weeks was the diversity of the participating students, who came from various disciplines and institutions across South Africa. Working in multidisciplinary teams fostered a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives, enabling students to develop creative, well-rounded solutions. Alumni reflections underscored the value of collaboration, humility, and embracing different mindsets; qualities that are crucial for tackling the complex challenges of today’s world.

African context meets global relevance

The d-school Afrika’s commitment to reimagining design thinking within an African context was evident throughout both programmes. The ethos of Ubuntu: 'I am because we are' served as a guiding principle, inspiring solutions that prioritised community well-being and collaboration over individual gain. By embedding this perspective into the design thinking process, the d-school Afrika is equipping future leaders with the tools and mindsets to create sustainable, inclusive outcomes for the continent and beyond.

The 2024 Foundation Programme at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika not only showcased the transformative potential of design thinking but also underscored the importance of adaptability, empathy, and collaboration in solving complex challenges. These events reaffirmed the d-school’s position as a leading institution for design-led innovation in Africa.

As we look to the future, the lessons and solutions generated during these weeks will continue to inspire new ways of thinking and acting. The d-school Afrika remains committed to empowering individuals and organisations to navigate the tides of uncertainty, creating brighter futures for Africa and the world.

Learn more about the Foundation Programme in Design Thinking and how it can inspire your journey.