Bringing Cross‑Sector Leaders Together
The founder of InnoEdge Consulting was invited by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) to lead an “AI‑Empowered Design Thinking Master Class” at the DX Design Hub as part of the HKDC Open House event on 9 July 2026. The event was opened by Dr. Wallace Lam, Director – Strategic Development, of Hong Kong Design Centre. The session gathered a diverse audience from the business, education, and NGO sectors, creating a rich environment for cross‑disciplinary learning and dialogue on innovation, AI, and human‑centred problem‑solving.
Revisiting the Principles of Human‑Centred Innovation
The master class began with a concise overview of Design Thinking, emphasizing its human‑centred philosophy and structured, iterative approach to tackling complex challenges. Participants were reintroduced to the 6 stages of Design Thinking – Determine, Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver and Drive – and how these stages help organizations co‑create solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable.
The Evolution from DT1.0 to DT 3.0 (AI Design Thinking)
The speaker then traced the evolution of Design Thinking from DT 1.0, traditional human‑centred design that focuses on empathy, qualitative insights, and co‑creation; to DT 2.0, data‑informed and digitally enabled design, where digital tools and analytics augment research and experimentation; and finally to DT 3.0, AI‑Empowered Design Thinking with 150 AI Agents that enhance every stage of the process while keeping human needs at the core.
Real‑World Impact: DT Successes in HK, Mainland China & Beyond
To ground these concepts in practice, the session highlighted successful Design Thinking projects from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and global markets. These cases demonstrated how organizations have applied Design Thinking to redesign customer and citizen experiences, improve service delivery and operational efficiency, develop new products, services, and business models, and address social and community challenges through collaborative innovation. The real‑world examples helped participants see how Design Thinking can be adapted to different cultural contexts and sectors, from corporations and startups to schools, universities, and NGOs.
Launch of the “Innovation Jam” Programme
The master class also marked the launch of the co‑developed “Innovation Jam” programme, designed as practical extensions of AI‑Empowered Design Thinking: Innovation Jam: Advanced Problem‑Solving, focusing on applying structured, AI‑supported Design Thinking tools to complex, real‑world challenges; and Innovation Jam: Impactful Storytelling, helping participants craft compelling narratives that communicate the value, impact, and human stories behind their innovations. (For the details of the programme, please click here or below the poster)
