Carolyn Hou is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. As an applied anthropologist, she uses ethnographic research and design thinking methodologies to think creatively and strategically about how to humanize and solve complex problems.
She is also the founder of Arlo Labs, a research and strategy consultancy focused on product and service innovation for healthcare and tech companies. Applying methods and theories from cultural anthropology, social psychology, and design thinking, Carolyn helps companies better understand and innovate for their users. Her work has led to multiple award-winning designs on the market.
Carolyn received her Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Oxford, where she also served as President of Oxford Women in Business, and her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Smith College.
The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, interiors, architecture, and fashion. But increasingly, the definition of design has expanded to include not just artifacts but strategic services and systems. As the challenges and opportunities facing businesses, organizations, and society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse, an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward.
Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs various design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge. At the heart of this approach is a gaining a deep understanding of the needs of people and building solutions that are specifically targeted at solving those needs. In this course, we will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. Students will develop skills as ethnographers, service designers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of lectures, discussions, and group projects. This course will demystify design thinking beyond the media and business buzzwords and provide students with the theory and practical frameworks to integrate design thinking into their own public service practice.
Couples with CAP-GP.3302
As part of the core curriculum of the NYU Wagner Masters program, Capstone teams spend an academic year addressing challenges and identifying opportunities for a client organization or working on a pre-approved, team-generated project in which they develop a business case or prototype to create social impact or launch a social enterprise.
Fall 2023
PADM-GP.2145.: Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving and Creating Impact
The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, interiors, architecture, and fashion. But increasingly, the definition of design has expanded to include not just artifacts but strategic services and systems. As the challenges and opportunities facing businesses, organizations, and society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse, an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward.
Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs various design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge. At the heart of this approach is a gaining a deep understanding of the needs of people and building solutions that are specifically targeted at solving those needs. In this course, we will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. Students will develop skills as ethnographers, service designers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of lectures, discussions, and group projects. This course will demystify design thinking beyond the media and business buzzwords and provide students with the theory and practical frameworks to integrate design thinking into their own public service practice.
The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, interiors, architecture, and fashion. But increasingly, the definition of design has expanded to include not just artifacts but strategic services and systems. As the challenges and opportunities facing businesses, organizations, and society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse; an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward. Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs various design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge, prominently including those within public service. At the heart of this approach is a deep sensitivity to the needs of people, whether they are consumers, clients, or everyday citizens. In "Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving and Creating Impact," we will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. Students will develop skills as ethnographers, visual thinkers, strategists, service designers, and storytellers through a hybrid of seminar discussions and collaborative projects. Over the course of seven weeks, students will directly apply what they have learned to a public service issue that they are passionate about, by untangling the complexities of related policy and exploring innovative ways to create real impact.
Fall 2022
PADM-GP.2145.: Design Thinking: A Creative Approach to Problem Solving and Creating Impact
The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, interiors, architecture, and fashion. But increasingly, the definition of design has expanded to include not just artifacts but strategic services and systems. As the challenges and opportunities facing businesses, organizations, and society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse, an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward.
Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs various design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge. At the heart of this approach is a gaining a deep understanding of the needs of people and building solutions that are specifically targeted at solving those needs. In this course, we will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. Students will develop skills as ethnographers, service designers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of lectures, discussions, and group projects. This course will demystify design thinking beyond the media and business buzzwords and provide students with the theory and practical frameworks to integrate design thinking into their own public service practice.
The word "design" has traditionally been used to describe the visual aesthetics of objects such as books, websites, products, interiors, architecture, and fashion. But increasingly, the definition of design has expanded to include not just artifacts but strategic services and systems. As the challenges and opportunities facing businesses, organizations, and society grow more complex, and as stakeholders grow more diverse, an approach known as "design thinking" is playing a greater role in finding meaningful paths forward.
Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process of discovery, ideation, and experimentation that employs various design-based techniques to gain insight and yield innovative solutions for virtually any type of organizational or business challenge. At the heart of this approach is a gaining a deep understanding of the needs of people and building solutions that are specifically targeted at solving those needs. In this course, we will unpack each step of the design thinking process and become familiar with the design thinker's toolkit. Students will develop skills as ethnographers, service designers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of lectures, discussions, and group projects. This course will demystify design thinking beyond the media and business buzzwords and provide students with the theory and practical frameworks to integrate design thinking into their own public service practice.