Design Challenge 2020

More than 775 million school children have been affected by school closures around the world as a result of COVID-19. Can we approach COVID-19 as a design problem, to find innovative ways to apply human-centered design principles to help soothe everyday frustrations and mitigate the most pressing issues?

The answer is Yes, the pandemic is powering innovation on an atypical scale and pace not normally considered. Education has not changed since World War 2 and due to the pandemic it is in the forefront and in need of rapid change.

The overnight shift of traditional learning to digital learning is an important area where once again, necessity has proved itself to be the mother of invention.

Adaptation and innovation are two core values of that we are seeking. While no one could have anticipated the design challenge that the COVID-19 outbreak has posed, we want to give you the chance to rise to the occasion.

How can you help forward thinking institutions grasp this golden opportunity to create a seismic shift?

Come together to rethink schooling so every student everywhere can be prepared for the future. Unleash your potential and solve real world problems for schools that ask their students what they think and actually listen to them

Graphical representation of
your re-imagined classroom

Remember ‘You‘ can play a vital role in diagnosing the most pressing issues and come up with solutions.
The urgency to evolve is suddenly here and it’s up to you designers to get to work and be creative!

The question is, “How do you envisage classrooms and education in the next century?”

Design thinking improves the world around us every day because of its ability to generate ground-breaking solutions in a disruptive and innovative way. Design thinking is more than just a process, it opens up an entirely new way to think, and offers a collection of hands-on methods to help you apply this new mindset.

Design Thinking is extremely user centric. It focuses on humans first and foremost, seeking to understand people’s needs and come up with effective solutions to meet those needs. It is what we call a solution-based approach to problem-solving.

The Explorers Lab Design Challenge will be judged by a diverse panel of experts representing parents, educators, and the design community. The winning design will be awarded:

How do you envisage classrooms and education in the next century?