“Good design is good business.” - Thomas Watson Jr.
Design Thinking Workshops
Workshops are an integral part of the design thinking framework and in my work, they give me the opportunity to engage with the clients in a creative and collaborative setting. I have been personally very passionate about workshops because they are a condensed version of an ideation and iteration process where you get to experience this process as a big group. I think the synergy and the inclusion of everyone’s inputs makes everyone believe in the project and have a sense of ownership which is key in the success and the smooth implementation of the project.
Aside from being actively involved in client workshops, I have also been conducting many volunteer workshops together in conjunction with our IBM Volunteers program. During these workshops, me and a colleague of mine have created a content around Accessibility in Design since it was our personal passion and it gave us a chance to deep dive on it with some amazing students and teachers that we volunteered for.
Kick Off Workshops
Hearing clients’ expectations early on is key in the success of a project. So in a kick off workshop, common activities such as Hopes & Fears help us get a sense of what the client hopes to achieve through this project. It is important to include all of the key stakeholders in this workshop so that everyone is aligned and that we are aligned with the client.
Persona Creation Workshops
Persona’s help us and the client think outside the box while also trying to practice empathy. We usually gather data and do prior research before these workshops so that they are insight driven. Persona’s provide us with a way to talk about the project without having any of the subject differences of opinion since we are designing for the end user and not for ourselves.
Ideation Workshops
Persona’s help us and the client think outside the box while also trying to practice empathy. We usually gather data and do prior research before these workshops so that they are insight driven. Persona’s provide us with a way to talk about the project without having any of the subject differences of opinion since we are designing for the end user and not for ourselves.
Volunteer Workshops
Throughout my time at IBM, I have organized many volunteer workshops where I was able to work with some amazing people around a topic that I value very much: Accessibility in Design. Together with a colleague of mine, we researched what other companies have created as guidelines around this topic and put together a wholesome guideline that we used in the workshops. We also got goggles from IBM’s Research Center in Boston that simulate different kinds of visual impairments. By wearing these during a part of the workshop, we aimed to give the students a chance to empathize with such users. I also got the chance to facilitate these workshops where I think a lot of great work has been created and we had a very productive time. We conducted these workshops with 1g1g, Teachers Network, Girvak Foundation and Koç Holding.
Find out more about the IBM Volunteer Program
Printmaking Workshops
Printmaking has been one of my favorite hobbies since high school. Together with my friend Beliz Görgül, who is also a designer, we have created a series of printmaking workshops around the Halloween theme. We have a short introduction to the history of printmaking and along with our hand made set of ready to use shapes, we also have a tool box for each participant so that they can draw and carve out their unique designs. At the end of the workshop, everyone leaves with their very own Halloween themed tote bag.
