Manila, PH – The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) successfully concluded a full-day workshop on Design Thinking last March 15 at the iLearn Conference Room of the ILS in Intramuros, Manila.

The event is an offshoot of the Introductory Workshop on Design Thinking held last February 9 at the Local Governance Learning Center in Intramuros, Manila. The event was attended by member representatives of the Inter-Agency Committee on Research and Statistical Matters (IAC-RSM).

“We at the ILS believe that design thinking will be of great help to DOLE in two key areas: (1) organizing intra-, inter-agency, or tripartite consultations in ways that DOLE can generate the best ideas from group-based discussions; and (2) program design and delivery that puts our stakeholders at the center of focus,” says ILS OIC-Executive Director Mary Grace L. Riguer in her opening remarks.

All participants were introduced to the core concepts and case studies applying design thinking. The latter part of the day was spent applying the design thinking process - Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test, and Share - through various workshop exercises.

The workshop was facilitated by Philip Smithson, Director of On-Off Group, Design Thinking Asia and a User Experience expert with over 10 years’ experience in the digital landscape. Design Thinking is a human-centered process for creating new, innovative ideas and solving problems, which is not limited to a specific industry or area of expertise.

The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) is the policy research and advocacy arm of the Department of Labor and Employment. For more information about ILS products and services, please visit: http://ils.dole.gov.ph or call Advocacy and Publications Division at tel.no. 527-3490.