Innovate at Work with Design Thinking and AI
General public
Services
Workshop
Project duration
3 hrs workshop
Participants learnt how to drive workplace innovation more effectively by applying Design Thinking methods, supercharged with AI tools.
Challenge
Design Thinking is known to be an effective way to drive innovation — but incorporating it into day-to-day work can be challenging due to time and resource constraints. Lean or cross-functional teams often struggle to allocate sufficient time and resources across its various stages, from user research to ideation, prototyping, and testing. For example:
User research may involve long hours of transcription and synthesis
Prototyping and testing may require design or coding skills that aren’t always available in-house
Solution
Recognising the potential of AI tools to accelerate and bridge technical gaps in the Design Thinking process, our team tried and tested a wide range of tools across our own workflow to understand what works best, and when.
In this workshop, we shared our learnings and a curated list of AI tools that would empower individuals and teams — regardless of background or resources — to innovate at work using Design Thinking more confidently and effectively.
Through hands-on, interactive activities, we equipped participants with the practical know-how to apply these tools across the Design Thinking process — enabling them to work faster, leaner, and with greater confidence.
Results
Participants discovered new AI tools to accelerate their innovation process
Participants rated the workshop 4.8 out of 5 for usefulness, highlighting not only the quality of AI tools introduced to them but also their immediate applicability. Through hands-on activities, they learnt how to use these tools effectively at different stages of the Design Thinking process — and felt confident applying them to their work right after the session.
Participants picked up new ways to use their go-to AI tools more effectively
For tools they were already familiar with (e.g. ChatGPT), participants picked up new ways to get more out of them. By sharing practical tips, real prompts, and our team’s own workflows, the workshop helped participants move beyond basic usage and apply these tools more effectively in their problem-solving and innovation efforts at work.
Participants learnt where human insight remains crucial in the innovation process
The workshop also helped participants understand which parts of the Design Thinking process still require human oversight to ensure outcomes are accurate and that decisions are grounded in user needs. By sharing real examples from our own experiences, we showed how combining AI with human insight leads to stronger, more meaningful outcomes.
Participant testimonials
“I found this workshop fruitful as it allowed me to see how we can assemble an effective suite of AI tools to help with tedious tasks instead of constantly testing out new tools that may work and wondering how they can churn similar or better results.”
– Deniece Tan, Business Analyst
“This workshop is great! I learnt so much about the AI tools that I can utilise in my work, which really helps to save time and improve efficiency. The trainers are really knowledgeable and I really like the small classroom setting and hands on experience!”
– Ying Ting, UX Designer
“It was a very insightful and well-structured workshop, and gave me more confidence to explore this space.”
– Jesselyn Nah, Public Policy Officer
