Course Description
Design Thinking is a hands-on, 2-unit course that teaches practical methods for creating innovative products and services. Students will learn how to empathize with users, define problems, ideate solutions, build prototypes, and test their designs, with a focus on applications towards innovation and entrepreneurship. Through real-world projects, they will gain experience applying the design thinking process and mindsets to tackle complex challenges. The course emphasizes collaboration, experimentation, and iterative development of solutions that meet user needs.
Application
Instructor
Jessie Salas
Jessie Salas is an experienced technologist and educator who is passionate about leveraging design thinking to drive innovation and create positive impact.
As an engineering leader at Meta Reality Labs, Jessie leads a team developing cutting-edge AI technologies for smart glasses. His work focuses on creating intuitive, multimodal user experiences powered by state-of-the-art machine learning techniques.
Driven by a desire to make a difference, Jessie is cofounder and executive director of Close the Gap Foundation, a nonprofit that empowers students from underserved communities through project-based learning. The foundation applies design thinking principles to help learners develop creative confidence and hands-on skills.
In this Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs course, Jessie combines his extensive industry experience, pedagogical expertise, and passion for innovation to help participants unlock the potential of human-centered design. Students will benefit from his multidisciplinary perspective, drawing upon his background in software engineering, AI research, and education.