Designing with Empathy: A Hands-On Innovation Lab
This workshop is for you if:
You’re curious what actually happens inside the Design Lab at UC San Diego (spoiler: it’s not just designing, it’s reimagining futures).
You want to meet student designers who turned empathy into action—and prototypes into purpose.
You’re thinking about applying to the Design Lab at UC San Diego or dreaming of a career where your creativity makes a difference.
Workshop details:
Join us for a dynamic, student-led workshop where you become the designer. Guided by Junior Designers from the DLAB program, you'll explore real-world issues like affordable housing and equitable design education through the humanity-centered design process. Experience the core phases—empathy, prototyping, testing, and iteration—in an engaging, interactive format. Discover low-res tools, connect with fellow problem-solvers, and learn how design thinking can shape careers and communities. Whether you're a future Triton or just curious about creative impact, this workshop will spark your imagination and fuel your purpose.
Meet UCSD Design Lab Students
First and second year UC San Diego Junior Designers from Cognitive Science to Computer Science majors are collaborating in teams to apply the human-centered design approach to complex societal issues while developing durable skills and building their portfolios as they leverage the robust community of experts inside UC San Diego's Innovation and Design Building and outside partnerships with civic, non-profit, and enterprise organizations.
Meet the UCSD Student Design Team:
Pari Hathiram is driven by curiosity and doesn't settle for surface answers. She is guided by the values of good thoughts, words, and deeds. Pari is dedicated to making a difference in healthcare by blending compassion with innovation to improve the lives of those in need.
Arwen Lin is a UI/UX Student Designer who helps people create design-driven solutions. She is passionate about creating designs that can shape experiences, solve problems, and also create a positive change.
Jason Leung is a UC San Diego student, photographer and musician.
Kate Songpetchmongkol is an empathetic designer driven by qualitative insight, blending creativity and problem-solving to explore product design, product management, healthcare, sustainability, and entrepreneurship.
Ann Yang is a digital storyteller dabbling in the intersection of design, technology, and philosophy at UC San Diego. Currently, she's the Lead Graphic Designer at TEDxUCSanDiego, a Junior Designer at the Design Lab, and a marketer for TREND magazine.
Gabriella Strudler's favorite question in design thinking is "why". This childhood catchphrase fuels curiosity, sparking meaningful conversations that drive collaboration, experimentation, and empathy in her design process to inspire impactful product solutions.
Naomi Crowder is a UC San Diego student studying Cognitive Science with a Specialization in Design and Interaction. She is interested in the UX field because her biggest inspiration is people themselves and she wants to be able to design for them.
Riya Rao is motivated by designing for social change by creating good looking designs that keep people informed, enlightened, and healthy.
Sonya Klein is forging her pursuit of degrees in Speculative Design and Business Entrepreneurship because great design is a blend of creativity and strategy. Sonia crafts compelling projects that communicate stories and captivate audiences.
Noelle Lam is a Junior Designer for the Design Lab at UC San Diego.
“Because everyone designs, we are all designers, so it is up to all of us to change the world. ”
